Coolant reservoir is emptying slowly - 2015

[Texas2022]

Cannot see a leak anywhere. Oil looks ok. In about 1 1/2 weeks coolant reservoir empty. Any ideas?

 

[Fix4Dirt]

head gasket leak possibly, thats the most probably cause if i didnt end up elsewhere. also, welcoem to EF! have you checked the plugs? iirc you can have a head gasket leak w/o it mixing w oil

 

[Texas2022]

head gasket leak possibly, thats the most probably cause if i didnt end up elsewhere. also, welcoem to EF! have you checked the plugs? iirc you can have a head gasket leak w/o it mixing w oil

How expensive is that?

 

[Fix4Dirt]

head gasket is $$$ not expensive in parts, but many hours of labor. lots of stuff needs to be removed for head gasekt. which engine do you have? they make tester kits also that one could use, but ive never tried one so not sure how well they work (fingers crossed, havent had a leak yet!!!) another option is something like K-Seal which fills in the crack in the gasket, but its not a permantnt fix imo, all it does is clog the hole

 

[Texas2022]

head gasket is $$$ not expensive in parts, but many hours of labor. lots of stuff needs to be removed for head gasekt. which engine do you have? they make tester kits also that one could use, but ive never tried one so not sure how well they work (fingers crossed, havent had a leak yet!!!) another option is something like K-Seal which fills in the crack in the gasket, but its not a permantnt fix imo, all it does is clog the hole

3.5 v6

 

[Fix4Dirt]

let me look into that tomorrow, then! usually though head gasket aint a cheap job... takes a while to get to em, but the parts are cheap at least! any chance you wanna DIY this?

 

[Mbrooks420]

Could be a few things, starting with a bad cap. I’d get a pressure tester and pull the plugs, and see if one is extra clean.

 

[Blee1099]

Get one of those combustion leak test kits or cylinder compression test kits. Hopefully it's a simple thing like a cracked radiator.

 

[Michael Blackburn]

Most likely your waterpump is leaking. With a 1.5 week interval to empty the reservoir, you may not notice the leak as the drops that come down below the alternator get blown away.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Most likely your waterpump is leaking. With a 1.5 week interval to empty the reservoir, you may not notice the leak as the drops that come down below the alternator get blown away.

That should show up In the oil.

 

[Texas2022]

Cannot see a leak anywhere. Oil looks ok. In about 1 1/2 weeks coolant reservoir empty. Any ideas?

Looks like after putting 1/2 gallon coolant in last night, it is already almost empty. Wife mentioned that it seemed to hesitate on the highway. Checked oil still no water in oil

 

[BKennedy]

Does the engine have an internal water pump? If so, you need to stop driving it and get it into a shop before there is catastrophic engine failure.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

ah crap forgot about those internal WPs. iirc the 3.5 did some with it... but dang! using 1/2 gal coolant via the wp? if im not mistaken the coolant lost from the wp goes into oil right?

Does the engine have an internal water pump? If so, you need to stop driving it and get it into a shop before there is catastrophic engine failure.

 

[Texas2022]

ah crap forgot about those internal WPs. iirc the 3.5 did some with it... but dang! using 1/2 gal coolant via the wp? if im not mistaken the coolant lost from the wp goes into oil right?

There is no water in the oil.

 

[BKennedy]

The water is going somewhere. I would not want to risk killing my engine by driving it before the issue is discovered.

 

[MattMPA]

Speaking for the 3.7, there's a weep hole that drips around the alternator...you may see a wet spot. I imagine the 3.5 has the same.

 

[Odrapnew]

For the waterpump, there are a couple ways for it to leak.
1. Out the weep hole and out under the engine.
2. Past the shaft seal, which does into the engine.
3. I thought there was a potential internal gasket issue as well, but not sure....or is that tied to one of the above failures?

Losing a 1/2 gallon in a day is a lot.
If it was leaking into the crankcase, I'd expect the oil to look like chocolate milk by now.

I was also thinking head gasket, but that would likely leave a cloud of steam out of the exhaust at the rate it's disappearing.

You sure there's no coolant on the ground or under the engine?

 

[94Eddie]

You need to check the weep hole on the front timing cover that lets coolant leak out if one of the two seals is breached. This is a small hole and many times it is very hard to see it is leaking because the coolant evaporates before it hits the ground. You might need to use a small mirror or crawl under the vehicle to see it. I advise you to stop driving the vehicle immediately. If the pump fails catastrophically it will dump all the coolant into the crankcase in seconds. Odds are you won't know this has happened until the engine is ruined. Especially if you are running at highway speeds. If you are missing coolant and can't see where it is going the overwhelming odds are the water pump is going, or has gone, bad. Your engine is likely living on borrowed time.

 

[Texas2022]

There is no water in the oil.

Also not certain it is the water pump. I hope not.

For the waterpump, there are a couple ways for it to leak.
1. Out the weep hole and out under the engine.
2. Past the shaft seal, which does into the engine.
3. I thought there was a potential internal gasket issue as well, but not sure....or is that tied to one of the above failures?

Losing a 1/2 gallon in a day is a lot.
If it was leaking into the crankcase, I'd expect the oil to look like chocolate milk by now.

I was also thinking head gasket, but that would likely leave a cloud of steam out of the exhaust at the rate it's disappearing.

You sure there's no coolant on the ground or under the engine?

None showing up that I can see.

 

[Texas2022]

There is no water in the oil.

Also not certain it is the water pump. I hope not.

Also not certain it is the water pump. I hope not.

None showing up that I can see.

Mechanic told me it was the waterpump. They said the timing chain needed to be replaced when you change the water pump. Is that correct?