w250_93

my trucks never been right since i bought it, it's always leaked coolant and i had to add some from time to time well i figured out that it was the oil cooler so i changed the oil cooler i bought the one they sell on ebay as a buy it now item and it has held so far there has never been any oil in the coolant since i changed it, i also put a new thermostat in it to. well even after i done all that stuff to my truck it still looses coolant. I can fill the radiator all the way up drive it a day then check the level at the end of the day and it will be 1/2 a gallon low but it will never go any lower no matter how much i drive it. the truck dosen't blow any white smoke when i start it so if it's burning it it must be a little at a time and i never see any leaks but the part i don't get is it never gets any lower any ideals would be highly appreiceated.

Chrisreyn

If its not burning it, and it s consistant amount being lost, i'd look for a leak in teh system, probably in teh radiator. Its leaking down to a certain level and then staying. Could alos be a leak at a freeze plug, tho unlikely
Also check very carefully aroudn the t-stat housing, they are known to leak if not installed just perfect...

Always look for the leak immediatly after shutting the engine down from normal operating temp, thats when the system pressure is at its highest..
I've had a truck that wouldnt leak when running, but would loose coolant on shut down....

darkvader

are you using the expansion(overflow) remote tank or just filling the radiaitor with no recovery system. just the radiator will pump out about 2/3 qt. when hot then show low when cold. should come up to about full when hot(careful when removing the cap when hot(circa 1950's)
Clark

RuralCruiser007

When you pull the oil dipstick, is there condensation on the dipstick? (white stuff)

If you have this then you have coolant getting into the oil.

w250_93

Now that you say that i have never have filled up overflow tank and i did have trouble getting the thermostat housing to seal i ended up having to put silicone around the rubber seal to keep it from leaking. thats probably where it's leaking from and since the block gets hot the water just evaporates before i can see it butt if it was leaking out there wouldn't the coolant level continue to decrease instead of leveling off like mine does.

w250_93

no there has never been any water in the oil but at one point in time it did have oil in the coolant but thats fixed now and something else does anybody know were to get a good deal on a kingpin set for these trucks

wannadiesel

If you can't see anything on the outside of the motor, it's the head gasket.

Look very closely, though. There is a freeze plug up above the bellhousing in the back, and another one behind the fan hub. Leaks from the water pump are also hard to spot.

darkvader

becaues his coolant level seems to hold down 2qt "for however long i drive it" i still think it is overflow. check that to hose to tank is good and connected well, that coolant tank does not leak. fill with coolant and see if it keeps the radiator full. make sure you have the proper cap on rad. needs to allow rad. to pull water in as it cools. if you are not using the recovery tank a bad or to low psi cap would allow it to pump out coolant
Clark

IRoss

I had a similiar problem for most of the summer before I realized that there was a tiny crack in the overflow to rad tube, the coolant could exit the rad when hot but would not reverse....checking it when hot definitely makes these type of problems easier to identify....