Uncool COOLANT Leak
Uncool COOLANT Leak
Hi Folks. just got my deli back from an oil change from a mechanic in the kootenays who's never worked on a deli before. He saw an old small oil leak i have had for months, dripping down from the back of the engine, coming from the valve cover gasket i think. He wanted to find the source so, with out asking me, he hooked up my deli's rad to a pressure device and said it went from 15 to 10 pounds and there was a small puddle of coolant on the ground, he saw coolant on the engine block by the injectors. After leaving, i drove it a couple of blocks stopped and it leaked a lot of coolant , 12 inch puddle. It wasn't leaking coolant before. could he have wrecked the water pump or blown a seal, or gasket or something? he said he thinks the head gasket is leaking?!! Still can't find a knowledgeable mechanic in the Kootenays. Wish CVI would open up a shop here. Those guys are fantastic.
Last edited by tedward on Sun Jun 15, 2008 10:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Mystery Machine
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Re: Uncool COOLANT Leak
First off - this guy sounds like a bit of a jerk! He spots an oil leak so decides to pressurise the coolant system.....WTF???? Then he hands you your truck back with an added issue to deal with, created by himself! Knob De Jour!
I'm 99% sure that your oil leak around the back of the engine is the 'D' seal (or half moon seal) on the back of the rocker cover. These leak just for fun and pretty much standard issue straight from the factory! Easy to replace and not expensive. Replace both the 'D' seal and the rocker gasket at the same time, but make sure you put some gasket sealer/hi temp silicone around the 'D' seal to keep it better sealed than just the rubber on its own.
There was absolutley no need to pressurise the water system and it sound like he could have blown a gasket or hose somewhere (possibly the head gasket which was more than likely fine & dandy before he got his mucky mitts on it!)
If the leak is coming from the front of the engine then it is possibly the water pump, but if it's leaking somewhere around the injectors then it could be your engine temp sensor (above/to the side of the injectors) or worse case scenario your head gasket (below the injectors)
First and easiest thing to check is the top hose. Follow it from the top of the radiator back to the top of the engine. Make sure the surrounding area is dry and start the engine up, leaving it to idle for a while. Keep a general look out for water drips while the engine is idling (underneath etc...) and once it has got warmed up, check the hose where it joins the engine. Is there any water leaking out here? The top hose is probably one of the most likely things to give out under pressure, so it's worth checking this first. They are also cheap to buy and 5 mins to swap over....so keep your fingers crossed that this is the culprit?
let us know how you get on finding the water leak - keep us informed of what you have done and we'll help you out step by step....and whatever you do DON'T take it back to that mechanic!!
I'm 99% sure that your oil leak around the back of the engine is the 'D' seal (or half moon seal) on the back of the rocker cover. These leak just for fun and pretty much standard issue straight from the factory! Easy to replace and not expensive. Replace both the 'D' seal and the rocker gasket at the same time, but make sure you put some gasket sealer/hi temp silicone around the 'D' seal to keep it better sealed than just the rubber on its own.
There was absolutley no need to pressurise the water system and it sound like he could have blown a gasket or hose somewhere (possibly the head gasket which was more than likely fine & dandy before he got his mucky mitts on it!)
If the leak is coming from the front of the engine then it is possibly the water pump, but if it's leaking somewhere around the injectors then it could be your engine temp sensor (above/to the side of the injectors) or worse case scenario your head gasket (below the injectors)
First and easiest thing to check is the top hose. Follow it from the top of the radiator back to the top of the engine. Make sure the surrounding area is dry and start the engine up, leaving it to idle for a while. Keep a general look out for water drips while the engine is idling (underneath etc...) and once it has got warmed up, check the hose where it joins the engine. Is there any water leaking out here? The top hose is probably one of the most likely things to give out under pressure, so it's worth checking this first. They are also cheap to buy and 5 mins to swap over....so keep your fingers crossed that this is the culprit?
let us know how you get on finding the water leak - keep us informed of what you have done and we'll help you out step by step....and whatever you do DON'T take it back to that mechanic!!
L300 Mystery Machine (High Altitude Edition 
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L300 MudMonkey ($400 bargain banger!!
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)L300 MudMonkey ($400 bargain banger!!
)Re: Uncool COOLANT Leak
I really appreciate the help bro. I'm collecting my deli on Monday and i'll try to find that leak. I'll keep you posted.
Re: Uncool COOLANT Leak
I noticed some coolant on the engine below where the top hose connects, but it was difficult to tell for sure if that's the culprit. I just tightened up the clamp on the top hose a few turns until i can get a new one. I drove for an hour and there isn't much leaking. the coolant reservoir was completely empty, but the rad was full, when i first checked, so i topped it up with 50\50 coolant mix. I can't see any white smoke\steam in the exhaust and the temp guage is reading normally. I'll keep an eye on things. I still have to find the temp sensor and check that as well. I noticed the tranny fluid is dirty and overfilled too, so i'll have to sort that out as well.