LB7: Spewing coolant in wheel well and down truck

[DirtyMax9812]

Hey guys, need some help on this one...

I have an 02 LB7 with 222,xxx miles. Its my daily driver. Lately, anout every 50 miles or so, i get the "low coolant" light that comes on, and when i stop to check it and fill it, i see it dripping from the fender well on the passengers side, and all down the side of the truck to the point of it dripping from the bottom of the passenger door.

My wife followed me home today, and said it was splashing all over her jeep...

Anywho, the other day, i pulled off the air filter to see it drenched in coolant (since thats where that dang overflow drain is) and the bottom of the air filter housing soaked in coolant. Not only that, its all over my truck, and filling the tank up daily is getting old...

When i get that low coolant light, i can pull over and open the top of the resivoir, and it all pulls back from wherever it is into the tank, so its not empty like the truck thinks.

Where is it all going? Whats wrong? Ive felt the upper hose after letting it sit, and its not firm, feels empty.

Could it be thermostats? In the winter, takes FOREVER to warm up, if at all. Does that matter? No coolant in oil, or vice versa...

Thanks for the help!

 

[duramax on fire]

Have you tried a new cap

 

[dirtydmax]

The stats could be stuck shut or a cap but either way there both cheap fixes so swap Em both out.I hope it really is that easy for ya!

 

[Tothemax]

Head gaskets died.

 

[dirtydmax]

Head gaskets died.

I thought that to but didn't want to scare the guy,a bad stat could do it as well....but doughtfull

 

[TheBac]

Head gaskets died.

Certainly seems that way.

 

[DirtyMax9812]

The thing is, its not daily.... And it doesnt leak anywhere but from that overflow hose. It like boils over, and all drains out the hose. Its not getting into where it shouldnt be.

Cap could make it do this? Stats too? I ruled out the gaskets because the top hose isnt staying hard, and theres no coolant on oil or viceversa.

 

[Minnesota DMAX]

I'm gonna put my money on head gaskets. Sounds like mine when mine were going out About the exact same mileage when mine went too

 

[zf>allison]

I drove mine for like a year with a pushed cup filling it up all the time. My system stayed pressurized though. But cruising mine pushed out coolant. My current truck has bad gaskets I'm pretty sure and acts the same I can drive it all day, just get a low coolant light every once and a while.

 

[Awenta]

Gaskets is my vote. And lb7 are cold blooded. Impossible to warm up in the winter

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[DewDewMax]

X2 on the headgaskets! My truck will do the exact same thing after towing on the highway or after so hard driving occasionally. Just an excuse to build the motor!:thumb:

 

[Xscout]

I have kind of the same situation but I just had the injectors and FPR changed out ... and the mechanic for some unknown reason (think he was just trying to drive up te bill) decided to change out my thermostats (NEVER had any coolant issues before they were changed out). Now for the past two days, I'm starting to have the same Low Coolant warning light. When I check the reservoir is very low, but if I crack the cap, coolant come back into the tank .... wth?? Anybody have any insight? (Either way the fool IS going to fix my truck .. free of charge!)

2002 Chevy Silverado 2500HD LS 2WD
207K miles
LB7 Duramax

 

[catman3126]

I just did a truck that had bad head gaskets on an 02. I started it up and let it idle and watched the coolant with the cap off and about every minute the level would start to come up and after about 3" it would burb a bunch of gas out and go back down. then it would do it over again. both head gaskets were bad. might try that and see what yours does.

 

[catman3126]

I have kind of the same situation but I just had the injectors and FPR changed out ... and the mechanic for some unknown reason (think he was just trying to drive up te bill) decided to change out my thermostats (NEVER had any coolant issues before they were changed out). Now for the past two days, I'm starting to have the same Low Coolant warning light. When I check the reservoir is very low, but if I crack the cap, coolant come back into the tank .... wth?? Anybody have any insight? (Either way the fool IS going to fix my truck .. free of charge!)

2002 Chevy Silverado 2500HD LS 2WD
207K miles
LB7 Duramax

Ask him if he resealed the injectors cups? If he didn't he might have disturbed one and its getting compression past it in the cooling system. or if you haven't drove it enough it might have had air but usually doesn't take very long to purge the air and then top it off and then its good.

 

[Xscout]

I've had the truck back for 2 weeks. I'm going to start this evening with the minor possibilities .. new radiator cap & try to bleed out any air in the coolant system. But I am going to call the mechanic that did the work because it's definitely related to the work he did. I've never had any issues with the coolant system until after he did what he did. I know he said he had a helluva time getting the bolts loose & getting the injectors out. One time he even said that he was having extreme trouble getting an injector out that he was about to suggest I by a new head ... only God know what he did to get the injector out.

So when pulling the injectors, do you have to replace the head gasket in order to do the job properly?

 

[Slowmax]

I've had the truck back for 2 weeks. I'm going to start this evening with the minor possibilities .. new radiator cap & try to bleed out any air in the coolant system. But I am going to call the mechanic that did the work because it's definitely related to the work he did. I've never had any issues with the coolant system until after he did what he did. I know he said he had a helluva time getting the bolts loose & getting the injectors out. One time he even said that he was having extreme trouble getting an injector out that he was about to suggest I by a new head ... only God know what he did to get the injector out.

So when pulling the injectors, do you have to replace the head gasket in order to do the job properly?

Only If your pulling the head to remove the injector. They can be pulled with heads on. But always possible the "Mechanic" pulled the head and re used the gasket to put more $ in his pocket. Almost sounds like before you drop more hard earned money on it, and not mechanically inclined to fix it. Your best bet is to go to a shop recommended on the forum before you end up to deep it in. :thumb:

 

[catman3126]

I've had the truck back for 2 weeks. I'm going to start this evening with the minor possibilities .. new radiator cap & try to bleed out any air in the coolant system. But I am going to call the mechanic that did the work because it's definitely related to the work he did. I've never had any issues with the coolant system until after he did what he did. I know he said he had a helluva time getting the bolts loose & getting the injectors out. One time he even said that he was having extreme trouble getting an injector out that he was about to suggest I by a new head ... only God know what he did to get the injector out.

So when pulling the injectors, do you have to replace the head gasket in order to do the job properly?

No you do not have to pull the head and if he had a difficult time getting an injector out he might have just stuck it back down in there without Loctite on the tip to seal it. that would put pressure in the cooling system or maybe he used some form of Loctite but not the right stuff. I've pryed a lot of these injectors out and about half the time if you just pry them out the cup will come with it.

 

[Xscout]

So if the cup comes out (I take it that that's not really what you want to happen?_) and you don't seal it, the pressure build up would be gradual on the coolant system?

What I did today to rule out the simple stuff:
I bought a new radiator cap. I filled the reservoir to the full mark, cracked the bleed bolt (and just a little coolant came out), resealed it and started the truck. I watched it for 20-30 minutes as the motor heated up and noticed the level of the reservoir creep up ever so slowly. The return hose from the radiator slowly heated up and got hard. As expected, coolant started coming dribbling out of the overflow.
So I called the mechanic and let him know what was going on and I was bringing the truck back.

If it turns our to be a head gasket, and knowing that this guy was doin the work that he did (fuel injectors, FPR & thermostats), would it be reasonable to think that the head gasket failure could be attributed to the work that has been done within the past 3 weeks?

What would you do? (He's already said that replacing the head gaskets (cant do just one & the have to be taken somewhere to be inspected for cracks etc.) would rund about $2000 parts & labor! mg: )