Jeff & HOV,
Still have the original coolant and no work to the tranny pan that I know of.

So we are talking Anti-freeze coolant??? If so, this answers a couple of my questions. Like, it's not under pressure all the time, and there has to be some considerable contraction/expansion during sever cold (like we had here recently). And the hose and clamps could be replaced by someone like me without messing up the driveway or engine compartment to bad.

But I will check the tranny pan bolts to be sure (120 in/lbs ?????). I thought tourque was measured in ft/lbs. Which seems a little high for these tiny bolts. I have a cheapie tourque wrench but i will have to check it to see if it does in/lbs too. If it is tranny fluid leaking it would nothing less than really dark reddish though right?

Thanks guys,
Rob

 

I can give a little light on this too.During warm weather no leak. When motor cold and you start block heater it would leak Block heater must put a pressure on that hose causing tne leak, untill total warmup then no leak.
Even on warm weather starts it probably leaked a little untill motor was totaly warmed up. But time you got home and parked it was dried up and not leaking. Mine would only leak when cold and block heater had to be on for 45 min. At that point if you unpluged the heater it would stop leaking.

 

bluepp,
Yea, no block heater either so that rules that situation out for me.......

My thought is this, and I'm assuming we are now talking about anti-freeze, the fluid is old and probably should be changed, heck the system should probably be flushed and filled (60k on original). It's probably heating up and thinning out more now that ever and the hose and clamps are now 3 years old. I drive it like a madman sometimes so this probably only adds to the equation.

I drove it to work today but it's been rianing. I parked as far under a bridge as I could get. I looked under it this morning and the ground was spot free. if it's still dry under there when I leave soon, i'm gonna check again. I hope it's still spot free.

I'll let you all know in the am.
Rob

 

Yes, it is coolant. I noticed you asked that a couple of times, and yes we are all talking about the little red hose between the turbo and the motor. I guess its famous for leaking like posted before. I even checked my buds truck which is an 06 and his leaked as well. Mine hasent leaked since nor has his. Also, have you owned the truck since new? If you haven't, that fluid may have been changed out. Just a thought.

 

dslpwr81,
Thanks. Originally, the term coolant was said but it didn't hit me that Jeff in TD meant "anti-freeze". I actually thought maybe there was some other type of coolant associated with diesels. Only because this is my first diesel, and I'm mechanically challenged to begin with. I thought maybe, it had something to with the intercooler (again, I don't know what an intercooler is either but inter-"cooler" = coolant, to me and possibly others like me). Of course, I try to utilize forums in a manner that might benefit others as well as myself, so sometimes I might play dumb or ask questions others are affraid to ask. Most of the time though, I am dumb, and ask for myself. But I'm a firm believer that there is no such thing as a dumb question. I think forums are one of the best attributes of the internet and with the economy the way it is today, if I have to beg for answers just to save a buck, I will. I know there is always someone out there that knows more than the next guy, and most everyone knows more than me so.........And people like me appreciate (more than all you guys know) any input from as many people as possible.

And yes, I know a person like me can cause a simple thread to get out of control with pages of text and yes I'm notorious for that too. But, I enjoy reading detailed posts, learning to do things for myself, instead of relying on some guy with dollar signs for eyes at a service station, or worse, the dealership, and I think others do as well. Don't get me wrong, I'll admit defeat quicker than anyone and limp back to these places with my tail between my legs too, but only as a last resort. Hey, they gotta eat too.

Now, you did say something new that has brought up another question for me. The hose on my truck is black, not red and it definately appears to be lined on the inside with foil. I wonder if the difference between mine and yours is that big a deal. I do know hoses are colored for reasons though. Different line pressures and the types of fluids conveyed through them I believe. That's why I wondered if this line is constantly under pressure. I believe a tiny leak on a non-pressurized system probably doesn't warrant the same immediate attention as a tiny leak on a pressurized system. I believe the first will leak constantly, for sure, but you have some time to correct it. But there's serious potential for diaster on a leaky collant line, and in winter months when you can be an hour from home in the middle of no where this is not something you want to let go unattended. Right?

But anyway, as I said last night, I checked the truck before I left for home and I think I stopped the leak, again, for now. It was dark, and the parking lot, even though dry under the bridge is still stained from other older leaks. They looked old but, it was too hard to tell for my old eyes and led flashlight. I will certainly get all the way under it first chance I get, wipe everything off till it's spotless, and use a white piece of cloth if need be to determine what color any dripping fluid is, if it even drips anymore. I am also gonna replace this hose regardless, with something that I know will have less chance of dripping in the future. I'm thinking a braided stainless hydraulic line with serious clamps. Yea, it might be overkill, but better whatever that cost vs the cost of a tow from the middle of no where if that line goes from tiny leak to burst because I thought it was ok.

Know what I mean Vern.
Thanks,
Rob

 

It is a coolant/anti-freeze hose, so it gets pressurized as the engine heats up. Unless the hose looks to be in bad condition, I'd try just snugging down the clamps. After a couple times, it seems to stabalize and not need snugging down again. I suppose maybe the rubber kind of deforms around the clamp in heating and cooling cycles.

The intercooler cools the intake air between the turbo and intake manifold. Cooler air is more dense...

 

it this only apply to 06's or all years. i have read about and it seems to be more on the 06's than any other year?

 

Mine's an 06 and had this issue, and the 03 I used to have never did...

Also, of the various threads about it, people with 06's seem to be posting about it.

 

Just to pile on . . . .mine is an '06 and I just fixed my yesterday . . . leaking from the same short little red hose.

 

Ok, here's an update guys. The drip....drip....drip leak appears to be fixed, thanks to you all, again.

But now, I have other problems. Maybe, maybe not, you tell me.

It may be just the cold, or the fact that (as I said previously) the coolant is old and needs to be changed but this morning on the way to work the temp guage was fluctuating irradically. Like dropping lower than normal at idle and going just above half way at Ramming speed (slight uphill grade at 70ish on the interstate in rush hour traffic). Once I leveled off and the RPMs dropped a little the needle would go back to normal (normal for me is just barely under half, you can barely see the line). Heater/defroster was on high, fan on low.

It had me so concerned I even stopped for fuel a half an hour into the drive and felt the radiator cap (cool to the touch) and the top 2.5" dia hose was just warm/hot, not too hot to touch. So kep the Rs to a minimum and went to work.

About 45 minutes later as I get into the city (I'd been watchin the temp gauge the whole time) I noticed the battery guage was reading higher than normal (see my post: https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...61#post2350061).

So I have to ask, could all this be due to lower than normal temps (20's is not sub-freezing or anything, cold yea but c'mon, not extreme), combined with old coolant?
Thanks,
Rob

 

20 degrees F, you mean? If it is down close to zero, it isn't unusual for a dsl at idle to have the temp drop below normal operating range, if you aren't running a winter front and/or have an exhaust brake turned on...

I don't know about the voltage thing. Generally batteries can tolerate higher voltage charging in colder temps. Some RV battery chargers have a battery temp sensor.

If you haven't drained the cooling system any time recently, I wouldn't think there's any air in it.

 

I don't know if this explains anything or not, but the grid heater in my truck will cycle on and off in real cold weather even when the truck is at normal operating temp. This causes my volt meter to fluctuate and even causes slight dimming of headlights at night. It seems that even with coolant temp in normal range the incoming air can be cold enough to cause grid heater to come on at times.

 

I have an '07 (with a 5.9) and this sounds like EXACTLY the problem I have. Been dripping for a while and I haven't been able to figure it out. I'll have to go check it out here in a little while and confirm.

 

Yup it was leaking from that little foil hose.