Coolant leak

I have a coolant leak somewhere in the engine area... Can smell coolant, but nothing on the ground, nothing obvious. Checked all hoses, water pump, rad, overflow bottle, no evidence from tailpipe... No dice.

been getting low coolant messages every 2-3 days, have to add about a quart

Took her to the dealer. They had it all day, said they ran it hot, did a pressure test, cannot find the leak. Honestly dont have a lot of faith in the techs, but I bought the maxcare cus this is my work truck and I cant afford to be down.

Hoping it isnt a headgasket or cooler issue, tho I wouldnt be able to smell it in the bay.. Dealer says no smell in the bay (B.S.)

Any ideas?

thanks

21 3500srw ho aisin

 

had a thought.. what if something is pressurizing the cooling system, possibly under heavy acceleration, and blowing coolant out the overflow?

Gonna put a secondary bottle under the overflow outlet, see if it gets filled up. hmmm

edit-- had my dashcam on while it was in service.. saw the guy put a handpump pressure test on it, then checked with a light. problem is, he kept pumping it back up like it was losing pressure.... not good. hmmmm. they didnt note this on their findings however.

 

They should be able to pump up to the PSI of the system, and if no pressure leak, should stay right on pressure! If tech had to keep going back to pump up, then that would mean a leak down somewhere! I had an o-ring that would only leak when hot and under pressure, and also had a radiator hose that wept under pressure. Both items were found with my pressure tester. You might want to pick up one. This is the one I have; https://www.harborfreight.com/radiator-pressure-tester-kit-63862.html.

 

When I do pressure testing, I try to do it when the coolant temperature has settled in to avoid false readings for a prolonged test >30 mins.

For very small leaks (especially EGR coolers), I pressure test for 60 minutes and note starting and ending pressures.

 

thanks for the replies..

gonna talk to a friend at a local indie repair shop and see if i can borrow their pressure tester over the weekend. Cant see dropping 90bux on a tool that I may not use again for a long time.. but I havent ruled it out.

another friend of mine works at the body shop of the local dealer. she said about 6mo ago 90% of the repair shop techs at this particular dealer quit. Why, she doesnt know. But shes pretty sure any of the techs currently there are either very green, or underpaid. Its the way this dealer operates, treats their employees like ****. Which doesnt make me feel any better. She also said they hate people that bring in a vehicle with MaxCare, as the plan doesnt pay very well for repair hours/rates.

Lookin more like i`m my own warranty station.. yay! /s

 

Amazon starts a 30$ around for the kits.

 

Good thing you don't have an EcoD like I do. A lot of RAM Service Centers have no clue about that engine and a lot of indys don't want to touch it with a 10 foot pole.

Luckily for me, my local dealer has a good diesel mechanic that looks at the Cummins and the EcoD as being the usual run of the mill modern diesel engine. Which is the way it's supposed to be. Take the time to learn both engines. Regards of what you think of the engine.

 

@tp0d, If we were headed out to see family for Easter, I would throw my kit in and meet up with you as family is about 45 - 60 minutes East of your local. Interested in what you find if able to borrow a tester. You may want to check with Autozone about their loaner tool program, you leave a deposit with them on a CC, and get back the next day when you bring it back. Just another option that might help since no money out and tool collecting dust.

 

grabbed one offa ebay for 38bux.. tnx for the suggestion ozy, but amazon is the friggin devil. i wont go into detail on that one tho. thanks for the offer topzide

Someone at the dealer must have felt guilty, a manager called me yday and wanted to setup a new appt time to diag the truck further. i`m gonna do some more testing here before i commit to another appt at a place I dont have much trust in.

Seems the truck uses less coolant at lower temps, as it is back in the 30s-40s here, and I can go about a week without a warning light. I drive daily, about 500-700miles a week for my business. Still no obvious external leak...

the saga continues......

 

@tp0d, Check the o-ring at the exhaust cooler. I had that one that would weep every so often. Only caught it after checking every time I got home. It'll drip down on the turbo intake hose. You're welcome. I had great dealing with Laurel Valley Motors over by Latrobe. They got me in when my DEF pump died while in Greensburg! They fit me into schedule on a Monday morning. Might be worth the ride over that way.

 

welcome eh? nahhh.. I checked for leaks, and the dealer's guy checked. If it was that obvious, I wouldnt have posted.

Put dye in the system, have a decent leak from the water pump shaft, and a small leak from the rad bottle.

Got the parts on hand now, gonna change em out tomorrow, as well as a new belt, tensioner, and a breather element for my 75k service. I`m my own warranty station, even though I bought max care. No trust in the dealer anymore. Will not be buying extended warranty again.

My 2016 ate water pumps every 60-70k , and then had to put a bottle in at the 220k mark before I traded it in. Guess I`ll be puttin water pumps in every 60k now

-j

 

Update---

Had the EGR cooler changed out 3 weeks ago. Truck was spewing coolant out the overflow when I exceeded 1500rpm under load. Took it to the dealer, who had to order in a new cooler, that burnt 5 days. Then, took them 2 days to install. When they gave it back, there was a huge hissing sound from the engine area, I tracked it down to a loose clamp between the cooler and the EGR valve. Dealer said they road tested it.. Yea right. I tightened the clamp to 50 ftlbs, which took 8 full turns. Sad. Also realized 4 days later that the dealer also took my registration and insurance cards out of my center console. The service manager found them on his desk. Bozos.

as I mentioned before, I wont be buying an extended warranty thru the dealer next time. Will save that $ in an interest account for repairs.

-j

 

What year is this truck? 2016 with 75 k or is this a different truck ?

 

its my 21.. traded the 16 awhile back.. my profile is correct (checked)

the 21 just turned over 80k today, looked down and it said 80000.8 ironic..

-j

 

Mines a 2022. I may or not have a coolant leak myself. So I’m interested in what you got going on thanks

 

Oz is right Amazon has lots of choices for less money for a radiator pressure tester. Check them out

 

Jam a wadded paper towel into the overflow hole on the bottom of the coolant bottle. Then, with the engine warmed up, run her down the road under load to at least 2500rpm. Check the paper towel, if its wet, you have foreign pressure in the coolant. Thats how my saga began.

-j

 

I don’t have a leak. Ran it hard for 600 miles anti freeze level the same no worries