My 2004 SR5 with 271k has been losing coolant. NO drips, no fog from tailpipe, no lost power. But, the reservoir level keeps dropping. Am i looking at a bad head gasket? If so, what does that normally run to have done? I have one of those kits to detect a bad gasket via the radiator water, but i wanted some feedback. Thx.
Losing coolant
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zguy1
Member
Assuming you have no leaks you could have a bad head gasket. I would confirm that for sure regardless. You can try the kit you have but many folks, including myself, used a similar kit but got a negative result which implied that the gasket was still good. I found my leak on cylinders #6 and #4 by pressurizing the cooling system and using a borescope to inspect the cylinders for any leaks.
Repair price can vary as there a lot of variables. E.g., Changing head gasket and resealing motor only, or adding additional things like timing components, water pump, head work, etc.
In 2022 I received quotes from $4500 - $5500 from dealerships. That was only to replace the head gaskets and did not include anything else. Btw, my truck was running fine with no codes or start up issues. All I had was mysterious coolant loss.
Repair price can vary as there a lot of variables. E.g., Changing head gasket and resealing motor only, or adding additional things like timing components, water pump, head work, etc.
In 2022 I received quotes from $4500 - $5500 from dealerships. That was only to replace the head gaskets and did not include anything else. Btw, my truck was running fine with no codes or start up issues. All I had was mysterious coolant loss.
Rocket3004
New member
The gas via coolant testers are ok, but I also have trouble with them.
Pressurize the system and confirm. That's the best 1st step after inspection to look for any source of coolant loss. You can rent one from the parts stores.
The borescope is a nice little add on there. You could also listen for any hissing
Pressurize the system and confirm. That's the best 1st step after inspection to look for any source of coolant loss. You can rent one from the parts stores.
The borescope is a nice little add on there. You could also listen for any hissing
MikeinNH67
Senior Member
Do you ever smell coolant when walking by the front of your vehicle? Do make sure you are not losing it somewhere. These radiators can seep out the seals when they get old. You can pull off the plastic cover on top of the rad and look down all the sides looking for pink bubbly looking seepage. I just replaced my radiator because of the issue. It never leaked enough to have drips on the ground but I could smell the coolant at times.
Hopefully it's this sort of issue and not a HG.
Hopefully it's this sort of issue and not a HG.
losing coolant
Thanks for the feedback. I never noticed any leaks and i changed the Radiator a year or so ago. It's been losing coolant for a while with no obvious smoking, rough cold starts or anything.
My truck has a total loss title due to hail damage. I've had it from new and planned to repaint it this summer. I love this truck.
But, big dollars to repair it doesn't make sense. I'm seriously thinking of trying Barr's leak or equivalent to see if I can get another year or two out of it. I"ve seen multiple reviews about its effectiveness and if i have the leak, if the block test is positive, it's probably minor and this stuff may do the trick.
Thots?
Thanks for the feedback. I never noticed any leaks and i changed the Radiator a year or so ago. It's been losing coolant for a while with no obvious smoking, rough cold starts or anything.
My truck has a total loss title due to hail damage. I've had it from new and planned to repaint it this summer. I love this truck.
But, big dollars to repair it doesn't make sense. I'm seriously thinking of trying Barr's leak or equivalent to see if I can get another year or two out of it. I"ve seen multiple reviews about its effectiveness and if i have the leak, if the block test is positive, it's probably minor and this stuff may do the trick.
Thots?
Driftwood71
New member
I had a mysterious coolant leak around 60k miles on my 2006 v8, but I purchased it at 52k in 2019...time leads to old gasket problems regardless of miles I guess. I eventually found the seal for the water pump was bad, barely visible just under the throttle body. After the water pump was replaced, no more missing coolant.
Rocket3004
New member
No, don't add that stuff.
Just rent the pressure tester and inspect the entire cooling system. There are several other places you can have a leak from, so try that first. Diagnose first, then fix or at least evaluate what it would take to fix.
Buckaroo
Member
Change the radiator cap if you did not do so when you put in the new radiator. Perhaps the problem - cheap & easy.
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coolant loss
I think i've dodge a bullet. I did the block test and it was negative. Upon closer inspection I noticed that pink crusty debri around where the upper rad hose connects to the radiator. I tightened the clamp and cleaned it off to see if it reforms. Hopefully that's it. But the clamp was pretty tight to begin with, so ii'm wondering what could make it seep there. Anyway, I'll keep everyone posted. Thanks again. Fingers crossed.
I think i've dodge a bullet. I did the block test and it was negative. Upon closer inspection I noticed that pink crusty debri around where the upper rad hose connects to the radiator. I tightened the clamp and cleaned it off to see if it reforms. Hopefully that's it. But the clamp was pretty tight to begin with, so ii'm wondering what could make it seep there. Anyway, I'll keep everyone posted. Thanks again. Fingers crossed.
Hi everyone, don't mean to hijack thread but I can't start my own until I have more posts.
2003 V6 156k miles.
I have a similar issue with coolant randomly disappearing. I heard a gurgling waterfall sound from behind my dash when driving one day, didn't think anything of it, but when I checked a couple days later, half my coolant was gone from the overflow tank.
I topped it off, put a funnel attachment on the radiator and ran it with heater on for 20 minutes while parked uphill.. no bubbling whatsoever. No air getting into the system at all. I just did an oil change a month ago and the old oil looked fine, no sludge. Checked dipstick and it looks clean, only oil that I can tell. I used a laser thermometer to check all the cylinders, didn't feel any misfire and all at the same temp. How else can I check for a head gasket leak without pulling things apart?
Is there any way it's a heater core issue? I have no trouble with overheating even in 110° heat, my ac blows cold and my defroster works fine, heater blows hot too. I've never had anything like this happen before, but this is the newest vehicle I've ever owned.
2003 V6 156k miles.
I have a similar issue with coolant randomly disappearing. I heard a gurgling waterfall sound from behind my dash when driving one day, didn't think anything of it, but when I checked a couple days later, half my coolant was gone from the overflow tank.
I topped it off, put a funnel attachment on the radiator and ran it with heater on for 20 minutes while parked uphill.. no bubbling whatsoever. No air getting into the system at all. I just did an oil change a month ago and the old oil looked fine, no sludge. Checked dipstick and it looks clean, only oil that I can tell. I used a laser thermometer to check all the cylinders, didn't feel any misfire and all at the same temp. How else can I check for a head gasket leak without pulling things apart?
Is there any way it's a heater core issue? I have no trouble with overheating even in 110° heat, my ac blows cold and my defroster works fine, heater blows hot too. I've never had anything like this happen before, but this is the newest vehicle I've ever owned.
zguy1
Member
Please review this thread again. There are several suggestions in this thread already. From your post, all you did was check the oil and use laser thermometer. Start with looking for visible leaks. E.g. water pump, radiator, etc. Radiators on these trucks do go bad and can start leaking behind the fan shroud so a leak can go unnoticed. After you checked for visible leaks then you can check for a head gasket leak using the methods noted earlier here. You will have to do some disassembly to confirm.
MikeinNH67
Senior Member
As mentioned, check for leaks. They should show as clumps of pink stuff. I was losing coolant from the top of the radiator but couldn't see it until I removed the top rad cover.
If it was a leak inside the car you would smell it. You may have heard AC noises.
If it was a leak inside the car you would smell it. You may have heard AC noises.
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