Desperate and broken down in Florida
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 332
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From: North Jersey
Made it back to Jersey on Tuesday with only a small amount of antifreeze loss but that has been normal with my truck for years. Have to figure that one out in the spring. Can a bad pressure cap cause that. I always hear light hissing and smell antifreeze after a drive and I know radiator is good now.
Champion
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,732
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From: La Union, Philippines
Yes, a bad cap can cause a lot of grief. It can slowly dump your coolant and lead to overheating. If I start losing coolant from my overflow tank I usually change the cap as the first step in toubleshooting the problem.
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 332
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From: North Jersey
Still trying to track down leak. I replaced radiator cap and the leak is still there. I trace it to the fill tank but can't understand why. It seems to be coming from the hose on side of tank above washer fluid tank from what I can tell. I am wondering if this can be caused by too much pressure being built up by a closed thermostat. I went under hood today and noticed upper radiator hose is very warm and lower hose is very cold(not even warm) and was wondering if this is a sign. I read that if upper hose is warm then coolant is flowing and the oem thermostat when closed will still let some coolant to flow through and a cold lower radiator hose doesn't mean anything but I figured it would be at least warm. I also read in repair manual that any thermostat problem would throw a code and not to replace if it is not. Can anyone touch on this or add anything. Thanks
Record Breaker
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,886
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From: Orlando, Fl
The upper radiator hose is where the hot water coming out of the motor is going into the radiator to be cooled. The lower hose is the cooler water reentering the motor. Is your truck making any noises? Maybe a failing water pump not pushing the water properly?
Rookie
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 57
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From: Pontiac, IL
Still trying to track down leak. I replaced radiator cap and the leak is still there. I trace it to the fill tank but can't understand why. It seems to be coming from the hose on side of tank above washer fluid tank from what I can tell. I am wondering if this can be caused by too much pressure being built up by a closed thermostat. I went under hood today and noticed upper radiator hose is very warm and lower hose is very cold(not even warm) and was wondering if this is a sign. I read that if upper hose is warm then coolant is flowing and the oem thermostat when closed will still let some coolant to flow through and a cold lower radiator hose doesn't mean anything but I figured it would be at least warm. I also read in repair manual that any thermostat problem would throw a code and not to replace if it is not. Can anyone touch on this or add anything. Thanks
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 332
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From: North Jersey
No noises from engine or water pump. Vehicle runs cool and I have no explanation why radiator went on the way to Florida. I thought lower radiator hose would at least be a little warm, didn't think radiator would make the antifreeze real cold (just cool).
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 332
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From: North Jersey
What's new with trucks antifreeze lose
Started truck today and got a strong smell of antifreeze and I can only assume that with the way the wind was blowing it was from exhaust, second time I smelled it on start up. Got home and checked dipstick and had a few air bubbles on it. I know it it not good news, i'm thinking head gasket and I guess it is not good to run the truck with a blown gasket. Got to see what my options are.
