Where is the coolant going????
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2008
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From: Nova Scotia, Canada
Where is the coolant going????
I bought an 04 f350 bought 6 mths ago. So far has been a decent truck. 98,000 miles on it. So far the egr cooler had to be replaced. When the egr cooler went it overheated for a few minutes 
before I got it shut down. Had the egr cooler replaced under warranty. Since then I have lost about 4 m/g on the overhead lie-o-meter. Now on the way to work this morn I could not get any heat out of it on my 35 min drive. I just checked the degas bottle and there is no coolant in it. Could I have taken out the HG when the engine overheated and that was not discovered when dealership had it for the erg cooler? What is a good way of telling if it is the head gasket or one of the other problems associated with coolant loss? The warranty is almost up so I need to deal with this ASAP. Thanks in advance for the help.
before I got it shut down. Had the egr cooler replaced under warranty. Since then I have lost about 4 m/g on the overhead lie-o-meter. Now on the way to work this morn I could not get any heat out of it on my 35 min drive. I just checked the degas bottle and there is no coolant in it. Could I have taken out the HG when the engine overheated and that was not discovered when dealership had it for the erg cooler? What is a good way of telling if it is the head gasket or one of the other problems associated with coolant loss? The warranty is almost up so I need to deal with this ASAP. Thanks in advance for the help.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,712
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From: Henderson, NV
Mine did the EXACT same thing as yours; egr cooler blew and coolant temps went up. The first dealer replaced the egr cooler then 6 weeks later I took it back in as I was loosing coolant and the second dealer found out the head gaskets were shot (stretched bolts) and also the oil cooler was plugged. Get it in and have them check the head gaskets and the Oil Cooler.
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2008
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From: Nova Scotia, Canada
Well I booked an appointment with a dealer one town over that said they have a certified 6.0 mechanic on staff. Maybe we find out once and for all w2hat causing these no heat problems. I will post back when I get the truck back
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,712
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From: Henderson, NV
Since the Egr Cooler , Oil Cooler and headgaskets have been replaced I have had zero issues!! Well... I did replace batteries and alternator!! Not related though. The truck runs very strong and I am very pleased with it. Since the gaskets and other stuff have been replaced I have put on over 20,000 trouble free miles. I installed a coolant filter right after I got it out of the shop to filter the rest of the sand/crud out of the coolant so the oil cooler will not become plugged again, if you don't have one get one as soon as you have it fixed.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,712
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From: Henderson, NV
Yes that's the one. Its' pretty easy to install too. I actually had the first dealer I took it too do a coolant flush plus the second dealer had to drain the coolant when they replaced the head gaskets and I still had a lot of sand and crud on the first filter change. Well worth the $150! Make sure they check your heads for flatness!!
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Elder User
Joined: Jul 2008
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From: Tucker, GA
That's weird how the coolant filter still catches stuff even after a coolant flush. Anyway, ponyboy, don't let them screw you around with ANYTHING; get all of your questions answered to your satisfaction because if anything else goes wrong it's out of warranty and on your dime. You may need a new oil cooler, head gaskets, and like Jonathan said have the heads checked to make sure they're not warped (assume they are). If they are warped and they don't machine them flat then new head gaskets won't do any good.
Have them check the new EGR cooler too. If the oil cooler is clogged and caused the original EGR cooler failure, it will cause the new one to fail too. A new EGR cooler won't fix the problem.
Have them check the new EGR cooler too. If the oil cooler is clogged and caused the original EGR cooler failure, it will cause the new one to fail too. A new EGR cooler won't fix the problem.
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2008
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From: Nova Scotia, Canada
Thanks for the advice Jim. I figure this could be my last kick at the warranty can so I am going to go for the gusto. Like you said head gaskets, oil cooler, heads planed, turbo cleaned and anything else I can talk them into doing. Should I spend the money on the ARP studs if they are going to have the heads off? Is there anything else anybody can think of I should have check or at least suspect on a truck with 100k miles, even if not under warranty, if the heads are off then I may as well ahve it done now as opposed to later when I will be stuck with 100% of the labour costs.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,712
Likes: 18
From: Henderson, NV
Thanks for the advice Jim. I figure this could be my last kick at the warranty can so I am going to go for the gusto. Like you said head gaskets, oil cooler, heads planed, turbo cleaned and anything else I can talk them into doing. Should I spend the money on the ARP studs if they are going to have the heads off? Is there anything else anybody can think of I should have check or at least suspect on a truck with 100k miles, even if not under warranty, if the heads are off then I may as well ahve it done now as opposed to later when I will be stuck with 100% of the labour costs.
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 599
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From: Tucker, GA
Thanks for the advice Jim. I figure this could be my last kick at the warranty can so I am going to go for the gusto. Like you said head gaskets, oil cooler, heads planed, turbo cleaned and anything else I can talk them into doing. Should I spend the money on the ARP studs if they are going to have the heads off? Is there anything else anybody can think of I should have check or at least suspect on a truck with 100k miles, even if not under warranty, if the heads are off then I may as well ahve it done now as opposed to later when I will be stuck with 100% of the labour costs.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 213
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From: Kansas City, MO
My truck's headgaskets were blown when i got it, it would puke a little while towing a light load on the highway, but never when unloaded, the dealer wouldn't do anything about it. Then i was towing a 32' enclosed trailer, and they finished themselves off, found a different dealer, and had em replaced. The tech who did my gaskets suggested studs before i could ask, he'd done quite a few already, hopefully you can find someone who's installed a few sets.
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Senior User
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From: Nova Scotia, Canada
So I topped up the coolant this morn and still no heat. The top rad hose is not hot and very squishy. It took bout 1.5 gallons to bring the degas up to the min mark, is that as full as I supposed to fill it? Checked the heater hoses and they not hot either. I'll take it for a good run l8tr on today and check all again. I checked that short rubber hose connecting the coolant to the egr cooler and it is blue. Does that mean it has been replaced since I am driving an early model 04(man date 11/03)? Also it does not seem to be leaking so I am leaning more and more towards the HG problem.