so ive been smelling coolent in my cab when the motor is warm and the air or defrosters are on. and now im noticing that there is steam coming out of my vents? if it was a head gasket i would loose boost and see coolent, and if it was my water pump i would notice it from the heater vents... correct?

 

that would be the heater core leaking.

 

ahhh!!! blankin son of a blank!!! one thing after another. so next step can anyone tell me the easiest way to deal with this fix

 

There is no easy fix. And while your under there change the AC evaporator core too.
Here's some helpful links.
https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...e-t165900.html
https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...l-t183867.html

 

is this something that will get worse and hurt my truck or can i hold off until i have the time and money?

 

Just loop the hoses ( take them off inside the engine compartment and hook them together ) and you can run until you need the heater again......

 

that would also be a good way to confirm the problem

 

any link to which lines they are? i know nothing about heater cores. oh and thanks for the help guys!

 

on the passenger side by the valve cover to the rear of the engine are the heater hoses