Where did my coolant go?

[kilobravo3]

Hi gang.

I just opened the hood to do a quick check on the engine compartment, and found that my coolant level has dropped quite a bit. It normally runs right at the "min" mark since they relabeled my bottle to indicate that is the new max, but now it is well below that. Where did it go? I don't notice anything peculiar about the way it runs and it doesn't appear to be putting white smoke out the tailpipe (other than on the few cold mornings we've had here, but I think that is normal). When I bought the truck(6 months and 5,000 miles ago), it was 2,000 miles removed from a replaced EGR cooler and headgaskets. Is the coolant level dropping normal, or should I be looking for other signs to help figure out what the problem is?

Thanks.

[kilobravo3]

Should I move this to the Problems forum?

[robert smith]

With brand new headgaskets I wouldn't push the panic button, my money is on a hose leak, which is evaporating before it can puddle and let you know that you have a leak.

I would send out for an oil sample kit and have a glycol check done though-no white stuff on the dipstick right?

[kilobravo3]

I'm going to be performing an oil change tomorrow, so I'll have a close look at the dipstick before I drain it out. I won't have time to get an oil sample kit here by tomorrow, and she really needs fresh oil.

[Dave]

No signs of puking on the degas bottle?

[kilobravo3]

There are some white spots throughout the engine compartment, but I was pretty sure that was from driving down a muddy limerock road. I suppose it could be puking. If it pukes out the degas bottle, is it limited to that immediate area, or does it go all over the engine compartment?

[Dave]

It can go all over the top of the engine compartment. Looks whitish in color

[kilobravo3]

Dave,

Well...now you have me thinking that maybe I do have puking. Do I need to get her to the dealer? The engine is still within the warranty period, but I just like to have a decent idea of what is going on before I take it in. So, I guess I will start doing some reading about the puking and what the possible causes are.

[Rob]

Did the dealership refill the coolant to the proper level??? you may want to refill, and clean the white residue that you do see, and see if it comes back... if it does, take it back to the dealer..

[kilobravo3]

The coolant level was at the proper level. It stayed at the "MIN" level mark on the bottle for the first 5 months of ownership. I'll hose off the spots I see and see if they come back.