6.0 smells like fish!
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Senior User
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 140
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From: utah
6.0 smells like fish!
Hey guys, I have been noticing a strange smell coming into the cab when I have my engine under a load. The only way to explain it is it smells alot like fish. I am a fisherman and no there are no fish anywhere in my truck. I even made my wife get out to see if it fixed the problem.(J.K) Now that all of the jokes are out of the way, does anyone have any ideas?
elkarcher
elkarcher
Jäger
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,491
Likes: 5
From: Northern Arizona
Have you checked around the degas bottle for puked coolant? That doesn't smell like fish to me but we all have our own opinions on things. Either that or a Bass swam into the intake housing... got any buddies with a practical joke style sense of humor?
BTW, Better hope your wife doesn't see this thread... hide the guns, knives, baseball bats, etc.. RIGHT NOW!!
BTW, Better hope your wife doesn't see this thread... hide the guns, knives, baseball bats, etc.. RIGHT NOW!!
Jäger
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,491
Likes: 5
From: Northern Arizona
It's the coolant bottle under the hood, driver's side, it's opaque plastic with a black plastic top and black screw-on cap. Do you see any tan looking powdery substance around the cap? That would be puked coolant.
Jäger
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,491
Likes: 5
From: Northern Arizona
One of the resident Tech's will hopefully chime in on this with a more educated answer. Prior to that:
- Make sure the coolant level is correct, the factory 'Full' level is too high, there was a TSB on this for 05 PSD's to lower the coolant to the 'Low' level and they added a sticker reflecting this.
- Clean the cap and bottle threads and tighten the cap down.
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Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: utah
Thanks for the help guys. The truck is completely stock with 35k miles on it. There is only a very small amount of coolant around the lid of the degas bottle and I have never seen any leaking coolant or anything anywhere else. With the small amount i've got on the bottle, does it mean that there is definatley a problem with lifted heads, egr or anything else? Can you lift heads with a stock truck?
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Brett Foote
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2006
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From: Neptune Beach, FL
Yes it is possible to lift the heads stock.. Did you check around the area, Airbox, harnesses, Exhaust manifold for coolant.. Problem I see is if there is only a little bit around the lid, that shouldn't be enough to heat and smell.. Is your A/C running at all when you smell it?
Jäger
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,491
Likes: 5
From: Northern Arizona
Mine puffed coolant at 3,000 miles, bone stock, when towing over the Grapevine Grade in Kali. It's puked four times since then (34,800 miles now), all when towing over the Grapevine in summertime.
Can't say for sure you've lifted the heads, more likely an EGR issue, maybe just a heavy load and the coolant boiled in the EGR cooler.
Can't say for sure you've lifted the heads, more likely an EGR issue, maybe just a heavy load and the coolant boiled in the EGR cooler.
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: utah
If I remember right, we were smelling it with the air on or off. I will have to look around and see if I can find anymore anywhere else. Do you think this is something I should take it to the dealer for or am I jumping the gun? I was so nervous when I bought the truck that now anytime anything happens, I automatically go into "oh sh** mode".
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,294
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From: Neptune Beach, FL
No take it in for sure.. Let me them know and check it.. First stage will be checking the EGR Cooler for failure.. Then they will move to the heads.. It is quite possible stretch the heads stock with a load.. The factory studs are a common part that fails.. It's been documented time and time again..
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2007
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From: Rural WV
In the mean time....do you remember what your coolant level was in the bottle? The reason I'm asking is there have been several guys who had puking issues until they simply lowered the level in the degas bottle to just below the minimum mark. Once they did that, they quit having issues.
Good Luck and let us know how it turns out!
Joe
Good Luck and let us know how it turns out!
Joe
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: utah
The coolant level was just about full. I read Kepler4's reply that mentions the coolant level problem and I think I will lower the level and see if it happens again. I will try that befour I check the truck into the clinic for who knows how long.