Coolant puking need help! 6.0
 

Im fairly familiar with what puking coolant means... head gaskets. I thought thats what it was. I took it to a Ford Dealer and an independent shop and they each ran 3 separate head gasket tests and the truck passed all of them perfectly. No blown head gaskets.

Having said that, I have no clue why coolant continues to puke out of the degas bottle little bits at a time - never a lot at once. Any ideas what this could be? :-huh:-huh:-huh:-X15

Moved to the 6 0L Powerstroke forum!

The dealership and indy shop couldn't help you answer this question either?

Perhaps the cap is bad, they are known to have issues and I've already replaced mine.

Are you overfilling it? There is a TSB out that redefines the min and max lines on the degas bottle. It's applied on a sticker outside the degas bottle for reference.

http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/...tle-degass.jpg

<p>X2 what vec said, the low line on the degas bottle is the full mark now. Your thermostat could be bad also.</p>

I have replaced the degas cap and it is at the filled to the "low" mark on the bottle. Still confused. How much is it to have the thermostat replaced?

The tstat shouldn't cause that. Does there appear to be any relationship to how hard you are driving it, or to the ambient temperature?

Have you done any cooling system cleaning recently?

Do you happen to have any gauges to know what your coolant vs oil temperature deltas are?

It only seems to happen when driven for long distances - 20+ miles. The tempurature around my area has been 80+ for the last month or so. I do not have any gauges (planning on buying them this summer), and I have not done anything to the cooling system other than new coolant.

I've heard a clogged EGR valve could also be responsible and I will be taking mine off and cleaning it tomorrow.

At what temps are you checking the coolant level? It can vary quite a bit, jusdr based on ambient temp and driving conditions.

At it's hottest point make sure it isn't above the MIN mark on the degas bottle.

Josh

Coolant is at the "low" mark when its cold. After driving in 90* temps for 30 mins with some stop-and-go traffic, the coolant has expanded to almost all the way to the top. Not leaking out just yet but it is fairly close.

What tests did the indy shop do to "confirm it wasn't head gaskets"?

The EGR valve isn't the other main culprit in coolant puking (besides head gaskets), it is the EGR cooler.

It is possible to overheat from water pump failures, etc. We need to know the coolant and oil temps when the engine is fully warmed up. I would also advise installing a pressure gauge on the degas bottle.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...9-08-03-a.html

everyone always claims headgaskets it just not so

They ran pressure tests same as the dealer did - No loss of compression was found by either.

All that costs money which I do not have at the moment. How much is it to have gauges purchased and installed?

Taking off the EGR valve will tell me if the EGR cooler is going bad. Thats the other reason I wanted to take it off. If the valve is too clean (looks almost like it has been steam-cleaned) or if the valve is damp then that means the EGR cooler is shot. Im really hoping thats not the case. Ill have a pit in my stomach tomorrow right as Im about to take the valve off.

You don't need to have gauges installed. You can buy a ScanGauge II, like many of us have, to give you most everything you need to read on a stock truck. It plugs into the OBD port. You will need to configure it for some of your readings, but this is not difficult at all. Mount it where you feel comfortable. Mine is attached via velcro below my headlight switch. I think they go for about $140. It's far from glamorous, but the least expensive way to get all the readings you need NOW.

such is not really the case either. a sticky valve could be from oil or fuel as well.
steamed cleaned on the other hand is a cooler.
why not just follow the tsb 09-08-03 and not guess what it is. its pretty simple and will get you the diag you need

I read the TSB. The only sign Im having is coolant leak out of radiator cap. I dont have a lack of power, white smoke, coolant loss, and I do have cabin heat.

true. i dont think a funky thermostat will be the cause of his puking. it could be clogged EGR cooler, and if that is starting to get clogged, it may be causing some of tat coolant to back out too. bad flow and all tat. i'd pay extra attention to tat, cos tats wat i got before my oil cooler got plugged, and my engine hydrolocked. funny thing was, i didnt blow my headgaskets, but i did get coolant into my engine. a drain of my engine oil proves it when coolant came out with my motor oil. bleah!

oh and btw, i didnt mean to scare u. i was jus reliving my nightmare. argh!

adjust the coolant level 1/2" below min line and try a new oem cap first

A pressure gauge on the degas bottle can be done for $15. No reason not to do it. As stated, the scangaugeII can be bought for $150 and is a HUGE help. It is unfortunate if you can not afford that because it will save you money in the long run. There are iPAD and Android apps that can get you the readings also.

That being said, lots of people get the advice to install gauges, many ignore it thinking they are saving $$'s.

Have you raised the rear of the vehicle and pulled the EGR valve yet (looking for coolant)? It helps to have the degas bottle pressurized when you pull it. As cheezit said, there can be other reasons if you find a sticky/greasy valve though.

Also, Ford states to check the degas bottle cap sealing surface - should be flat and not have any nicks or burrs.

