Collant Loss 1989

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Dec 18, 2011 | 06:47 AM

jay3534

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Collant Loss 1989

Changed water pump, Ford thermostat and radiator cap now I'm losing coolant. Pressure tested cooling system and found new cap was bad. While I had the system pressurized for about 2 hours I removed glow plugs and cranked engine to see if water blew out and it didn't. No oil in water and no water in oil / a puff of white smoke at start up and maybe a puff now and then under heavy acceleration. Replaced with a good cap and still having coolant loss of about 1/2 gal per day ( it only takes about 10 miles to do this). Truck has 240,000 or so miles and I have owned it since new. Used antifreeze additives once I heard of cavitation. Runs strong and uses very little oil. What do I check next?

Dec 18, 2011 | 08:51 AM

joshofalltrades

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Quote:

Originally Posted by jay3534

Changed water pump, Ford thermostat and radiator cap NOW I'm losing coolant.

did i read that right as saying that the leak STARTED when you changed those, as if they were done in the name of preventative maintenance.
if that is the case, you're likely dripping it out somewhere you worked.
if thats not the case, look even closer for any signs of leaking water outside: radiator, heater core, freeze plugs, etc.

Dec 18, 2011 | 10:38 AM

jay3534

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Was losing coolant and found pump leaking. Pressure test was ok after every thing including new radiator cap that was found to be bad. Now coolant loss is worse. No leaks found. I am just the average guy with some tools and am really stumped. Could the fix be causing problem since cooling system is now holding pressure as it should?

Dec 18, 2011 | 12:54 PM

greywynd

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From: Peterborough, Ontario

The stuff has to be going somewhere, unless you didn't get it completely filled and it's been filling it rather than leaking as you have added more.

How much did you originally drain, and then how much did it take to refill?

Any chance the overflow bottle or hose are leaking? That won't show with a pressure test, but I could see losing a 1/2 gallon or so that way in a hurry when it warms up.

Dec 19, 2011 | 04:40 AM

jay3534

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Found it. Last night I cranked truck (dead cold) and started looking only to find radiator has hole which seemed to close up after about 5 minutes. Any recommendations on after market radiators?

Dec 19, 2011 | 01:55 PM

joshofalltrades

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a copper/brass radiator costs a lot more and is extremely hard to come by. the aluminum/plastic ones seem to work pretty well for a number of years, though when they get old (10 years or so) they often start to leak around the seam between the aluminum core and the plastic tanks. but they also cool better, and cost less.
i went with an aluminum one for my van, and it was expensive!