2 days ago, I'm driving home and get about a 1/2 mile from my house when the check gauges light comes on. I notice the temp gauge is steadily going up. I pull into the gas station right where I was at. I get out and pop the hood. I notice coolant is everywhere and it is smoking on the hot engine. I shut the truck off for about fifteen minutes and filled it with coolant I just purchased from the gas station. I let it run for a bit and couldn't see a leak anywhere. The temp seemed fine so I drove it home instead of getting it towed.

I called the mechanics and they are getting me in a few days. In the mean time I took to down the road to the store to test it out. It seemed fine for about 5 miles, except the heater just kept blowing cold air. But now the voltage needle keeps dropping and going up. I pop the hood and the resevoir tank is still full of coolant. I notice coolant is dripping again, but not at bad as the day the temp gauge went up. I still cant see where it is coming from. I drove it back home and just got it towed to the mechanics. Now i'm waiting for them to give me the bad news.

So, basically, I'm just trying to find out if anyone had this sort of issue before and what to expect from the mechanic. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

 

check your coolent filler neck the have a habbit of cracking where the two upper radiator hoses come togther. They start out small and you can not see the cracked then it really cracks. It happen to me the same way. The filler neck is like 17.99 at nappa

Common Problem

 

Thanks. I'll take a look. But does have anything to do with the voltage gauge jumping all over the place?

 

Coolant shouldn't effect the voltage - it sounds like the alternator is starting to go, but I guess its possible coolant is getting blown around by the fan & getting into places it shouldn't be.

 

When I first opened the hood and noticed the coolant everywhere, it was on the alternator. Did that ruin it, or is just acting funny cause it had coolant on it?

Also, the next time I noticed the coolant, it looked like it might have been coming out of the overflow tank. The tank has a little tube coming out of the side that isn't connected to anything and looks like it would just spray coolant everywhere.

The more and more threads I'm reading, it's sounding like the heater core is bad or clogged. Would having a clog or air bubble in the cooling system cause it to overheat and spray out of the overflow tank or radiator cap?

Now I'm worried it's going to need a heater core, and a new alternator!!

Merry Christmas to me!!!

 

If your alternator pulley got wet, it could be slipping, but you would most likely hear squealing.

Your coolant overflow tank in the black shroud has a black tubing/opening that squirts out serious overflows (that is what you're seeing, but that is normal), but it also has a black hose that runs from the pressure cap on the upper radiator hose to the tank on the side. Make sure that hose is connected properly (should just slip right on)

The voltage fluctuations you're describing sound like an alternator issue, but it is possible that coolant all over the place could cause some screwy issues to imitate this.

Good luck.