After work today, I was on my way to Valvoline to get my oil changed and noticed my engine temperature gauge was approx 3/4 of the way to red line (the needle usually sits just under halfway to redline). When I pulled into the Valvoline garage and shut off the engine I told them and once they popped the hood there was practically zero coolant in the reservoir. So they topped off the coolant and I went out to check on it tonight and there was a big puddle of coolant underneath my truck and it was about 1/2 inch below the "FULL" mark. I tried looking underneath with a flashlight and could see some coolant dripping down from what seemed to be concentrated near the driver side somewhere around the power steering fluid reservoir. Also, last week I noticed on startup and I was pulling out of the driveway it was blowing a little, not a lot, of white smoke but as soon as the engine warmed up it was gone. It wasn't a cold day either, maybe 75 degrees outside that morning.


I have to make an 80 mile trip back home after work tomorrow, will it be ok to drive?

What could this be? Obviously it is leaking coolant but what is the cause? Maybe a loose hose? Maybe a head gasket?

 

Where was the smoke coming from? Check the small rubber bypass hose located under the exhaust manifold, the clamps loosen.

 

Isn't the auto trans heat exchanger on the drivers side? Check the connections there.

I would also look at the weep hole on the water pump, just to be sure.

Tony

 

I would check right at the water pump. Could be the fan blowing the coolant around on you. If it is the water pump as it is very easy to change.

 

After a lot of research I have basically narrowed it down and am 99.9% sure that it is the water pump. And yes when the engine is running and the hood is open it will throw small little droplets of coolant up so there is coolant on top of my engine, not a ton, but you can see it.

How much would it cost to have the dealer or an auto shop do it? Or how easy would it be for me to do? What are the steps involved if I were to do it myself?

 

Easiest thing you will ever do to the truck..

2 bolts to take off the water pump. No gasket, they use an O-ring on the pump..

Took longer to get the belt back on when I did mine than it did to replace the pump..

 

Well that's good to know.

So start to finish...

Do i need to take fan shroud off? From there what would be next? Would I need to take the belt completely off? It seems like i could just loosen the tensioner and take the belt off the water pump and then from their take out the two bolts that hold in the water pump, install the new one, re-install the two water pump bolts and then do everything else in reverser order?

 

That is what I did...
Manual said to disconnect battery like it always does...
One thing I did was drain the system by removing the lower radiator hose.
To many stories of people using the drain valve and not being able to get it to close back completely. Cheap little plastic valve used to drain radiator.
Just loosen the lower hose and drain into something.

INSTALLATION
(1) Install new O-ring seal in groove on water
pump (Fig. 50).
(2) Install water pump with the weep hole facing
downward. Tighten mounting bolts to 24 N·m (18 ft.
lbs.) torque.

 

I did not disconnect the batteries...