using antifreeze

[txs]

friends cummins truck is using antifreeze, we cannot find any external signs, none in oil, could this be blown head gasket? If it was a gasser i would suspect intake gasket, but turbo motors should not generate any suction at all to pull antifreeze into the intake.

[Hansen01]

if it using antifreeze yes it would be a blown headgasket but if its not in the oil and not on the ground it cant hardly be using it?? lol also have you had to drain any antifreeze for anything, could it have had bubbles in the system?

[ellis93]

if it using antifreeze yes it would be a blown headgasket but if its not in the oil and not on the ground it cant hardly be using it?? lol also have you had to drain any antifreeze for anything, could it have had bubbles in the system?

Antifreeze can run from water port to combustion chamber/piston with the engine off. This is from the cooling systems residual pressure pushing the antifreeze. If the cooling system has lots of pressure with the motor running(over say 16 or so pounds) it could mean the cylinder compression is bleeding over into the cooling system. With engine off its only natural for pressure to run back.

[Hansen01]

if it using antifreeze yes it would be a blown headgasket but if its not in the oil and not on the ground it cant hardly be using it?? lol also have you had to drain any antifreeze for anything, could it have had bubbles in the system?

Antifreeze can run from water port to combustion chamber/piston with the engine off. This is from the cooling systems residual pressure pushing the antifreeze. If the cooling system has lots of pressure with the motor running(over say 16 or so pounds) it could mean the cylinder compression is bleeding over into the cooling system. With engine off its only natural for pressure to run back.

now that i think about it i guess mine didnt have any water in the oil when mine blew the first time either(for a while) and when i tested the radiator,it was in the red within 5 seconds
also txs have you noticed any unusual blow by or oil spots on the ground?

[PToombs]

Tom, check under the thermostat housing. That's the usual spot for them to leak externally if the head has never been off. If it doesn't show anyplace I'd check the heater core also.

[ellis93]

Forgot about the simplest thing that would cause something like this...the radiator cap! Its job is to keep the cooling system sealed at a certain pressure and to allow the system to pull in coolant from the recovery bowl when low and under vacuum right.
My understanding is for every psi a cap is rated to hold is suppose to raise the boiling point of the coolant 5 degrees. If the cap won't hold pressure than it would/should allow the coolant to boil/evaporate.

[PToombs]

Good point! I've seen them send fluid out, and not suck it back in because the gasket is cracked or something, so the radiator is always low.

[txs]

the antifreeze level in the radiator stays down about 6 inches from the top, while the engine was running we unscrewed a pipe plug in the head close to the thermostat out to about the last thread and got bubbles, going to try it for longer period of time in daylight. i gotta fish a small piece of aluminum extruding out of his side tank, ol fumble fingers smith was trying to gauge the fluid height and dropped it into the radiator. This is ubervalver truck, but symptoms should be the same.

[PToombs]

Good job Fumbles!