Where did my Coolant go????

so i changed the oil today and just studied my truck a bit alsotrying to figure my carrier bearing squeel out...i went to check the rad fluid and there is none in the overflow so i open up the rad cap and i cant see any coolant? i have no leaks i park on concrete and would notice...also on the inside/bottom side of the rad cap there were some yellowish looking crystalized dots on it..whats that mean and where might my fluid have gone? Oh and for the last few days it has been running its regular 198-201 temps.

 

service it with coolant and see how much it takes. look at your radiator real good and even check under any plastic. when the engine is hot and you shut it down do you hear and whistling or bubbling? how many miles? also take a gander at your water pump. but before you start throwing parts at it the easiest thing to do is change your thermostat.

 

i will keep an eye on it water pump not leaking..no bubbling or whistle....220,000miles.. why change the thermostat though?

 

man I hate to say this, but ( I had the ford 4.6 and did not qualify for the half ass recall) but with no outside leakage, blown head gasket.
before I (and yes i was so mad and disgusted with fix or repair daily I junked the car) had to carry coolant with me, but you could try to flush and refill the system, and get a new cap, but watch out for tale-tale white steam coming out the exhaust at times.
if you overheat just by a little the 3.4 alum heads on iron block will get a slight warp- age and there it goes.
these motors are steel lines alum heads, while good, (better than the ol Vegas, anyone remember them?) they will still warp.

 

i would say even before changing the thermostat, just service it with coolant. if the level doesnt drop, then you should be good to go.


also make sure there is no coolant in your oil. if you have coolant in there, it is leaking internally through a bad head gasket or possibly a cracked head

 

yeah dont change the thermostat unless you know thats whats wrong, IMO the thermostat has nothing to do with it.

im wondering if maybe some coolant burnt off? did you fill it back up? how much did it take?
and did it have water in it or coolant?

and possibly what they said^^ thats actually a good place to start. blows head gasket

 

the thermostat wears out. it can really screw up, not open, stay open, or only open a small bit, restrict coolant, motor gets real hot, open up, and the coolant turns to steam, and evaporates.

 

in order for it to evap though, that means the radiator cap is more than likely bad because it is not holding pressure

 

im stupid lol. i meant radiator cap...

 

but and I am from charlotte so I know how warm and humid it is down there, carry mix coolant with you!!!!!!!
check the level every chance you get until you nail this down.
sometimes mine would not go down for a week or two and then, you know fords, it would have to be added every other day.
better to do this than to get stranded.
and thats true about the caps, that was on my shopping list when I got my truck. for my piece of mind.

 

radiator cap does not = thermostat.

thermostat = thermostat...

 

hahahaha

 

dammit youre fast lol. I edited. I meant radiator cap not thermostat...

 

he shouldnt have to do that though. i live in new mexico, 80 miles from the mexican border. and when i say its hot here, its HOT! daily over 100* and fairly humid after the rain.

my truck does not get low coolant and neither does anybody i know here. even if the heat is causing it, there is still an underlying problem. vehicles can take som abuse and a little warm temp shouldnt be causing this

 

lol its all good man

 

A bad thermostat can definitely be a cause so don't rule it out. Just this week, my g/f's thermostat was sticking and coolant had been slowly steaming out of the reservoir over a period of time without noticing. Her coolant system was about 1/2 gallon low, but I could also hear steam squealing through the thermo. Changed it out and topped off fluid and it runs cooler than ever. It was probably a combo of bad thermostat and low fluid.

If your head gasket is bad, you'll see milky looking oil. Check that out with the dipstick just as a preliminary test, or change your oil yourself and check what it looks like.

Thermostats are cheap and easy to replace, and I always say keep it simple when troubleshooting and work your way towards the more difficult options.

 

I changed my oil today and there was no sign of water in the bucket I drained it into. My rad cap does have some chipped peices of rubber on the bottom rubber seal of it. I will get new cap. Flush the system and get a thermostat to start with. Sound good?

 

Oh and shouldn't I be able to see a flow of rad fluid I I open the cap while the truck is running? I saw no flow when I did this after I filled up. It was just sitting there at the opening.

 

well what I meant my that is to let him know I know how hot it get below the mason dixon line. I know these trucks can take it, but that I'm not a yankee and I know how fast damage can happen if his truck does overheat...

and when refilling make sure you overflow tank is clean.... the maintenance was slack on my truck and mine was dirty and that can flow back into the motor.

 

Almost blew up my engine two weeks ago to the tune of $3.5k damage. Coolant boiled, coolant rapidly left the reservoir, etc. First thing they replaced was the thermostat because it often happens that they fail, he said. After pressure testing the engine (no cracks or warpage) they replaced the head gasket. Fixed. Hope you get is fixed....