Losing water?
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 319
Likes: 0
From: NE Ohio
Losing water?
about a week or week and a half ago i added some coolant to my truck because it was low, so i filled it just to the add mark on the overflow bottle and i checked it today and its about an inch or inch and a half down from there. I'm guessing thats maybe a pint down if that. is this normal? The truck's temp is always right at the N on the Normal gauge, its not blowing any smoke out the exhaust and its not leaking so I don't know where its going? Maybe its just evaporating. What do you all think? its a 96 with 241,000 on it always been taken care of too.
New User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
I’m having the same trouble. I filled it up before a trip and after we got back it was below the add line? It always seems to be low on coolant. Truck runs fine with no sign of water leaking. It’s 2002 with 55000 miles on it.
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,011
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by kc2006
What do you all think? its a 96 with 241,000 on it always been taken care of too.
Duncan
New User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: Everson,WA.
Mine was doing the same thing. I changed the 16lb cap for a7lb cap and that seemed to solve the problem. The radiator would pull water from the resevoir but not put it back. My radiator was staying to full with no room for expantion eventually it started leaking around about half the hose clamps and then out the radiator itself. NO problems since the cap change. The resevoir stays where it should.
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 319
Likes: 0
From: NE Ohio
well i looked under the hood and I'm not seeing any leaks or even a trail from a leak. The engine has a coating of like dirt dust on it so i would see if there was water washing it away. I'll take a look again to see if theres anything and I'll test it again and see how much it goes down in a day and then a week.
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 319
Likes: 0
From: NE Ohio
Ok so I checked the level yesterday and it was about 3/4" down from the add mark, today i was on the freeway and got on it and my brother was in a car behind me and said it blew like a greyish smoke out the exhaust, so i checked the level today and it was about 1 1/2" down.
SO i'm going to a friends to do a pressure check on the radiator and see if it holds pressure but is there any othe rway to do a leak down test to check if its the head gasket?
SO i'm going to a friends to do a pressure check on the radiator and see if it holds pressure but is there any othe rway to do a leak down test to check if its the head gasket?
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 253
Likes: 0
From: Dallas GA
I know on gassers that if you saw little bubbles coming out of the fillerneck/cap area when the engine was warm (thermostat open) and running that chances are great that there was a headgasket leak. Im not really shure on what to see if you tried this on a diesel. Another other indication is that you might be able to smell or see the diesel that gets mixed into the coolant as it blows by the headgasket. Just some thoughts... 
DEAN
DEAN
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 319
Likes: 0
From: NE Ohio
didnt do a pressure test yet but checked the oil and its clean still no milky looking to it, coolant is nice and green still so nothing mixing in it and i took the cap off about 5 hours after driving it today and it still had pressure in it. So I'm thinking odds are good that it doenst have a leak. I wiped everything down and didnt see any leak on any hoses or anything and i topped it off again to see what it does. I'll try the different lb cap and see if that works.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals
Joe Kucinski
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership
Brett Foote
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches
Pouria Savadkouei
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained
Brett Foote
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
nothercrash
1973 - 1979 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
7
Dec 22, 2010 10:12 PM
xc4jokestomper
1987 - 1996 F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
18
Oct 25, 2010 07:24 PM
samckernan
1967 - 1972 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
5
Jan 3, 2004 09:25 AM
