Cooling/coolant issues

[FamilyWagon]

ok... hoping for a little help on this one... my coolant temp when the sun is out and warm (80+) is right at 210 all the time... but at night it never seems to get over 185 (witch is great in my opinion) but when it is hot and i drive for a bit i can smell coolant when i get out of my truck, but can find no leaks. i dont think i have a bad head gasket (upper hose doesnt get stiff) but i do have to put some coolant in every 500 miles or so (maybe a quart). I did open my bleeder valve on the thermostat housing and GREEN coolant came out. i just recently purchased the truck and the said it was flushed, can crappy coolant burn up?? i think i should drain it and maybey replace thermostats.. and help from someone with more diesel experience would be great.

 

[dieseldan723]

ok... hoping for a little help on this one... my coolant temp when the sun is out and warm (80+) is right at 210 all the time... but at night it never seems to get over 185 (witch is great in my opinion) but when it is hot and i drive for a bit i can smell coolant when i get out of my truck, but can find no leaks. i dont think i have a bad head gasket (upper hose doesnt get stiff) but i do have to put some coolant in every 500 miles or so (maybe a quart). I did open my bleeder valve on the thermostat housing and GREEN coolant came out. i just recently purchased the truck and the said it was flushed, can crappy coolant burn up?? i think i should drain it and maybey replace thermostats.. and help from someone with more diesel experience would be great.

Not exactly sure what your issue may be, however I don't think you should have GREEN coolant. I am pretty sure yours should be ORANGE (DEX-Cool).

 

[FamilyWagon]

yeah, though green was crap. Dex cool has been in chevys for at least ten years... i will have to find out if it is too thin and burns up

 

[FamilyWagon]

Bump for any more ideas?

 

[Ron Nielson]

It's pretty obvious that you are loosing coolant SOMEWHERE, and you already know that it isn't easy to find the leak. 1 qt coolant added in 500 miles is not a big leak. I suggest that you spend some time with your personal sniffer, maybe some friends and your wife also, and go over your truck carefully when you have that sweet, hot antifreeze smell. At least, narrow it down to one side or the other, front or back of engine. After you narrow it down, concentrate in that area, at least until you have thoroughly inspected it for leaks. Any evidence of the heater core leaking? See any deposits on the windshield? Look at the radiator carefully and see if there is any marking of the radiator core by the leaking antifreeze.

If that fails to find the leak, go to your local parts store, or buy online, some coolant dye/leak detector. Get the type that is compatible with your coolant. Put it in. Give it some time, keep looking. Keep looking. Keep looking. (get the idea that you need to be patient and persistent)

If all else fails, visit your local radiator repair shop. They're usually pretty good in finding those leaks and charge much less than the STEALER.

 

[FamilyWagon]

thanks, will press on with the hunt.. think im gonna swap out T-stats for a more constant temp and swap out for the proper dexcool, then see if it leaks again, worst case head gasket means APR!!

 

[Dozerboy]

Make sure you get ALL of the green flushed out before you switch.

 

[FamilyWagon]

Is the best way to get it out of the block pulling the lower hose or can someone show me where the block drains are?

 

[dmaxkid_90]

The green is fine it is what im running in my truck. Dexcool is known to eat away at hoses from the inside causing leaks.

 

[IWC]

antifreeze smell

ok Guys, New to forum and thanks for letting me in. My problem is 2007 duramax 3500 thinking its LLY motor is using antifreeze like crazy but nothing on ground. Has smell of antifrreeze but no leaking, drive down road antifreeze is gone still nothing on ground... any Ideas ??

 

[TheBac]

1) You own an LBZ or LMM, depending on the body style.

2) if its not leaking from the weep hole of the waterpump or anywhere else, its probably headgaskets

 

[LBZ]

I had the same issue for 2 years and didn't find the issue till I tore my top end apart and it was leaking past the thermostat gaskets. 2007 LBZ.

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