chasing coolant leak
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Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,234
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From: Upstate NY
chasing coolant leak
I'm loosing a good 5" x 3" puddle of coolant daily overnight, wont drip while driving or for sitting about 4 hours only over night, checked block heater, checked radiator, upper+lower radiator hoses, heater core lines, dont know where the hell it comes from.
it drips off the transmission lines between the starter,
truck runs fine and doesnt smoke or have a sweet exhaust, no oil in the coolant.
I hope it isnt a headgasket failure
it drips off the transmission lines between the starter,
truck runs fine and doesnt smoke or have a sweet exhaust, no oil in the coolant.
I hope it isnt a headgasket failure
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 20,345
Likes: 802
From: Mi'kma'ki
hmmm.im gunna guess you didn't get a good seal around your thermostat when you put it in last.
thats been a little while now though,but maybe you didn't scrape the housing or block clean enough and it finally had enough pressure build up to start leaking.
shine a light down in there and see if ya can see any coolant.
thats been a little while now though,but maybe you didn't scrape the housing or block clean enough and it finally had enough pressure build up to start leaking.
shine a light down in there and see if ya can see any coolant.
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,086
Likes: 1
From: Malahat/Cowichan Valley
might have to clean everything up real good, then run it around for awhile. park it and give it past the four hour window and wait for it to start leaking. Check it about every 10-15 mins, once you see a drip, start with a good bright spotlight or similar, should be able to watch it run down something or along the lines etc. best luck man, i hate those little mysteries! haha.
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 6,900
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From: Campbell River, B.C.
hmmm.im gunna guess you didn't get a good seal around your thermostat when you put it in last.
thats been a little while now though,but maybe you didn't scrape the housing or block clean enough and it finally had enough pressure build up to start leaking.
shine a light down in there and see if ya can see any coolant.
thats been a little while now though,but maybe you didn't scrape the housing or block clean enough and it finally had enough pressure build up to start leaking.
shine a light down in there and see if ya can see any coolant.
My truck scared the chit out of me a few months after I rebuilt the engine when I found a small coolant drip during a checkup in the shop. I crawled under, and all around looking for where it was coming from and traced it up to the joint between the head and block at the rear of the engine - I nearly made a puddle of my own right then and there!
But a leak at the T-stat housing will seep down to the outer edge of the head gasket and follow that to the rear of the engine since the engine leans rearward. When the engine is hot, the coolant is probably getting cooked off before it has a chance to drip.
Lets see if we're right. That would be an easy fix
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Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2010
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From: Upstate NY
thanks for the tips fellas, not sure why the t-stat housing gasket would leak all the sudden its held fine for 4 months, but I'll pull the alternator and bracket again to look, I had it off a week ago when I was playing with the lift pump and looked to see any coolant but didnt find anything, oh well good thing I bought a spare t-stat gasket.
going to check the bottom radiator connections too, would a leaking heater core drip into the cab or come out beneath it somehow?
going to check the bottom radiator connections too, would a leaking heater core drip into the cab or come out beneath it somehow?
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 399
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From: Central, Florida
Most of the time when a heater core fails it either drips into the passenger floorboard or pools up in the heater box and comes out the vents.
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,627
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From: West Valley Utah
Sounds like a cold water leak. I'd start by making sure all the clamps are tight on all hoses. Don't just feel the clamp, use a 1/4" ratchet with 5/16" socket if you have them.
From the location of the drip it could be a heater hose, possibly heater core, freeze plug or block heater.
When the weather first starts turning cold it's not uncommon to start finding cold water leaks.
From the location of the drip it could be a heater hose, possibly heater core, freeze plug or block heater.
When the weather first starts turning cold it's not uncommon to start finding cold water leaks.
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Joined: Mar 2009
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From: Houma,Louisiana
I second the heater core leak being seen in the passenger floorboard area. When mine began leaking that is where it was. The only passage through the firewall for the heater core is too high for it to leak in the engine compartment.
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Perry Georgia
I had a leak that took months to locate. I have a 1987 F250 n/a that was leaking but I couldn't find where it was going. There wasn't any coolant leaking onto the floor and nothing running from the engine. Just the coolant tank going down. Did the pressure check and didn't find it. I pulled the fan shroud and found a small leak from the radiator itself. This was about a year ago.
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