Sonofa......

A day after bringing this "new" truck home, I noticed coolant on the steering stabilizer and couldn't immediately see where the leak was coming from. I figured it wasn't a big deal, just a hose clamp or a fitting...

Well, after the leak got worse, I put some Bar's stop leak in it and it seemed to taper off to darn near not leaking at all from what I can tell. I popped the hood today just out of curiousity and found this....





you can see the line at the block and headgasket, and there seems to be some scale actually above that part...

Am I kidding myself by thinking it's probably the water neck? The Bar's stop leak seems to have stopped the leak! I drove the **** out of the truck goign to get lunch thinking I could spot the leak red handed, but still can't see anything. The Bar's has been in there probably 3 days.

I searched and found a thread where someone had this exact leak and wasn't too concerned about it, as long as it wasn't pouring coolant, and I agree to an extent, as long as I can understand that there are no other adverse effects of this coolant leak...well...other than leaking coolant.

There is no coolant in the oil, no oil in the coolant, and no bubbles coming up in the radiator.

Am i safe to run this with stop leak for the time being?

What are the changes of blowing a "compression" part of the head gasket with this thing leaking coolant?

Will being hard on the throttle worsen this problem?

HELP!

 

hate to say, it's probably the head gasket... pretty common place for them to let go... if it's not leaking, and you're not crossing fluids, I'd probably just drive it... it's usually just coolant leaking right there.

but I'd also be rounding up the stuff needed to do a head gasket job

 

the more i look at it, there is some of the white residue on the back of the water neck. i have to stick my head near the turbo and look towards the radiator to see it. i might buy the gasket for it and pull it apart tomorrow just to check.

i'm REALLLLLY hoping it's just the water neck. i've only owned this truck for a week and a half.

 

If it is the head gasket youll be wanting to have the head checked for flatness. Might want to look into o-ring'ing the head, put a marine gasket and studs on it if you intend to mod the truck a lot. now would be a good time to get it all out of the way.

 

what are my options are far as headgaskets are concerned?

i'd like to have the head cleaned and checked while it's off, but i'd rather not make a head gasket change a 2 week ordeal. I call abuot getting a head ringed, but it was a 4 week turnaround time.


could i go with just a marine gasket for the time being?

 

deck it while its off, also watch dowel pin depth, sometimes qhen the head gets decked a machine shop will take it too far. because they are incompetant. and then when you set head back down it will come close to seating up and look like its seated but when you tighten it won the dowels will hold it up.

definately a HG leak though, that or by some shear luck a head bolt with leaky threads

 

hey if it has to come off why not get the work done that you want and not have to pull the head again for the rings