CedarGrove
10-14-2007, 17:56
So I bought a 98 K3500 Crew Cab the other month and I am paranoid that I've got a cracked head. Here's why:
1) I think the exhaust smells a little sweet, but this is the first diesel I've owned with a cat convertor so maybe that's why it doesn't smell the way I would expect it to smell.
2) I seem to lose about a half a gallon of coolant a week. I top it off on Sunday and the low coolant light comes on intermittently on Thursday or so. I've never let it get to the point where it stays on constantly. Maybe it's just the sensor.
3) ECT seems a bit erratic to me. My 84 6.2 stays steady at about 180 all of the time. This truck likes to fluctuate from 180 to 210. Maybe this is normal. Maybe the thermostats are wacky. Mechanic replaced them when I first bought the truck.
4) Blew a water pump 2 weeks ago.
5) My heat in the cab can be erratic. Starts hot, then cools down, then warms up. Maybe the heater core needs to be cleaned out.
These are all small things but I think they point to a head problem. I have a good (I think) diesel mechanic and he doesn't seem too worried about it. He has tested the coolant for combustion gasses and the test was negative. He replaced a warped exhaust manifold on the turbo side when I first bought it. There is no indication of water in the oil.
I put a radiator flush in when I changed the water pump. I flushed that out last week and I am running straight water at the moment. I'll drain that in the next week or so and add coolant. Previous owner was running the green stuff. The mechanic has agreed to retest this week for combustion gasses in the coolant. In the meantime, I am going to replace the low coolant sensor and back flush the heater core.
Anything I'm missing/need to take a closer look at?
Cheers!
98 K3500 CC DRW 6.5 TD
84 C10 J code intake
83 C10 w/veggie conversion
1) I think the exhaust smells a little sweet, but this is the first diesel I've owned with a cat convertor so maybe that's why it doesn't smell the way I would expect it to smell.
2) I seem to lose about a half a gallon of coolant a week. I top it off on Sunday and the low coolant light comes on intermittently on Thursday or so. I've never let it get to the point where it stays on constantly. Maybe it's just the sensor.
3) ECT seems a bit erratic to me. My 84 6.2 stays steady at about 180 all of the time. This truck likes to fluctuate from 180 to 210. Maybe this is normal. Maybe the thermostats are wacky. Mechanic replaced them when I first bought the truck.
4) Blew a water pump 2 weeks ago.
5) My heat in the cab can be erratic. Starts hot, then cools down, then warms up. Maybe the heater core needs to be cleaned out.
These are all small things but I think they point to a head problem. I have a good (I think) diesel mechanic and he doesn't seem too worried about it. He has tested the coolant for combustion gasses and the test was negative. He replaced a warped exhaust manifold on the turbo side when I first bought it. There is no indication of water in the oil.
I put a radiator flush in when I changed the water pump. I flushed that out last week and I am running straight water at the moment. I'll drain that in the next week or so and add coolant. Previous owner was running the green stuff. The mechanic has agreed to retest this week for combustion gasses in the coolant. In the meantime, I am going to replace the low coolant sensor and back flush the heater core.
Anything I'm missing/need to take a closer look at?
Cheers!
98 K3500 CC DRW 6.5 TD
84 C10 J code intake
83 C10 w/veggie conversion