Coolant Disappearing
jam...@unlisted.com
noticed the engine had a minor coolant leak by the intake manifold and
I always smelled coolant. I bought the gasket set but never got the
job done. Suddenly I am losing a full radiator of coolant in only a
few days, and I probably only drive this truck 30 or 40 miles a week,
since it's mostly just for farm use. I'm noticing the engine is
idling rough too. I am not seeing any dripping of coolant outside the
engine, in fact I am not even noticing the minor leak around the
intake manifold anymore.
Could it be that this manifold gasket is now leaking into the inside
of the engine? How can I determine this on my own? I am not willing
to take this truck to a mechanic because it has high milage. If it's
just the intake manifold gasket, I'll change it, but if it's a head
gasket or something else, I'm sending it to the junkyard. What is the
procedure to determine where the leak is?
I should mention that since the weather has gotten cold, I am seeing a
very large amount of exhaust smoke, but it looks like steam (appears
so anyhow). I'd appreciate any advice and suggestions.
Thanks
James
cse...@mts.net
>
>I should mention that since the weather has gotten cold, I am seeing a
>very large amount of exhaust smoke, but it looks like steam (appears
>so anyhow). I'd appreciate any advice and suggestions.
>
>Thanks
>
>James
Get a sniff of the exhaust on a cold morning and see if you smell or
taste antifreeze.
Very likely started leaking into the intake and the fluid is being
sucked into the engine and out the exhaust. Remove the spark plugs
and see if one is gone wet or oily looking. Check the oil and see if
you have more "oil" than before. This would indicate the coolant is
also leaking into the lifter valley and crankcase. Unlikely that the
head gasket is a problem, but if you don't do the fix, you are going
to lose pistons. Antifreeze holds heat and when overheated in a
combustion chamber actually melts (More like explodes) aluminum.
Pete