coolant missing

[wet_willy]

i cant figure this out, everytime i fill my coolant tank it is ok for a few days, then the level wil slowly drop to about 2 inches trom the bottom and stay there. i dont see any leaks, and the truck never overheats. needle on gauge always stays just below the half mark, no matter what the temp outside is. no evidence of the coolant coming out of the exhaust pipe and all plugs look normal when i change them every 10 to 15k. any one here have a problem like this, if so what is the solution?

 

[corkey]

it has to have a small crack in it somewhere , i would believe,, maybe it just leaks when moving,
it seems to drop only to a certain level, and never below that,, hmmm, i would look under the coolant tank , it has to be wet there,, just might not be where you can see it,,

 

[wyochimneysweep]

is the level above the minnimum and below the full? if so and it never drops lower i wouldn't worry about it. it maybe expanding enough that it flows out of the overfill when warm. have you checked the freeze/boil point of the coolant

 

[wet_willy]

so i thought i found the leak, the temp sensor started leaking a copious amount and was very loose in the housing so 20 bucks later i thought i was done. now after a 200 mile trip my tank is empty again. someone has suggestedthe heater core but the carpet is dry does anyone know the most common places for the SOHC to leak, or should i just live with putting a gallon of water every few days since even when the tank is empty it doesnt run even close to overheating? i am stumped.

 

[rumpledoll]

You could get a Used Oil Analysis (UOA) to see if the coolant is leaking past a gasket into the engine. Here is where I've gotten my UOA done, and it's only $22.50.

Rumple

...does anyone know the most common places for the SOHC to leak, or should i just live with putting a gallon of water every few days since even when the tank is empty it doesnt run even close to overheating? i am stumped.

 

[wet_willy]

coolant is not getting into oil, i think it may actually be the thermo housing, although i did run into another problem. when i degreased the engine and rinsed it off i had a hard time starting it. since my battery sucks i didnt worry about it and let it sit for a minute, started it again and white smoke poured out the tail pipe. would that be intake gaskets? could that also be a part of the cooling system leak?
being broke, unemployed and with a ton of work to do on the truck really, really sucks.

almost forgot, that is the only time the tail pipe has smoked, and it did not do it today when i left my house.