Ok I need help on this one please. 95 F350 crewcab 4x4 5.8 has a coolant leak on the drivers side rear. It appears just above and on the motor mount near a freeze plug and runs down all over the bell housing and oil pan. Not much, just enough to be a pain. And only leaks in the morning after about a mile then stops??
The freeze plug in that location does not leak, the intake gasket is not leaking, there is no coolant in the oil or oil in the coolant. The pump and all the hoses are not leaking, it is not coming from above but near the last spark plug on that side, it seems just below the spark plug but not sure. I have to wait for a pressure tester for the weekend thought I would see what the experts here have to say. Runs great!! Thoughts?
Thanks for reading

 

Personally, I would clean it all up and put some UV dye in the coolant if I was having problems finding the leak.
A good ultraviolet flashlight and a pair of yellow glasses will show it up right away.

If what you say is true then I would suspect the head gasket. Because there's nothing else below the spark plugs to be leaking.

 

Probably don't even need to add dye. My UV flashlight has found that most "Green" coolant already glows quite nicely under UV.

 

Thanks guys. I am 90% sure its the head gasket How hard is it to replace? Anyone know a place in Phoenix that won't gouge me?
I will confirm when I do a pressure test, but..... pretty sure. Thanks for your help.

 

+1 for bad head gasket. I'd keep an eye on it til you replace it, if it starts leaking internally it could trash your engine.

 

I will keep an eye on it for sure. Thanks.

 

I just wanted to update the thread, so someone later might find it useful.
Well it's confirmed head-bolt leaking coolant Did the pressure test and.....leaking from a outside rear drivers side head-bolt......so head gasket kaput!
I am going to replace the engine with a stock crate.

This is the 3rd Ford 351 that has blown up on me. The first was a 69 Mach 1, then a 91 E350 and now my 95 F350 with less than 60,000 miles on the engine. What a junk engine that's all there is to it. Never blown an engine in any GM or otherwise. Hell my 94 Vette with 190,000 miles never had any major work, or my 78 Vette for that matter.....rant over. Thanks for all the help.............

 

If that bolt penetrates into the engine block water passage, you could
clean the bolt threads, coat the threads with Permatex #2, re-torque
the bolt, wait 24 hrs and do the pressure test again.

So your 94 Vette has never had the Optispark replaced?

 

Well, yes the optispark was replaced in my driveway in about 4 hrs work. It was a PITA but not too bad just replace parts. I did the opti on my 96 Vette in about 3 hrs after that
Your solution to the problem had crossed my mind but in the end, gasket replacement or worse is sooner or later.

This engine should not have a headgasket problem at 60,000 miles, just says the engine was not assembled correctly or some material failed. Either way a new engine! Isn't that the definition of insanity?
Thanks for your help!

 

Head gaskets often deteriorate based on age - not miles. Especially if the coolant has become acidic/caustic and starts attacking the gasket. It's an 18 year old truck, and who knows what has happened to it (assuming you are not original owner)

Not sure why a bad headgasket requires a new engine either.

 

If testing by pressurizing that cylinder did not result in coolant system pressure I would seal the threads and keep right on driving.

 

The engine is 5 years old and has been well cared for. The cost of doing both headgaskets, intake gaskets and whatever else it needs (cracked block, warped heads who knows!) is close to the cost of an engine and the same down time. Let's see hum?


I sealed the threads today doesn't seem to leak as bad, but it's started between the head and block... now there's a shocker!
Thanks for the help!

 

A FelPro "Head Set" includes every single gasket you'd need to do a head gasket job. It costs $50. It'll be about the same total labor hours to change a head gasket and swap an engine out.

I mean, $50 is like 1/50th the cost of a $2500 crate 351W, so I guess the cost is pretty similar

 

The cost to change the gasket set and HOPE it needs nothing else is around the same labor time yes, just to find out in the end the block is toast or it needs new heads, a rebuild or this or that, so all that labor is wasted?.. now the cost just became more. Been down this road, I would just as soon cut to the chase, buck up spend the money and be done with it. I don't trust this engine.


I need this truck to be reliable here in the desert.
It may cost a little more for a new engine but, I need the piece of mind.
Thanks for your help

 

Just seems ridiculous to me to drop $2500-3000 on a new motor + labor, when it'd take what? ~3 hours to tear the intake and heads off to see what's up?

It's a 5 year old motor that's only weeping coolant through a probably cheap head gasket. It's not over heating, not pushing combustion gasses, there is no reason to expect cracked heads or blocks. And if the engine is trashed? No big deal, since the replacement long-block that you get will need your existing intake manifold assembly - so that stuff would have needed to come off anyways.

But you know what? I'm not gonna argue. If you want to spend $2500+$1000 labor for a $50-100 headgasket job, go right ahead.