coolant issues??
Asked by Holden Nov 04, 2015 at 01:01 AM about the 2001 Ford F-150 XLT Crew Cab 4WD SB
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
hey guys i have a 2001 f150 xlt with the 5.4 triton. lately it has been losing
coolant pretty quickly. whenever i stop i can smell the sweet smell of coolant
and if i go for a long drive it will steam from the passenger side on top of the
engine by the intake manifold. there are small puddles of green antifreeze
puddled on top of the manifold and in small crevasses. i checked the oil and
had it changed and there was no sign of any leakage into the oil and the
coolant tank shows oil free coolant. it is hard to tell exactly where the steam
comes from and ive ran some regular stop leak through and it worked at
first but then gave out and i cant get it to clog again. the truck still runs like
a champ and has plenty of power. no noticeable performance changes.
keep in mind the truck has 230,000 stock miles on it so i assume it is
something like an intake manifold gasket or possibly the start of a head
gasket?? It dosnt seem to make any different noises while running. it only
seems to steam when it gets hot enough for the thermostat to kick in but its
on the opposite side of the engine than the thermostat housing. anything
will help thanks!!
10 Answers
Possible head gasket, white smoke coming out the exhaust? Intake gasket may be leaking, but you mentioned of anti-freeze puddling on the intake. That may be a heater hose connection, You can do a compression test to see if there is a low cylinder, usually 2 side by side. And have the cooling system pressure tested to try and look for a leak. The anti-freeze collecting on the intake manifold to me is a heater hose connection or intake gasket. If you would have used Bars Leak, that would temporarily stop a head, or intake gasket leak, but of course needs to be fixed.
The intakes are known to get weak. Chances are it needs replaced. They like to go between the cast crossover and the plastic part of the intake on the front.
u have to check on the gasket head it is always being from there.
no smoke coming out of the exhaust either
Go to a auto parts store and get the lend a tool to check for leaks in the cooling system. With the engine cold, fill it up and pump up the pressure until it reads about 12 psi on the gauge. You'll find the leak, the water will be flying out.
My 5.4 f250 is doing the same smelling like coolant everytime i get out. But it has no leaks anywhere ive checked all hoses all gaskets all freeze plugs. Found my transfer case leaks now looking for water coming from any where. In Florida i just use water as coolant this is my 1st issue with this truck at 144k. Any ideas now?
ts the heater hose leak at the elbow. known issue with ford triton
I have a slow leak of coolant in my 2001 F150. My mechanic said it is between the aluminum and the plastic between the reservoir and the radiator. He said I have to replace the whole radiator and quoted $500 to $600. Is he right? Is there another fix?
Coolant exhaust white smoke after start up coolant level doesn’t seem to be loosing alot
I have a 2007 f150 , thought thermostat housing was leaking right at thermostat level, . Looked a bit longer come to find out its at the base of housing where it meats manifold. So like 1 other said pressure test it and make sure if you can , to find out where the leak is so you don't get deeper in it than you need to.
