jr1017

Hello to all. OK, I'm driving home tonight. Well, let me give you some background. Every now and then for the past 6 months or so, I have added water or 50/50 to the overflow tank. I would fill it up to the line, and a few weeks later, the overflow tank would be empty so I would add more. I know it's not a real good idea to neglect such a thing. I don't know where the coolants been going. Now tonight, I notice it looks like a wet trail on the ground behind me as I'm driving. Then I feel there is no heat coming from the heater. Then I look at the temp gauge. It never over heated, but it wasn't that far from the red line. Normally, it runs at fully warm, just below the 210 line. Tonight, the gauge was about 3/4 high. I could smell just a little bit of a coolant smell. The heater was ice cold. I pulled into a parking lot and raised the hood. The only way to describe it was behind the air filter (4.3L) coolant was boiling or burning off right in that area around the back of the engine in the center area. It was dark and I had no flashlight so I couldn't see that well. There is coolant dripping on the ground below in that same area, center but leaning towards the passenger side. I felt the radiator cap, and it felt cool. I began to open and when I opened it up enough, I could hear everything start to bubble and move around and it all came and boiled back up through the radiator cap. It was hot. I added all the water I carry with me back into the radiator, started it. Put the cap back on. No pressure or heat on the main big coolant hose that runs over the top of the engine into the radiator, it was cool and flabby. Not firm and hot like there is fluid flowing through it. I drove home and the gauge remained about 3/4 on the gauge, no heat through the heater. Truck drives and runs as normal. When the coolant boiled over through the radiator cap, it looked brownish or dingy dirty. Don't remember when I had a flush. I replaced the heater core about 4 or 5 years ago with one from NAPA or Autozone. Thermostat is probably 2 years old. Still the original radiator. Water pump replaced about 3 years ago. I sort of feel it could be the heater core, but it was not a strong smell of coolant like I remember, and no film appearing on the windshield. And coolant burning off the top middle area of the engine is strange. Any ideas or info you have to share would be appreciated greatly. Thanks.

NCHEVYHEVN

The heater hoses run over the motor and through the firewall.

Other than that get a coolant pressure tester and presurize the system and start looking for leaks.

70mopar

check the fitting that goes into the back of the intake on the passenger side, i've seen the fitting crack, and i've seen the washer and plastic clip deteriorate with age.

jr1017

Yeah, the part that goes into the engine looks to be deteriorated. I'm trying to get the hoses off the heater core to flush that as well. Thanks.