Coolant Leak

[Ryker Carruthers]

Well I have been fighting a coolant leak in my truck for the past few days, on the upper coolant elbow on the head. I've had 2 new gaskets on it and cleaned the surfaces every time. This last time I put a dabble of silicone on it. I didn't wait for it to set before I put water to it... but I do that all the time on other things, didn't think It would hurt it. Nope, its spewing profusely now. Going to take it back off today after school... if i can't think of anything else I'll take it back off and try cleaning it a little better.. Any ideas?
Ryker

[Hansen01]

Check for cracks when you have it off again

[ellis93]

Ultra grey silicone.....medium sized bead and let it heal over some. If there's any scale or pits that stuff will fill it and seal it.

[PToombs]

Are you sure it's the elbow and not the head gasket leaking? That front corner is the known bad spot for them to seep. Mine was oozing for several years, then when I bumped the timing up it was running out pretty good. I dropped the timing back and it slowed down again, and that winter I changed the gasket.

[Ryker Carruthers]

yeah it is the elbow. It spewed out, between the head and the lift point.

[PToombs]

Good! Better than a head gasket!

[Ryker Carruthers]

Well after scouring creston for the gaskets i'll have one at 2. I forgot there was supposed to be two gaskets in there, I only had the housing seal

[PToombs]

2 gaskets? should be only 1 rubber sleeve IIRC. Yup, just checked the FSM, should only be the sleeve that goes all the way thru the lifting eye and butts against the head and the housing. If you get a thermostat kit that comes with a (usually) blue gasket, the gasket is a template. The old engines you were supposed to grind out the head to the size of the hole in the template for the new thermostat. I haven't seen one of those in over 10 years.

[Ryker Carruthers]

Is there supposed to be an oring on the thermostat itself? as well as the wide stepped ring?

[Remps]

Not that I've ever seen, just the wide rubber gasket. I just silicone the block, lifting hook both sides, and the thermostat housing, let it get tacky, then stick it all together. Never had one leak, if it did, I'd suspect a crack somewhere.

[PToombs]

Nope Ryker. Just the sleeve.