Hi all,


I've had my 03 F250 for about 2 weeks now, and I've noticed that it is really going through coolant. I've used nearly an entire jug of premix in the last 10 days. What could be causing this? Is this common with the 6.0L?


Thanks

 

Are you smoking when running? (White smoke)
Is there any evidence of spillage on the reservoir or blow by is the engine compartment specifically the Head gasket area.
Any coolant puddles on the ground when it sits for a while?
You are either burning it or leaking it. Common= Head gaskets or EGR cooler

 

It's a common issue ONLY if you have a problem. Avoid driving it until it is repaid, or if you have to drive it, treat it like a baby.

Burning it through a blown egr cooler or blown head gasket. Or leaking it out the cap, a loose connection, or bad hose.

If the egr cooler is blown, you likely need an oil cooler too.

If you see white smoke at cold startup, it's likely an egr cooler.

There are other steps to diagnose the problem if you'll report back more on the symptoms, but I would be taking it back to who I bought it from (if it was a dealer or car lot) and insisting on them making the repairs.

 

Pull EGR valve and see if it's wet and smells like coolant.
Exhaust will smell/taste sweet if you are burning coolant via the EGR cooler. That has been my experience
Head gaskets are more prevalent, you'll see white residue somewhere in the engine compartment, loss of power, overgeating etc

 

I bought it used from a private seller. There is a Ford truck centre in my hometown, which is 4 hours from where I am currently living. Would it be worth it to take it to them? Or cause more harm to the truck by driving it? There are a couple shops around where I live now, but I'm not sure about their level of expertise when it comes to diesels.

 

This post is being written assuming you don't see a coolant leak. If this is simply a coolant leak, ignore this post.

Find a knowledgeable shop. One of the big problems with the 6.0 is there aren't s lot of mechanics that know how to really fix them. Plus, they may not be able to diagnos a blown egr cooler from blown head gaskets.

Post your location and you may get a volunteer from the fte forum to come help diahnos your truck. Also ask for a known good mechanic in your area. I would start another thread with a request for a good mechanic in the subject line. Then share the details of you situation.

If your only puffing white smoke at startup, it can be driven easy, but four hours is a long drive for one with a ruptured egr cooler. You risk blowing a head gasket by driving it. If you do, the repair cost increases 4x.

 

I agree with these guys. Coolant is leaking externally, the EGR cooler is leaking, or it has head gasket sealing problems. The last two will normally cause steam out of the tailpipe.

Just to start with I'd get a good flashlight and look all over the outside of the engine. Take your time and be thorough, if it has a leak you want to find it. On the passenger side of the turbo, down near the intake manifold is a small section of rubber hose that can leak. If you have a heater control valve in the heater hose it can leak, dripping down the back of the engine, you'll find coolant underneath on the starter. There is a heater hose connection under the degas bottle that is a common leak and the bottle can split on the backside and drip down below. Don't forget to check the radiator hose connections and the radiator. It's also possible to loose coolant if the cap is weak, especially if it's over serviced. The correct coolant level is just a little below the add mark on the tank.
Hopefully it's something easy.

If it's EGR cooler the repairs could run $1,800 or easily more. I would replace the oil cooler at the same time. Something to note is your '03 had a much stronger EGR cooler. They seldom cause issues.

Head gaskets repairs can easily (read "likely") top $3,500. Depending the condition of the heads and machine shop work.

 

Well, maybe overfilling is my problem. Would that cause the levels to drop. When I first got it, I had to add 4 litres to it. I filled it to just between add and full. Since then, its been dropping to just below add. I placed a piece of cardboard under the engine bay yesterday for an hour and then for 20 more minutes while idling, but no sign of leakage. Maybe I have to do the same once its hot after a bit of a drive.


Today when I start it to leave for work, I will go behind and check for white smoke. I`m a little concerned because I have to drive 4 hours to get home on Wednesday night so basically I have to decide today whether I take it to a shop to have it looked at.


I am from North Bay, Ontario, Canada ( currently live 4 hours north of that in Cochrane)


EDIT* Just fired it up. No smoke of any kind seen. Should I still be worried? I have to decide in the next 4 hours if I'm going to take it to a shop or not.

 

I may have good news. Don't fill to degas bottle above 1/2" below the mnimum line. It will puke coolant if you do. This is a known issue. The full line is really the minimum line ... Or a little below minimum. Hopefully that's your problem. Ruptured egr coolers are rare indie 2003 models.

I fill mine to where I can barely touch coolant sticking my finger down as far as it will go and barely getting coolant on the tip of my finger.

I would drive it. Park it over the cardboard after it's been driven at least 20 minutes.

To really know if your egr cooler is ruptured, you need to park mode sown over night and oil the egr valve (10 minutes) and see if the it or the intake is wet.

Get some gauges of you don't have then already. Spend $25 on Torque Pro and a Bluetooth reader. It'll be the best $24 you will ever spend.

 

I know what you mean Bryan but I bet a lot of people don't. lol

 

I'll take 2 of what Bryan is having this morning....

 

[QUOTE=69c;14666807]I know what you mean Bryan but I bet a lot of people don't. lol/QUOTE]

Come on man. Everybody knows " mode sown" means park with the noise down hill overnight. I can't believe you've been on this forum all these years and haven't learned that.

Apologies for not checking Autocorrect before posting. Posting from the phone can be trying. Sometimes it will jump to the quoted text for no reason.

 

Stop! As others have stated, pull your egr valve and see if it's dry soot or wet soot on the valve before you do anything else! It only takes 5 minutes or so.

If wet, I wouldn't drive it anywhere. Now your asking for a hydro lock condition and total devastation of your engine. As these egr's get super heated and crack, they will get worse with every start up. Once it cracks too far, your done!

The guy that sold you this truck had to have known of this condition and sold you a bad deal. He owes you, big time.

 

[QUOTE=BryanStein;14669592]

Park with the noise down? Ain't technology great? To the OP, I'm betting on a weak coolant reservoir cap combined with overfilling. Is there coolant residue around the cap and under the reservoir?
Of course check for leaks and a cracked reservoir too.

 

[QUOTE=JIM_C;14669913]OP said above there's no sign of any external leak, including putting cardboard down to check. I do agree with replacing the coolant cap as that's been a pretty common issue with these guys but it sounds far worse.