I smell coolant after running the truck a while. I cannot find any leaks. I added coolant to the radiator and after that i could smell it. I never smelled it before i added the coolant sometime in December of 2006. I put a whole jug on top of what they had in there. Is that too much? I also noticed that the temp gauge does not go to normal it stays real low. Thanks.

 

A whole jug? A gallon? Straight anitfreeze? Should have been a 50/50 mix. Has the level in the radiator dropped since you topped it off? If so, you have a leak. It could be a small leak that only happens under high pressure (stem not water). Take a flashlight and look around the radiator core and all of your hoses after you get it hot and you smell coolant. The stem will usually show up in the light beam.
If you smell it inside the cab more than out, it's probably going to be your heater core leaking.

 

yeah, i put a whole gallon in it. I only smell it when i am out the truck and walk around the front of it. I guess i need to flush it and refill it with 50 % water and 50 % antifreeze ? Thanks.

 

I wouldn't flush it just yet. your not going to hurt anything right now with that gallon of staight in there. You need to find your leak. I would bet on water pump but we need to be sure first. check for small drips coming down right by the crank shaft pulley. the water pump on our truck are very strange. they start to leak and then they have a mind of their own. sometime they leak alot, sometimes not at all, sometime while running then next day only when its not running.

 

I would pressurize the cooling system and look for the leak. It can be done hot or cold, I prefer cold first. If you don't find the leak then do it hot. Most mega-auto part stores will lend you the pressure tester for free. I had a coolant leak in my Sable that was so small I couldn't find it. It only leaked with the engine running, hot. Pressure testing found it right away.

 

FYI-
I am in the process of changing out my coolant with a flush in between. I had the same symptoms as you-a smell when walking in front, but no visible leaks, slow decrease in coolant level.
I discovered that someone had not put one of the hoses all the way over the ripple in the water pump "pipe" and, in fact, had also put the clamp on the wrong side of the ripple. I will let you know, but I believe that this is where my smell was coming from.

 

my guage stays really low too. it does not go to the middle of NORMAL. it goes to about between N and O at 70 on the interstate. and thats the highest i have ever seen it.

 

Find leak first then you can put a 203 deg t-stat. to warm up truck better.

 

If you say you smell coolant when in front of the truck check the seems on the rad thay some times can be hard to see the leek around them.