Any ideas on how my 2003 6.0L diesel could lose 1 gallon of antifreeze and 1 gallon of water in six weeks without any signs of leakage, no puddles, no drips? No signs at the exhaust that it's coming out there. No loss of power but the engine overheated to the red line for a couple of blocks before I could park it. I added the antifreeze and water after it cooled down and it ran fine, temperature gauge normal. I am planning a long road trip but I am afraid to drive it before I solve this problem. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

Look for signs of coolant puking out of the degas bottle. Basically a white powdery residue. Also pull out the EGR valve and look for moisture in the EGR passage.

 

I had the same problem on a car and the fluid was finding its way into the cylinder and "burning off" during combustion. Turned out to be a blown head gasket.

 

what dchamberlain said

 

Funny you should post this now. I just posted a question of the EXACT same problem with my V-10 .. literally. No puddles, drips or wet spots on the engine, not coming out of the exhaust and no heater core leak. I go through about the same amount of antifreeze as you do as well. If you figure out where yours is going, please let me know and if i find out ill do the same .. lol. Might be the same problem on both trucks.

 

Well if your truck is not leaking the antifreeze it is going out your exhaust and being turned to steam which is why it is not pouring or dripping out your tail pipe.

I can not believe you are even considering driving a vehicle to the store that has severely overheated and used 2 gallons of coolant.

You two need to purchase a blown head gasket detection kit at your local parts store and read the instructions on how to use it then use it.

fishwitch you also need to check your egr cooler to see if it failed.

Before asking how to do all of this do a search on here and all of your questions will be answered.

You two do realize that these are internal combustion engines and that if there is not an external coolant leak then the only two places for the coolant to go are your oil pan and out your exhaust right? Its not like there is a coolant fairy that comes by at night and siphons out your coolant.

No I was not born knowing everything about automobiles and engines and I still hardly know anything but I sure as heck knew how to read and wasn't afraid to pick up a book or two and look things up when I had an issue.

 

-----------damn bronc---cold up there at Ft. Richardson--cuz if it is ya dont need to spread that thru yer post--i see a reasonable question by a newbie--i dont think he needs to be belittled by anyone--if i was him i would be a little tenative to ever post on this forum again with a response like this!! just my 2 cents!!!

 

1buzzbait You are correct I was a little off last night when I posted that sorry to those that I offended.

 

Subscribing

 

its all good bronc!!!- -you were man enough to recognize!! i apologize for callin ya out!!!
----1st couple on me---------------oops i already started!!!

 

Moved to the 6.0L Powerstroke Diesel forum.

 

broncoformudv

No, I did not "drive to the store" knowing I was low on antifreeze. I just had the truck serviced 97 miles ago and the coolant was filled then. Yes, I did read up on my problem and researched it on the internet and on forums before I posted my thread on this site. And FYI, I am a "she" not a "he". Thanks to all who responded kindly.

 

U might try some UV coolant dye and see if you can find anything with a Blacklight/UV light. Not sure if its getting burned off if it will still make the inside of the exaust glow. I believe you only need about 1oz. Advance Auto or Autozone has 8oz for 16 bux i believe? GL

 

More details needed.

What do you mean by "serviced 97 miles ago"?

Did you mean coolant was changed?

Who changed it last time before you had to add 2 gallons?

If it was not improperly changed, there is probably 2 gallons of air in the system!

There may be nothing wrong at all... except that you need a real coolant change / flush job by someone who knows how to do it.

That is a $200 job... VC-9, 4 or 5 hours in the shop, etc.

---------------

Note: When I first got my 6.0, the coolant bottle was quite low, and it took several top ups to the low mark to get it "up" to spec.

Meanwhile, all sorts of things were said about it losing / puking coolant, etc.

Turned out... all it was was air in the system from an incompetent job.

There was no leak, no EGR failure, no puking.

Rule out the cheapest and simplest possibility first, if you are not seeing white smoke come out... or a wet EGR valve.

 

^^^^^ good observation gearloose1.

fishwitch, did you mix a concentrated fluid with the water? Which is correct, and if it was just changed, hope they used the right coolant.








(welcome back gear)