i can smell coolant but cant find leak.

JCunningham · January 30, 2020

17 Silverado 6.2L 45000 miles. when the truck is at operating temp i can smell coolant on the drivers side but cant find a leak. fluid is 1" below hot fill line. never saw any leaking fluid in the snow under it. everything I can see is clean and dry. it been like since i bought it with 39,000 miles on it. i cant see the radiator though. Was hoping someone would have some idea befor i take it to the dealer. Dont know if this would be covered under drivetrain or not.

davester · January 30, 2020

You could try looking up the front of the motor (you may have to remove a shield to do this) to look at the bottom of the water pump. They generally have a weep hole there (you may not be able to see the hole directly), but if the seal in the pump fails, coolant can come out there, and evaporate from engine heat before it makes it to the ground. It should leave some streaks from coolant residue if this is happening.

Note, this is from my experience with a 6.0L, if your water pump is done differently, this may not apply.

L86 All Terrain · January 31, 2020

No leaks, but you can smell it. Pull your dipstick and make sure your not "making oil". Not sure where the overflow tube runs on these trucks, maybe it pee'd a little out by an exhaust manifold or something and you are smelling that.

tlaw91 · February 2, 2020

Too easy

#PI1513F GM bulletin

Your thermostat is overcycling causing a radiator leak

Needs thermostat and radiator. I love those jobs!

You’re welcome

-Friendly neighborhood GM tech

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JCunningham · February 3, 2020

that TSB is for 14-16 i have a 17. but is says its covered under powertrain so ill have the dealer fix it.

tlaw91 · February 3, 2020

[emoji2357]
I read Silverado 6.2 driver coolant leak and didn’t even notice you said 17. Can’t win em all! I hope your dealer lets you know what’s going on!

JCunningham · February 3, 2020

well it let me know my problem should be covered under powertrain.

aczr2k · February 4, 2020

Same problem on my 17 and actually my 14 did it and was never fixed. 17 was fixed under warranty. My neighbor buddies 15 built up enough and it blew the plastic end cap off.

JCunningham · February 5, 2020

at the dealer now.

JCunningham · February 5, 2020

dealer said it was a heater hose. not covered under warranty. they want $441 to change both lines. lol. its a $50 line and a gallon of coolant . easy fix for myself. i didnt see any leak from the line and the smell was coming from the drivers side. They did find a rear axle seal leak so they are fixing that under warranty. wondering if i should do both lines and thermostat.

Edited February 5, 2020 by JCunningham

Snowcamo · February 5, 2020

dealer said it was a heater hose. not covered under warranty. they want $441 to change both lines. lol. its a $50 line and a gallon of coolant . easy fix for myself. i didnt see any leak from the line and the smell was coming from the drivers side. They did find a rear axle seal leak so they are fixing that under warranty. wondering if i should do both lines and thermostat.

Pull the fans back and look at the radiator. Might be leaking.

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JCunningham · February 5, 2020

i will thanks

Snowcamo · February 5, 2020

Np. Not hard at all.

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Joew243 · February 22, 2020

I just left the dealer for same problem. 2015 6.2, radiator leak. They said the thermostat and housing are warranty work. The radiator and labor on it, are my responsibility. I showed them this bulletin. They said it simply says to correct all parts must be replaced. It doesn't say the radiator is being covered. I said, it says the thermostat causes the failure. They agreed and said doesn't mean its covered.

Anyone have any luck getting it covered? My 2015 now has 41k Miles on it

Edited February 22, 2020 by Joew243

Outdoors_Guy_88 · April 12, 2020

On 2/2/2020 at 7:44 AM, tlaw91 said:

Too easy

#PI1513F GM bulletin

Your thermostat is overcycling causing a radiator leak

Needs thermostat and radiator. I love those jobs!

You’re welcome

-Friendly neighborhood GM tech

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What? Never heard of a thermostat "overcycling". Is this a joke, or for real, please explain? Wouldn't you see it on the gauge, if the thermostat was misbehaving? I have had bad thermostats (stuck open, stuck closed, or wrong temperature) and leaking radiators, but not sure how the thermostat problem would damage a radiator directly. The pressure on the radiator is determined by the pressure cap blow-off setting.

I also smell coolant on my 2015 and consistently lose about 1/2 gallon a year, yet I don't see a drop on the ground or any deposits where it would be evaporating. Not getting into the oil. I would be interested if there are common leakpoints on the 2015 5.3L engine.