Scangauge looks like the route I will have to take. What else needs to go with it?

Re-reading the thread, you said you installed new coolant. How did you do that (and what did you install)? Did you just drain and fill, or did you flush with distilled water? If you flushed with water, did you refill with concentrate or a 50/50 mix?

Edit - all you need w/ the scangauge is a little time to program it. FTE can help w/ that.

I just drained it and put new coolant in. As long as scan gauge can monitor the temps without having to by separate thermostats and wiring a **** ton of things then I guess im good to go

no wiring needed - just plug it into the OBDII (computer) port under the dash.

Ok. Any more ideas as to what it could be please post them. If not, please sub to the thread and ill post the temps when I get them. Thanks for all the help, fellas!

did you do this?

I tried but it was raining in my area so getting under the hood was not doable. Will try my best to do it as soon as it clears up

My money would be on leaking head gaskets (they don't actually "blow" like a traditional gasket). I'm curious as to the what the shops' explanations as to why your truck is puking coolant?

Go to Autozone and buy the following.... under 20 Bucks...

12" of 3/8" I.D. gas hose

6 1/2" hose clamps

3/8" Vacuum Tee

25 PSI gauge

Cut the hose running from the radiator to the degauss tank

insert tee use 2 clamps

cut 4" of hose and clamp to middle tee barb use 2 hose clamps

insert hose from rad install into side barb use original clamp

run 8" hose to tank use 2 hose clamps

Drive truck for 15 minutes to raise temp to normal...

Lift hood and read guage, if over 11 PSI likely to be over 16 then you have head gasket failure.

If it's under you've over filled the tank.

You could have air block in the tank and need to bleed off the pressure if this never happened before the coolant change.

http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/q...3/IMAG0334.jpg

You can get a scangauge II on eBay
Codes are here.....
http://www.scangauge.com/support/x-gauge/ford-specific-xgauges/


Denny

Ok so it's still raining today so no EGR valve removal. I drove about 15 miles to work this morning, opened the hood, truck looked fine - no coolant leak. Drove home this afternoon (it was about 90*) same route, same driving style, opened the hood and found this. The pics were taken during a 5 minute stop in the rain shortly after i got home. truck was still warm

IMG_0297_zps4c9ec84f.jpg Photo by machew_g | Photobucket

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/...ps473ab4cc.jpg

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/...psb5863859.jpg

(first time using photobucket let me know if there are problems with the links)

Your coolant level looks too high. Is it at that level after cool down?

No that's the level when the engine is hot

What Coolant are you using? or did you replace it with?

Denny

It still looks like you simply have too much coolant in it.

7 Gallons is a lot of capacity, so taking out a quart or 2 isn't going to hurt.

d

Not sure specifically what type of coolant. My mechanic replaced it because I had it done when I had my tires mounted and aligned.

Look at the picture I posted on the first page of this thread. The yellow sticker denotes the new MIN and MAX lines. The new MAX line is well below the old MIN line. This might not be your problem, but it certainly isn't helping if you're overfilled.

I went to autozone and they didnt have a psi gauge that would stand up to the temps of being left under the hood. Do you have a brand or a part # for reference?

for the 3rd and last time see both of my prior post. post #25.
this is were you need to start. belive me or not.
best of luck

Uhmmmm - you should actually run the hose such that the gauge is in the cab - away from the heat. The gauge is in the vapor space so that you shouldn't even have the hot coolant up against the gauge (even if you did leave it under the hood).

The Lisle LIS20300 pressure/vacuum gauge will work (I believe it only goes to 14 or 15 psig though). O'Reilley's sells it.

<TABLE style="WIDTH: 492pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=656 x:str><COLGROUP><COL style="WIDTH: 492pt; mso-width-source: userset; mso-width-alt: 23324" width=656><TBODY><TR style="HEIGHT: 13.2pt" height=18><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 492pt; HEIGHT: 13.2pt; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8" class=xl24 height=18 width=656 align=left>Also - OTC 5613 Vacuum / Pressure Gauge Kit (0-15 psig)</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 13.2pt" height=18><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; HEIGHT: 13.2pt; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8" height=18></TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 13.2pt" height=18><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; HEIGHT: 13.2pt; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8" class=xl24 height=18 align=left>Mityvac sells a 0-30 psig gauge and also does vacuum. It would be ideal: MVA6181

<TABLE style="WIDTH: 492pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=656 x:str><COLGROUP><COL style="WIDTH: 492pt; mso-width-source: userset; mso-width-alt: 23324" width=656><TBODY><TR style="HEIGHT: 13.2pt" height=18><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; WIDTH: 492pt; HEIGHT: 13.2pt; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8" class=xl24 height=18 width=656 align=left>Lastly: KD Tools (0-15 psig) Model# KDS2521 and Actron CP7802 (0-15 psig)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...nts-degas.html
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

I believe you are equipped with enough information to resolve the issue. +1 on best of luck.