6.0L diesel losing coolant

[44deez]

hey guys. i have an 04 F250 with 133kms on it. recently iv been losing coolant and neither me or my mechanic can see any leaks. aso there has been some blue smoke blowing at times and fuel mileage seems to have dropped. pulled the egr valve and it was plugged up a bit so i cleaned that but not really much change. can anyone help?

[m-chan68]

Have you tried pressure testing the cooling system, with the rear of the truck jacked up off the ground with the EGR valve removed? If so, does the cooling system hold pressure? At how high of a rate are you losing coolant? Are there any DTCs stored? Is this an early build 2004 or late build 2004? Sorry for more questions than answers. Where abouts in Ontario are you located by the way?

[44deez]

i had the cooling system pressure tested by my mechanic and he said its all good. i havent jacked up the truck tho. im losing about a gallon a month maybe a bit more. DTC's? lol it was bulit in 04/04. im in the ottawa valley

[m-chan68]

Originally Posted by 44deez

i had the cooling system pressure tested by my mechanic and he said its all good. i havent jacked up the truck tho. im losing about a gallon a month maybe a bit more. DTC's? lol it was bulit in 04/04. im in the ottawa valley

DTC = Diagnostic Trouble Code

Yes, to check for EGR cooler failure it is best checked with the rear of the truck jacked up about a foot and a half off the ground with the EGR valve removed. How much is the truck driven? Keep in mind the entire cooling system of this truck holds about two and a half gallons of coolant and two and a half gallons of water, for a total of about five gallons. April 2004 build date makes it a late build 2004. Ottawa is about a three hour drive from Toronto.

[44deez]

there are no codes no. i drive to work and back 5 days a week totalling about 40kms a day and i go to ottawa every other weekend, about a 300km round trip and whatever other odd driving. i didnt know that. so keeping the level up is inparative huh. ya i go to toronto quite often in a year to various shows and stuff. your in TO?

[m-chan68]

Originally Posted by 44deez

there are no codes no. i drive to work and back 5 days a week totalling about 40kms a day and i go to ottawa every other weekend, about a 300km round trip and whatever other odd driving. i didnt know that. so keeping the level up is inparative huh. ya i go to toronto quite often in a year to various shows and stuff. your in TO?

Yes, maintaining the cooling system on these trucks is quite crucial as you will find out very quickly, if you haven't already. Actually, I live in Brampton and work in Toronto. It's about a 35 km drive each way.

[Bradshaw]

have u had the head gasket redone yet mine was doin the same thing. i had to replace the egr inercooler and head gasket.

[44deez]

i usually keep the cooling system topped up. i check regularly. iv been to brampton quite a bit, nice spot.

[44deez]

my regular mechanic cant find anything so i guess il have to go to a ford dealer and see if they can fix it. i was reading into these problems and maybe an egr delete was the way to go?

[m-chan68]

Originally Posted by 44deez

my regular mechanic cant find anything so i guess il have to go to a ford dealer and see if they can fix it. i was reading into these problems and maybe an egr delete was the way to go?

..... or a BPD (Bullet Proof Diesel) EGR cooler.

If you are in fact burning coolant through the exhaust, you would be well advised fix this sooner than later. Are you the original of the truck?

I currently have one Harley truck in my bay with the worst ever EGR cooler I have seen in the last four or so years that I've been wrenching on these things. It filled the passenger side exhaust manifold, turbo up-pipe and turbo with coolant. It's getting what I call the "6.0L tune-up MAJOR" (head studs and coolers).