LBZ: Caution: LBZ Coolant Leak Hazard!

SSchmi5519

SSchmi5519

LLY Cult Leader
Oct 19, 2008
3,387
1
36
Arizona
I have recently seen LBZ trucks, both 2006s and 2007s developing a lower radiator hose leak due to the battery cable clamp on the passenger side frame rail.

I urge you to pull a couple of the plastic clips off your passenger side fender liner and inspect your hose for damage. I am yet to see a LBZ that has no damage from this clamp.

I personally have been removing these little clamps. They are very sharp metal, and the hose rubs right on the edge.

Just wanted to let everyone know who already doesn't.

LBZ_Clamp_zpsjtjb24t1.jpg
 
SSchmi5519

SSchmi5519

LLY Cult Leader
Oct 19, 2008
3,387
1
36
Arizona
This rupture caused an entire melt down recently. I even had to get a new block for the truck.

Only parts that were still good were the crank and the cam, rest of it had to be replaced including the heads. This hose is $140 from Napa....hell of a lot better than a whole new engine!
 
Chevy1925

Chevy1925

don't know sh!t about IFS
Staff member
Oct 21, 2009
21,685
5,840
113
Phoenix Az
duramaxdiesel said:
A complete melt down from a leaky rad hose??
Click to expand...

middle of summer out there, he was pulling a hill and based on the damage, he wasnt paying too much attention to the temp gauge till it was too late. the guy he bought the truck from had done some kind of half ass fix to the hose and it was fine for some time after but she decided to die and puke all the coolant out this summer. in the heat out here, it dont take much time to kill a motor with no coolant. you wanna talk about a disaster....
 
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c20elephant

c20elephant

C20ELEPHANT
Apr 25, 2013
2,065
0
0
Phoenix, Arizona
Bought my truck in 2013 at 37,000 miles found the hose rub at 38,000 miles. When you replace the hose save the retainer clip, never know when you'll need it.....
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Reversed the clip drove it about another 2,000 miles before I replaced the hose...
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SSchmi5519

SSchmi5519

LLY Cult Leader
Oct 19, 2008
3,387
1
36
Arizona
That cable clamp doesn't really do much of anything unless you are running no passenger side battery...other than slice a hole in the radiator hose.

The truck that melted down was unloaded other than maybe 200lbs of stuff in the bed. Lost the coolant going up a grade in the middle of an Arizona July. Melted the heads, valve seals stuck to the valves, blew both head gaskets, melted the pistons etc etc. Had to hammer the pistons out of the cylinders to figure out the block was toast.
 
TeaBagger2006

TeaBagger2006

Im a Garrett Nut Swinger
May 11, 2008
3,123
15
38
Bis ND
At 236k ....I guess I'll look. Thanks Tuna Man

Everybody should check their stock hot side charge pipe as well. One of the power steering lines tends to rub through the aluminum. When I replaced mine with a 3" I noticed the wear mark and how it was almost all the way through.
 
fastpunker

fastpunker

adrenaline junkie
Feb 7, 2012
215
1
16
Lake Havasu City, AZ
Chevy1925 said:
middle of summer out there, he was pulling a hill and based on the damage, he wasnt paying too much attention to the temp gauge till it was too late. the guy he bought the truck from had done some kind of half ass fix to the hose and it was fine for some time after but she decided to die and puke all the coolant out this summer. in the heat out here, it dont take much time to kill a motor with no coolant. you wanna talk about a disaster....
Click to expand...

looking at the temp gauge might not help to much in this scenario... being the sensor is on top of the motor. i.e. when there is no coolant touching the sensor who knows what that will actually do to the signal/indication of what the temp is... it could spike, drop, or only change by a few degrees.

I prevented a similar thing happening last weekend towing back from the dunes with 8K behind me. My water pump $hit the bed and still had 180 miles to drive home... and it was sunday so no "trusted" part stores or dealerships were open or with reasonable distance. So I bough 8 gallons of water and hauled out the laptop/EFI to monitor any temps I could closely... mainly to get an actual coolant temp reading, being LB7's don't have any oil temp sensory to monitor. Luckily the it leaked at a slow enough rate when traveling 60-70 down the highway that I could drive 15 or so miles and then pull over and top off the tank again. Had to do this every 15 miles for the remaining 180 miles home. A few times the coolant dipped below where the sensor is and I never really saw an increase or decrease in the temp.. maybe 1-2* and that's it. Lesson learned, don't buy a napa water pump... f-ing thing only lasted 15K miles, and it made noise since the day I put it in :roflmao:
 
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