I dunno what happen.

Today after driving my 02 Ram 1500 4.7L from home to a rental property. I noticed a strong coolant smell when I got out.

I looked on the ground and nothing! Then I opened the hood and noticed coolant everywhere! Part still wet and other spots of it dry. It was as far up as the grill and as far back as the firewall.

Another guy and I looked all around the engine.

All the hoses are leak free, the water pump weep hole is dry and open, around the block everything looks good. The reservoir was low.

Now the only thing I can say is about 2 nights ago. My cousin came over who owns a F150. We always compete about Dodge and Ford. We went down one street and started revving our engines. At one point smoke started blowing out from under my hood and made a whirl in the wind and went away. It did not come from the exhaust my cousin said, since he was behind me. The smoke all came from under the hood. Could not really tell if it was white, black, or blue, since it was dark out.

Now I am starting to think that was coolant that sprayed everywhere under the hood!

The engine it's self runs very smooth at idle and has allot of pickup and go power. So I'm assuming no crack in the block or head? Otherwise I would notice in the engines performance correct?

Maybe just a reservoir cap?? Hmm..... perhaps it burst open and made nasty all over???



BTW, purchased that MOAT coolant from Dodge Dealer today! THat stuff is no joke! $20 a jug!

Here are some images!
High Res!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/87689432@N08/


Please share your wisdom!

 

Let the truck cool down, and release the pressure from your coolant system (open the rad cap). Put the cap back on, and start the truck, and let it run for a bit (maybe 30 seconds), then open the rad cap again, and observe any pressure that's at the cap. Normally, there should be next to no pressure, because the coolant hasn't had time to heat up. If there is pressure, its coming through the head gasket from a cylinder. Also, give your coolant a smell - it'll have a different than normal smell if your head gasket's gone. I'm wagering you need head gaskets.

 

Thats great advice! Thank you!

I'll give that a shot and see what happens. I looked at the oil color yesterday and looks normal, the exhaust is blowing normal as well.

I did not smell the radiator fluid though.

Will post results

 

Did your truck overheat? If it did it has a blow off line that allows overflowing hot coolant to escape the motor and resivor all together which would prolly explain why its all over the motor.

I have been dealing with a overheating truck for the past 6 months, changed thermostat twice, water pump and radiator still with no fix, I had no oil in the coolant and no coolant in the oil so i automactically assumed that head gaskets werent the problem. Long story short im changing head gaskets as we speak.
Go get a leak down test or compression test done and that will let you know exactly your problem.

since your truck isnt allowing its self to come to the right pressure you are going to do nothing but make it worse and it will keep doing this, so act fast.

 

Well I opened the hood this morning and there was more coolant everywhere.

I first opened the coolant cap and smelled inside. Just had a faint antifreeze smell to nothing at all. So I started the truck for a true 30 seconds and shut it off. When I opened the cap, there was just a very slight puff noise. Just very little noise and pressure.

Going crazy and confused. I let the truck warm up to normal temp and keep running. By the time the engine was warm. I then tried to open the cap and there was air shooting out then. So I turned it part way wait then took it off. Inside the stream coming into the tank looked good and strong. Every few seconds you may see a couple small bubbles. Nothing major.

Well after still looking I noticed and came across a hairline spit in the driver side of the radiator around the plastic area on the drivers side. I noticed when you rev the engine coolant starts to come out slow from that area. So what it looks like to me is when I am driving air is sucking the coolant through the radiator and the fan is splashing it everywhere.


If you look at this image you will see the crack I am talking about.

http://www.flickr.com/x/t/0095009/ph...08/8023649529/


Pretty sure it's the problem!

 

Time for a new radiator
And when you opened you cap to the radiator did you not read on there under pressure? If the resivor was full that would have been 200 degree coolant all over you.
And the noise you heard is pressure there should have been more along with more coolant hinting that you didnt fill it back up when it leaked out or it leaked out that quick.
I would take it to a radiator shop asap and see what they say

 

Definitely have a pin hole (correction... large crack) in your radiator that is causing coolant to spray everywhere under engine load. (water pump is engine speed driven).

Replace your radiator.

 

It's ok man! You are too worried! I have taken caps off before while the engine has been running.

You think a radiator shop could fix this or something? My assumption is just have to replace it....

Anyone else seen this happen on these style radiators?

I can't make up my mind on the Spectra brand or a Ready-Rad. I need the radiator by tomorrow so I really cant have it ordered online...

Does anyone know of where else I can buy that special pink coolant needed for these engines?

 

I had the exact same thing happen to me just last week. It's like the plastic tank dry rotted and had a hairline crack that didn't always leak. It ran down the front of the drivers side kind of along the line of where the alumin clads to the plastic.

It was a cheap repair and I felt pretty good about getting rid of that old RAD anyway.

I wish I changed the water pump while I had the RAD out. It would have been pretty easy.

Just don't forget to pull the engine drain plug on the block to get all the old coolant out.

 

Good point on changing out the water pump! I may do that if funds are right!

Where is this plug on the block to drain? Glade you mentioned that!