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Have 2 leaks... coolant and oil

realm

New member
103
5
0
Location
Memphis/TN
Great... not 3 weeks owning the thing and I got 2 leaks.
Any idea how much this "could" cost?

Leak #1... coolant which looks to be at the base of the radiator on the driver's side. Leaves a small 4" wide puddle after parking it of pure antifreeze.

Leak #2... engine oil looks to be leaking somewhere above the starter perhaps as it's falling on the starter, all over the front differential, and then splatters back a little on the transmission and front driveshaft.

Any idea what these could be?
Is there anything else I should consider getting done while it's in the shop if say, they tell me it needs a new radiator and the rear main seal or oil pan is leaking?

Any idea what cost could go with that? Thank you.
 

Stihl029

New member
112
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Location
Kodiak, AK
It'll cost less if you do the work your self. Not sure how inclined you are here; I assume that you are able to do some since you got one of these older rigs. You could probebly buy the tools and parts and do the work for less than the mechanic wants if you do not already have the tools on hand. Only one way to find out what its going to cost and that is to find all the part numbers of the gear you are going to need to replace, luckliy rebuilding your radiator should not be too bad. I know Vauge but you should try and tackle these two issues yourself so you can identify problems that you may have down the line and also parts location recognition for the future.

Good luck

Andy
 

dmetalmiki

Well-known member
5,523
2,026
113
Location
London England
Dont panic

THATS THE FIRST THING! second since it did NOT? leak when you saw it at sale and or when you drove it home..take stock and just check things out carefully with a degree of "enthusiasm" stuff like working /fixing collectors vehicles is (should be) taken as fun! (yeah I know ) dissapointed? relax..as you take your time make a coffee stroll round the truck..use a good inspection lamp & seek out your "chosen" leak. (say water?) well could be just a front bottom hose or clamp! (its a sod to see) and fun to change but not impossible by any means,as to cost YOUR (fun!) time and a bit of hose from the local lorry junk yard, (I have a lorry dismantler 6 miles from home and obtain MOST stuff I need from there, (viz) flasher control units lamps OIL hoses nuts bolts turbo bits the list goes on..and new aint all that much if it is just a hose clip or hose.
Oil leak? after fixing water prob. WASH the engine clean,,run it and have the same good light on play as you OBSERVE, source of weep/leek. I dont reckon its much more than a ($10,0000) rocker gasket,,and that might just want tightning. If it should turn out to be a head gasket, tighten to spec..and changing AINT no big deal honest. keep us informed as to your diagnosis/actions..(i wont say good luck as ) its as easy as YOU mek it..enjoy! you WILL feel really good/satiss when YOU find fix and run your truck .there will many other times you will find things cropping up. and you problemsolve/fix them. Dave. see mi post....I had some little jobs to do!
 
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realm

New member
103
5
0
Location
Memphis/TN
Thanks guys... not mad at all at the previous owner or anything, he was awesome, so please don't take my comments as I feel like I got jipped. I was just saying it as, "Just my luck," kind of thing.

I've changed engine oil, differential fluids, installed an intake, and put on a cat-back exhaust. That's about the extent of my mechanical abilities personally.

So I bought the truck thinking, I can learn and fix stuff myself, but now that it's here I'm afraid I'll cause a bigger mess and be left with a truck in pieces.

It runs right now just fine except for the little leaks, hence I could drive it to the shop without any problems.
Or I could try and fix it myself, take it all apart, and then be stuck with a broken truck I can't move.

Decisions decision. :razz:
 

Wolf.Dose

Active member
1,062
9
38
Location
Boehl-Iggelheim, Germany
Reads or me like a standard problem.
First radiator: Of course can only be a loose clamp. But most of the cases the radiator is leaky due to its age. You can determine that if you check the radiator core with a torch and find white traces on the innener side behind the cowling. Qualified repair will give you no problems with the radiator for th next 7 to 10 years.
Second the oil loss: How old is the engine, how many miles?The left cylinder head gasket will start to drip oil after some 200000 miles due to my experiance. Live with it, it is only a little or change the head gasket.
Howerver, this can also be the gasket of the valve cover. But the difference is very tricky to find! Visability in this area is very poor! Some work at least!
Wolf
 

mikes47jeep

Member
369
13
18
Location
North East PA
let it leak CUCV's need to mark their territory

I'm willing to bet the coolant leak is an old clamp or hose,

get yourself a manual and you should be able to fix just about anything on the truck

Mike
 

realm

New member
103
5
0
Location
Memphis/TN
What manual is recommended? I have all the TM's from the site, but is there like a Haynes or something for this truck? I didn't think the Haynes covered the diesel engine so for a newbie like me I'm afraid there isn't a manual for this exact truck enough to do what I need... or am I wrong? :-D
 

NPD732

New member
54
1
0
Location
Chesapeake VA
Check the clamps on your radiator hoses they could be loose. Also check the the overflow bottle on drivers side. They get brittle with age and crack and start leaking coolant. If the hoses check out and the bottle, drive the truck around to get the temp up and shut it off. You should be able to see the coolant leaking from the radiator. If it's the radiator get a new one or have the original recored assuming the tanks are good. Oil leak could be several things. Take some brake parts cleaner and clean the suspected area. Start the truck and watch for drips from underneath. It might take some time depending on the leak. Places to look for are the valve covers, oil pan, and rear main seal. I have also seen the vacuum pod go bad on the vacuum pump and it start leaking oil out the vent holes. This ends up running down the back of the block making you think its the oil pan or real main seal. Oil sender is on the back driver side of the block. It can leak too.
 

realm

New member
103
5
0
Location
Memphis/TN
Thanks for the help, I'll give it a try.

The radiator is leaking on the driver's side toward the bottom corner it looks like, so doesn't look like the hose. There is some white on it around that area, but hard to get down there and see exactly where leak is coming from. Doesn't look like it's from the overflow bottle though. :cry:

As for engine leak, how hard is it to tear down to see the valve covers good?
When I take off the air cleaner, what parts are there? Injection pump? Valve covers? Yea... I know, I need a manual. :p
 

kentuckycucv

Member
358
2
12
Location
Louisville Ky
You guys are going to get mad at me... but I put some course ground black pepper(2 or 3 table spoons) in my radiator 6 months ago and it stopped that little drip in my radiator. I have not had a drip since. But Im also the guy that put a 2X4 under the passenger seat bracket to keep it from going through the rust.....
 

mistaken1

New member
1,467
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Location
Kansas City, KS
Thanks for the help, I'll give it a try.

The radiator is leaking on the driver's side toward the bottom corner it looks like, so doesn't look like the hose. There is some white on it around that area, but hard to get down there and see exactly where leak is coming from. Doesn't look like it's from the overflow bottle though. :cry:

As for engine leak, how hard is it to tear down to see the valve covers good?
When I take off the air cleaner, what parts are there? Injection pump? Valve covers? Yea... I know, I need a manual. :p
My coolant bottle leaks. It does look like it is coming from the driver's side lower radiator. There is only one bolt holding the coolant bottle in place. Remove the bolt and examine the bottle to see if it is the source of the leak.

Does anyone have a civvy part number for the coolant bottle?
 

2deuce

Well-known member
1,470
126
63
Location
portland, oregon
My coolant bottle was empty and the radiator was low when I got my truck. I pulled out the bottle to wash out all the mouse turds and saw the bottom of the bottle was chewed through so the little bugger could get a drink. His little dried up body was down there too. lol
 
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