fearkobe Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Last Sunday we lost coolant in the radiator had to add like half a gallon. Had the truck checked out and said everything was good. Checked the coolant again and it was low in the radiator. I got a block tester from auto zone to see if it had air in the system. Last Sunday when filling it up I noticed it was foaming in the radiator but it went away. Any ideas? Looked for outside leaks around the water pump from the top. Anyway gonna try that block tester and see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearkobe Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 It was low in the radiator not the resevor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushnut Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 mine leaks a little from the cold start on the throttle body a small drip, has been for 3 years but I keep an eye on it and it's never gotten worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearkobe Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 Suppose to go out of state with it on the 2nd of next month wanna make sure we fix the leak before we leave and make sure we have no blown head gasket. Thanks for the reply I will look in that area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Not sure what a block tester is, but you might want to have it pressure tested, that should tell you right away. If it was a head gasket, you would probably see an oily film on the coolant in the radiator or you would have a lot of white smoke/condensation from the tail pipe. How much low over what amount of driving? B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearkobe Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 Last Sunday when I added almost half a gallon. Yesterday I added not nearly as much. I'm gonna have it pressure tested next week. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clkindred Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Check the hose that goes from just below the radiator cap to the overflow tank. Make sure it is connected and free flowing. A while back I suddenly had a temperature spike while driving, noticed low coolant in the rad, but not in the res. Turned out that hose had gotten clogged and when the radiator cap let the pressure out, it blew the hose off the barb on the res. Then every time the engine would go through a drive cycle, it would just spit the coolant onto the road. then suck in air when cooling down. It was a sneaky leak because it would never leave a drop in the driveway, or parking lot, it would only leak while on the road. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechanicalbaron Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Not sure what a block tester is, but you might want to have it pressure tested, that should tell you right away. If it was a head gasket, you would probably see an oily film on the coolant in the radiator or you would have a lot of white smoke/condensation from the tail pipe. How much low over what amount of driving? B Hey man, a block tester checks for basically exhaust gas in the cooling system. Kind if looks like a turkey baster with a couple separate sections one which you put a blue detection liquid in, when you pull a sample from the radiator if exhaust is present the liquid will turn green. But they don't always work that great. Got one somewhere in my tool box at work that I never use. Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechanicalbaron Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Does it have a 3.3L or a 3.5L? On the 3.3 the intake gaskets will leak on the passenger rear and is really difficult to see. Seems like with that much coolant loss you should see something. Milky sludge under the oil cap? Milky oil or trans fluid? Runs rough for a few seconds when cold started? Do you smell coolant when driving or after you get out of your car? Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearkobe Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 Check the hose that goes from just below the radiator cap to the overflow tank. Make sure it is connected and free flowing. A while back I suddenly had a temperature spike while driving, noticed low coolant in the rad, but not in the res. Turned out that hose had gotten clogged and when the radiator cap let the pressure out, it blew the hose off the barb on the res. Then every time the engine would go through a drive cycle, it would just spit the coolant onto the road. then suck in air when cooling down. It was a sneaky leak because it would never leave a drop in the driveway, or parking lot, it would only leak while on the road. Thanks I'll check it out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearkobe Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 Does it have a 3.3L or a 3.5L? On the 3.3 the intake gaskets will leak on the passenger rear and is really difficult to see. Seems like with that much coolant loss you should see something. Milky sludge under the oil cap? Milky oil or trans fluid? Runs rough for a few seconds when cold started? Do you smell coolant when driving or after you get out of your car? Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk The 3.3 nope it runs smooth. I'll check the oil cap but the oil looks good. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 There are a lot of coolant hoses that are kinda tough to see. There are some under the upper intake and then the bypass hose coming off the upper coolant hose neck. A small hole in one of those could explain your symptoms. My friend's van used to lose a lot of coolant--it had a torn hose we couldn't see, and it held coolant fine when cold, but after driving for a while the level would slowly drop until the engine would start to overheat. There was no obvious leakage unless you turned it off with the engine hot (running it hard or coolant level too low), when it would make great clouds of steam from under the hood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearkobe Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 (edited) If I have it pressure tested they should be able to find it? Meaning any leaks? Edited July 19, 2015 by fearkobe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechanicalbaron Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 If I have it pressure tested they should be able to find it? Meaning any leaks?It should. Unless it is a head gasket issue. The best way I've found is to do a leak down test. If it has a breached head gasket it will push the coolant out of the top if the radiator when the cap is removed. When using a block tester or 5 gas analyzer to "sniff" the coolant you don't always get a conclusive result. Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearkobe Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 (edited) No coolant coming out of the radiator cap pretty much just stays there. I should smell it and see. Thanks Edited July 19, 2015 by fearkobe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechanicalbaron Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 No coolant coming out of the radiator cap pretty much just stays there. I should smell it and see. ThanksLooking for coolant being pushed out of the radiator while testing with a leak down tester is what I mean. Example, when testing cylinder 3, coolant is being pushed out of the radiator when the cap is not on it. That would indicate a breach between the cylinder and a coolant passage.And what I mean by seeing and smelling coolant is with that much loss you should see or smell it after a drive. Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearkobe Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 Had them so a pressure test and holding good. They tested the coolant for gas and exhaust nothing found and all good ready to go got our trip. Said it could of been really low on coolant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Well, something is going on, so just keep an eye on it... Last Sunday when I added almost half a gallon. Yesterday I added not nearly as much. I'm gonna have it pressure tested next week. Thanks Yes, the second adding could have just been it burping air bubbles, but I'm still curious where that first 1/2 gallon went... Hey man, a block tester checks for basically exhaust gas in the cooling system. Kind if looks like a turkey baster with a couple separate sections one which you put a blue detection liquid in, when you pull a sample from the radiator if exhaust is present the liquid will turn green. But they don't always work that great. Got one somewhere in my tool box at work that I never use.Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk Cool, thanks for the explanation. I've heard of those, just never used them. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechanicalbaron Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Just found this old bulletin. Chemical block tester. Leakdown tester. Still curious where the coolant went. Have safe trip and keep an eye on the coolant level. Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R3DN1CK Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 When I bought my 96 with 145k on it, it was about quarter gallon low on the radiator... no idea where it went. Maybe it was just low? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 It's a closed system. No reason for it to leave unless it's allowed to. However a small leak internal or external isn't that big of a deal, and such a small internal leak won't show up on a C0 test. Even the 5 gas can have a hard time seeing it. Slow external leaks can be hard to find since the heat dissipates the coolant before you smell or see it. Look very closely every were you can for build up or scaling. Dried coolant. Having a working radiator cap will allow the system to burp it's self out and push/pull coolant from the system into the overflow reservoir. You shouldn't have to be adding coolant to the radiator unless the reservoir is dry or your cap isn't functioning properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearkobe Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 The shop I'm taking it too is gonna flush out out with radiator coolant. Before I take it in can I poor that radiator flush in there and let it idle for a little bit. I wont drive on it just get it to the shop a little early and let it idle before the flush it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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