Found it!

It was cold again this morning, and as I have done the last few mornings, I ran the truck a few miles and popped the hood to make sure the reservoir still had coolant.

It still has coolant, but I saw steam (very small amount coming up from under the thermostat, by that (freeze plug?). There was very few drops on the block just under the thermostat housing, and the water pump area was fairly wet. I saw a green drop of coolant on the top of the water pump, presumably from this leak.

Right where the head meets the block, there appears to be a stain. There is not a big leak right now, and the truck is holding coolant. Is my head, head gasket, thermostat/housing, or water pump the problem? Of these, which would a home mechanic with decent skills and the ability to read the manual (LOL) be able to fix, and which should I take it to a shop to have fixed?

Does anything else occur to you all, and have I made the right assumptions based on what I see?

thanks, and regardless of the root cause and fix difficulty and cost, at least I have more to go on.

Ted

 

I'd say start with the thermostat gasket/check upper hose first, wash it all off and check for leaks, if you has a pressure checker pump it up to 13psi and watch to see where the leak is comming from

 

Thanks nickg, I'll do this.

Ted