ok iv got a 1998 dogre ram 1500 4x4 5.2l and iv got a problem with it eating coolant. but heres the weird part is that there is no coolant in the oil and im 90% sure the truck isnt burning coolant since the exhaust doesnt smell sweat. i will fill the coolant reserve and the radiator but after driving it for 10 minutes the reserve bottle will be empty but the radiator will remain full for weeks even in 100 degree weather? now the truck has been doing this for years but a few months ago it was laid on its side but it drove ok for few months and did a few 100 roadtrips with at least 2000 miles since the accidnet but recently it seems to want to overheat. now iv had the truck pressure tested and the intake and the timing cover had pressure loses but there is no sign of coolant leaking out. when the truck is parked there is never a puddle underneath it. iv replaced the radiator a year ago after it developed a leak but from what ill never know. sorry for the novel here but i gave as much info so that i didnt get the obvious answers back. please help me stop the houdini leak

 

It's normal for some coolant to evaporate out of the overflow, but all of it in 10 minutes? You should be able to find a wet spot on the block or something.

 

well i cant say for the back of the motor but the front of the motor has no drip spots, the leak may be at the back of the motor but i cant see it and i dont want to tear into to only find out thats not the problem

 

maybe a head gasket but you said it stays full in radiator so probably not

 

ya i thought the head gasket also but only thing is that coolant in the reserve bottle drains so fast and if the motor was burning that much i would see it in the exhaust or see it in the oil but the motor runs fine. i know this one is tricky but i never seem to have an easy issue on any of my vehicles

 

If it was leaking that fast you'd see it for sure. Come to think of it, my overflow stays empty too lol. My thermostat housing was leaking though. Just enough to keep the block damp.

 

Try removing the hose from the rad to the overflow and tyeing out of the way. Just to see if the overflow may be leaking. Now the overheating may be from a bad t-stat or some crap from down in the motor may have oozed out of its hole. Try draining the coolant system and flushing every thing out good, I would also recommend a new t-stat. The weather is changing, it may be clogged up some and all that cold air that was masking a cooling problem has started to turn warm. Also check the radiator for debre like mud, flakes of grass, honda's, and other things that may be covering the rad as well as you are getting good flow any cool spots on the rad means coolant isn't getting through.

 

Ya ill chek for som hondas. any1 no how to do a pressure test with a garden hose (just geting ideas). Ill change the t-stat and flush the system I just want to try and see if I can get the problem to happn wen I can see it without being on the road, tryd idling to get it to happn but only eats coolant wen the motor is under demand. The truk does get driven on a high activity 2 lane road

 

Have you tried running the engine at speed not idleing but at like 2-2.5k to see if it leaks then. Maybe the water pump is starting to leak. I would try to get some dye and see if you can find the leak from there.

 

im gonna go ahead and replace the water pump since i'll be flushing the system. i never trust a water pump after a flush due to iv had a major leak on another vehicle due to a flush i did. all well ill dip into it tomoro and see wat i can find. im just gona start digging until i see a leak