Coolant Leak

Dormin

Original poster
Member
Aug 1, 2016
1
Texas
TB over heated the other night. Wasn't bad. Wife was driving, luckily she's a gauge watcher. She immediately pulled over and shut engine off. It 5 miles from house so let it sit over night. Next morn took gallon jugs of water filled over flow to cold mark removed radiator cap poured a little water in there started it up and continued filling radiator. Let it idle to temp put cap back on and drove it home. Let it cool down and see coolant puddle behind right front tire and over flow tank empty. I have removed everything to get tank out thinking it was leaking. Nothing obvious to indicate that but the tank was empty. I removed radiator cap and there's fluid up to filler. Why is overflow tank empty is what I'm trying to figure out? I have found in other post info on HCV going bad and this is what I'm thinking now. In your experience with this problem was your overflow tank empty? Is it because as engine cools overnight and HCV (if that's prob)leaks coolants a vacuum of sorts is created and pulls fluid from tank to radiator?
 

Ziggy

Member
Feb 8, 2015
207
Following... Having the same issue on my TB, and noticed the coolant tank on my son's Silverado was empty the other day too. Actually, about 2 weeks ago, I went to add a little coolant to the bottle in my truck, and it came right out as though I poured it on the ground. Assumed my 14 year old reservoir had cracked, but haven't pulled it out to see what's up yet.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,262
Ottawa, ON
This is one of those things where you have to clean everything off, fill it and see where it's leaking, probably from under the vehicle, while it's running. But from what you describe, it sounds like it's at one of the heater hoses or connectors. They are located under the A/C receiver and near the firewall. I doubt it's the tank.

It's normal for the tank to empty out if you are loosing coolant. As the system cools down, it draws coolant from the tank to keep the system full. A normal system will release a bit of coolant into the tank as it heats up and pressure increases and draws it back into the radiator when it cools and contracts. If you are loosing coolant, all it will do is replace the lost coolant until it is emptied.
 
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Sparky

Member
Dec 4, 2011
12,927
In my case years ago the heater hose fitting where it attached to the engine block on that side had sprung a leak. Wasn't that bad in my case, just a slow leak that made me keep having to top off the coolant every week, but it may be a place to look at yours.

Could also check the hose that runs from the tank to the system as well, just to be sure it isn't that.
 

jsheahawk

Member
Jan 16, 2013
533
Kansas City
Moose is right. I just had a coolant leak. All you have to do is keep it topped off, run the truck, and find the drip/geyser of coolant. Fingers crossed that it's in an easy spot. Over by the passenger tire shouldn't be too cramped.
 

gmac310

Member
Dec 4, 2011
174
Had something weird happen to me the other day topping off my reservoir. Went to put in some AF and heard a trickling sound, looked under vehicle and noticed AF running out of fender well. Thought to myself, tank must be cracked but when I looked in opening noticed there is an overflow spout molded into tank and if I poured AF in at just the right angle it would run into hole and out onto ground instead of going into reservoir.
 

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