Coolant Leak?

firecadet613 · November 4, 2003

Alright, I'll admit it. I'm over anal about my truck. But who here isn't right ? Anyways the mechanics who installed my engine made multiple mistakes, and I kinda think its sucking down some coolant now. What I need to know is if my engine is eating coolant would the coolant level be going down fairly quick in the overflow resovior, or could it be very little and only slightly noticable.

Joe

Z71GUY · November 4, 2003

Alright, I'll admit it. I'm over anal about my truck. But who here isn't right ? Anyways the mechanics who installed my engine made multiple mistakes, and I kinda think its sucking down some coolant now. What I need to know is if my engine is eating coolant would the coolant level be going down fairly quick in the overflow resovior, or could it be very little and only slightly noticable.

Joe

Ummm simple answer.

If its a bad leak, then yes...you will notice alot very quickly.

If its a small leak, then yes... you will notice a very small amount gone.

If your worried, keep an eye on your oil.

firecadet613 · November 4, 2003

LOL got the answer I figured but was hoping it wouldn't be. If it's leaking coolant internally I should be able to tell by looking at the oil on the dipstick right? It'll be more watery right? I just changed the oil and had to pull my intake plenum to remove the intake manifold bolts and put some sealant on them so it can't suck down any oil, mechanics didn't do that and it used more than 1qt in the last 3K miles before the oil change. Oil level appears fine but I'll know for sure when I get to work and check it after work, got the same level parking spot there .

Hey Z71 Guy got any pics of your truck? Sounds like exactly the one I want to get.

Z71GUY · November 4, 2003

Here she is...

firecadet613 · November 5, 2003

On another note the coolant level checks out ok, down a tiny bit in the resovior but I took the cap off the radiator the other day and a tad came out.

Joe

firecadet613 · November 9, 2003

Just got back from a quick weekend trip to Indianapolis. Oil Level appears to be ok and not going down at all, that includes some highway trips of about 80 miles each way. Looks like it was the intake manifold bolts not being sealed created the oil usage. I pulled them and sealed them up the other day, pulled out each bolt in the intake plenum one by one and sealed them, with Permatex #2, and reinstalled torqueing to specs before moving on to the next bolt so my intake would not shift. Now it appears that the coolant level is dropping some. It does not appear to be leaking externally which leads me to believe my engines eating it. It has gotten colder out here in Denver. It was in the 80’s last week and has been in the 20s and 30s since then. The coolant level in the reservoir was right above the ADD lettering on the side but has appeared to drop to the middle of the ADD lettering now. Is it eating it or most likely just going into the system due to the temperature change? What’s the best way for me to check and see if I have a coolant leak internally, pressure test it while its cold?

Joe

firecadet613 · November 10, 2003

Anyone?

frdfandc · November 11, 2003

If your coolant level only dropped alittle bit, its probably due to the system burping excess air trapped in the coolant passages during the first repair, and during your intake fix. I would keep track of it for another few days to a week. If it drops excessively, then you will need to have the system pressure tested to determine where the leak is at. If it doesn't drop or drops very little, I wouldn't worry about it since it does take a few drive cycles for the entire system to be bled of air.

GM GIMP · November 11, 2003

If your coolant level only dropped alittle bit, its probably due to the system burping excess air trapped in the coolant passages during the first repair, and during your intake fix. I would keep track of it for another few days to a week. If it drops excessively, then you will need to have the system pressure tested to determine where the leak is at. If it doesn't drop or drops very little, I wouldn't worry about it since it does take a few drive cycles for the entire system to be bled of air.

firecadet613 · November 11, 2003

CoolCool. I'm parking it in the same exact spot on the driveway now and will for the next few weeks. Also used a washable marker and marked the line on the overflow bottle that the coolant was at this morning, I'll keep you posted.