Hey guys looking for some direction here

I have a 2002 Ram 1500 5.9 liter that seems to be constantly leaking 1-2 oz of coolant, but I cannot find from where!

Here are some of the symptoms I am experiencing
-1-2 oz drips middle of engine *sometimes*
-Only happens after truck has been sitting overnight
-temp gauge runs a little high at idle, but comes down when driving

Spots are definitely coolant. It doesn't matter if I park in the garage or in driveway. Garage is level, driveway slanted. It doesn't happen every night, but it's driving me bonkers!

I just got it back from the shop, they did pressure test, checked water pump, couldn't find any leaks. They said I was about 1/2 gallon low (duh!) and that would cause idle to act up (another duh!) but pressure running from radiator to engine is good.

I have crawled under and cleaned everything. Weep hole from water pump is dry, checked hoses and clamps and everything seems good?

This is very frustrating because I love my truck and I have 150+k on it. I would like to drive it until the wheels fall off if possible So if anyone has any other suggestions I will gladly take them. I appreciate your help in advance!!

 

Kinda hard to tell you what you already know but I think you're just going to have to search harder for the leak or maybe take a lot of the crap off the top of the engine so you can find it. Maybe it is a leaking freeze plug, maybe it is a hose. Could be several things

 

Any help is worth exploring. Not above going back over things to see if I missed an obvious. Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes or perspective really helps to be able to figure things out. I will keep at it, thanks for replying.

 

Heater core hose possibly?

 

dirty hit it on the head. I had a 2000 dodge durango with the 5.9 and leaked coolant for at least the last 2 yrs I had it. I could never find it. Had it pressure tested and everything just like you. I would see coolant on my driveway in the morning. Just alittle spot every other day or so. Well on jan 30th of this year the wife gets in it in the morning and informs me the inside smells like antifreeze. So I go down and look around and found coolant all over the passenger side floor. So I put some Bars stop leak in it, cleaned off the floor and proceeded to my nearest dodge dealership and traded it in for a 2012 durango. If it is your core it is bye no means a 1hr job! It was gonna cost me over $1000 to get it done because they have to take the whole dash out of the vehicle. So good luck and hope that its not a heater core!

 

I also second that it might be the heater core....

One very easy way to detect a leak is to add a dye to the coolant, and use a UV (black light) to trace out the leak... This takes a significant amount of time but it will show you exactly where the leak is coming from.

That's the only way to truly track it down without tearing into the entire system again.

 

Hey guys thanks for all of the suggestions! I have been really busy at work but have time this weekend to follow up on them. Really like the dye idea and will give that a shot. If its the heater core I can do that (yeup it's just the time that it takes) as I've done them in more obnoxious vehicles (1985 Tempo anyone? )
I would rather have it fixed vs a car payment. This is a really good engine and I would like to take care of it if I can. I will keep you guys posted!!

 

Make sure you use dye specifically made for this application...

 

Do they usually carry it at Napa? Or is it something I have to order online? Thanks again for the suggestion.

 

NAPA usually has a kit... but do yourself a favor and buy a better UV light, as the one they usually have with the kit is CRAP unless you do this at night or in low light...

I'd buy the dye from NAPA or any autoparts store, and then get a better flashlight from Grainger, or MSC Direct online (or if they have a local warehouse near you go pick on up)....

The better light may be a little pricey, but it pays for itself if you ever need to find stuff like this again (or if you run events where you need to check IDs frequently [like I used to])