Losing gallons of coolant per 500 miles

[Dtwallace]

Originally Posted by Bad Bolt

The wet part of the front of the radiator is spillage when I twisted the pressure tester cap off before releasing the built up rad pressure...

The rad is dry during operation, as far as I can tell.

If you look at the pictures of the pump area, you can see everything looks very clean with no dirt/oil buildup. Like it was steam cleaned. I think the leak is in this area.

My mechanic is supposed to be by today to do some engine on testing. I am in another state and have to just wait until he calls me with info.

I'm sure your mech will be able to find the root cause. Please keep us all informed.

And again the best of luck
DTW

[Bad Bolt]

Well, got bad news on this one. My guy says the leak is above the water pump and he's almost certain that it's the head gasket...

I asked him if I made sure to keep the coolant level up, could I take my trip to Alabama and back, based on his experience and the location of the gasket leak, he said go ahead and run it for this trip and then repair it.

I already have an appt with a shop in Canton Ohio to do the work. If I don't need a new head, it's mostly labor/tax. They say they can do it without removing the radiator and CAC...

I am going to completely remove the rear bed and frame to make it easier on the mechanic.

I also heard in one of the Cummins threads about using black pepper as a temporary fix. I think it's worth a try and I will know immediately if the outflow of coolant is being mitigated.

The hits just keep on coming...

[redtail]

Bad bolt i live in Howell just down 96 from you i had leakage trouble also (same rig 1 year older ) my problem was the freeze plug above the water pump behind the fan bearing mount that plug was never seated and was in crooked changed the water pump still had leak found it when it blew out on the road (worst day i had in a rv) if you choose to drive it Alabama get some K seal its pricey but i have seen it seal a 1/4 hole in 5 minutes good luck check that freeze plug Mike

[redtail]

forgot im runnung a 13 LB cap Mike

[Bad Bolt]

Originally Posted by redtail

Bad bolt i live in Howell just down 96 from you i had leakage trouble also (same rig 1 year older ) my problem was the freeze plug above the water pump behind the fan bearing mount that plug was never seated and was in crooked changed the water pump still had leak found it when it blew out on the road (worst day i had in a rv) if you choose to drive it Alabama get some K seal its pricey but i have seen it seal a 1/4 hole in 5 minutes good luck check that freeze plug Mike

A pressure test was performed and the coolant flowed out more than when it was not running, confirming the head gasket failure.

Price to repair is just under $4k. If I need a head, it's $5k.

If I had a shop and time, I'd try to do it myself.

[Coma]

I'd check the exhaust manifolds for cracks, too. About $350 for the two pieces and you've already paid for the labor with the head removal.