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5.0 eats coolant when cold

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Old Apr 27, 2021 | 05:36 AM
  #1  
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JayP63
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5.0 eats coolant when cold

1990 5.0 f150 eats coolant on short trips. I can drive it 500 miles with no noticeable coolant loss but a tank of gas in town and the radiator is half empty.
assuming it’s eating coolant either cold and stops when warm.
Actually fixed a thermostat housing leak I thought was causing this but it’s still running low on coolant.
Headgasket? Cracked block or heads?
 
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Old Apr 27, 2021 | 06:52 AM
  #2  
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I predict head gasket. You should pressure test it when cold. If it won't hold pressure, pull the spark plugs out and crank it over to see which cylinder sprays water out.
 
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Old Apr 27, 2021 | 07:02 PM
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I vote for head gasket too, once the engine warms up and thing expand a little, the leak diminishes to a minimum.
 
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