Hey all,

I have got a good one. I have an '07 F/L Columbia with a CAT C-13 motor. The motor is strong.

I am, however, a bit stumped about some missing antifreeze/coolant.

Rolling down the road and idling, everything is fine. However, if the truck sits for a day or 2, the level in the coolant resevoir goes down an inch or 2...it goes down further if the truck sits longer. Where the heck is it going?

Am I missing something? The truck only has about 16,000 miles on it. I am wondering if this sort of thing is normal for a new motor while in the break-in period.

BTW, there are NO drips or puddles under the truck, no smell of coolant, and no discharge or smoke at the exhaust stack!

Any ideas

 

NO

if there is no external leakage, then it is leaking internally; into the oil (oil would turn to sludge or milky in appearance), or into the combustion chamber (white smoke on start up, missing on a cylinder, etc.). also, could be going into fuel system... ouch!

verify the leak with a leak-down test

how much have you added?... it's possible that it is de-aerating the cooling system (least likely), but typically the first top-up would cure it.

it's under warranty... go find out, and let us know!!!

 

A lot of coolant can leak into the oil before it gives any visual indication of what is wrong, however, it starts to damage the engine almost immediately.

It can also go into the fuel but the fuel water separator should show this.

I would drain the fuel water separator and do a laboratory oil analysis on the oil (and coolant for good measure) to see what is going on for starters.

Birken

 

A lot of coolant can leak into the oil before it gives any visual indication of what is wrong, however, it starts to damage the engine almost immediately.

It can also go into the fuel but the fuel water separator should show this.

if it has one...

I would drain the fuel water separator and do a laboratory oil analysis on the oil (and coolant for good measure) to see what is going on for starters.

it has 16K & warranty, i wouldn't do anything beyond checking the oil, coolant and fuel for contamination... then, dropping it off at the dealer i bought it from........

.........despite how cool the term laboratory oil analysis sounds when spoken smoothly ;0)

engine oil consumption can be normal... cooalnt consumption is not

...p.s. - why would you recommend testing the coolant?

 

I was too stupid to notice that it was new so yes I would indeed take it back if any such problem was discovered.

Testing the coolant is the reverse of testing the oil, should indicate if anything is leaking back to the coolant although of course oil floats to the top of the coolant pretty quickly if it gets in there.

Birken

 

I was too stupid to notice that it was new so yes I would indeed take it back if any such problem was discovered.

i wouldn't say that ... i'm assuming that the poster is wondering what to expect when he shows up at the dealer with his issue..., as opposed to what he should do himself to repair the problem

Testing the coolant is the reverse of testing the oil, should indicate if anything is leaking back to the coolant although of course oil floats to the top of the coolant pretty quickly if it gets in there.

don't forget the fuel...

Birken

 

I would be looking for a cold water leak somewhere. When the truck heats up parts expand and no more leak, till it gets worse.

 

Has it been doing this since new?
Have you ever added any to it when cold?
Have you checked the tightness of the hose clamps?
Is there max cold, and hot lines on the coolant tank?

A Theory
It kind of sounds like there is an air pocket in the system somewhere. When the truck is running air is put in the place and doesn't affect they system. When it sits the air is allowed to escape allowing coolant to enter that space.

 

It hasn't been stated but I gather the missing coolant returns when the eng heats up? yes? In other words, you're not having to top this thing off all the time.

If I'm assuming correctly, then that's normal. When the system heats up the coolant expands and so it's level rises. Does the level stay between the cold/hot lines that are molded into the tank?