[TheDL]

Maybe this is a dumb question, but I'm new to diesels and have never had to top up coolant in a gas vehicle before. With all the talk on here about black sludge in the coolant, I checked mine. It's still pink but about an inch low of the cold fill line in the reservoir. Should I just top it off, or be concerned with a leak being that low? I have 10,000kms on it and haven't done anything other than an oil change so far.

 

[Anomaly]

Unless you checked the level when you got the truck, you have no reference. It may have been low from the factory. I would add some coolant to get it to the cold fill line. Do it on level ground and check it periodically. Diesels shouldn't use any more coolant than a gas engine and both of my other diesels only require adding coolant after long intervals, perhaps a couple of years. However, a slight leak or seepage that is not noticeable could account for coolant loss and not be a serious problem. I wouldn't be paranoid about it, as the number of actual coolant problems has been very small compared to the number of Ecodiesels produced.

 

[nick1970]

Be careful what kind of coolant you add. It's listed on the manual and the coolant tank. Also steaming coolant can pass through the coolant cap. It could be faulty it happened to me.

 

[Kazimodo]

Make sure you add "OAT " = Purple

DO NOT USE "HOAT " = Orange
.
mixing the 2 together will give you "Jello " like stuff as a COOLANT .

You can find some threads on the site , just put " HOAT OAT" in the search engine
it is Worth reading.

 

[Captainmal]

Coolant is a royal pain to be sure you get the right stuff. OAT but there are types the work with different colors.

I had to add some to mine. Not much, just a few ounces. Picked a generic and comparable one from Advanced Auto Parts. Think mine was orange at the start. It was a color match. Still is. Beats me.

For safety and peace of mind, get some MOPAR stuff at your dealer. You will pay big $$$ but could sleep better.

 

[RansRAM]

I noticed the exact same thing and topped it up with distilled water. I do think some is escaping as steam through the cap since there is some discolouration on the inner hood insulation. It's not much so I'm not overly concerned. If you do add coolant as others have said it must be OAT (MS-12106).

 

[RudolfDiesel]

I've got 49 thousand kilometers on my truck and have lost about half a litre of coolant. When I checked with the dealer they said it's not uncommon to occur, but I'm not certain. I can't see anywhere that I am losing it, and am sending in an oil sample shortly to ensure it's not a small head gasket leak, but my oil looks good with no foaming or residue on my filler cap or discoloration when I change it last. I would like to know if anyone else has lost a small amount without finding a leak. I am having a hard time believing the evaporation story.

 

[Davef]

I've got 49 thousand kilometers on my truck and have lost about half a litre of coolant. When I checked with the dealer they said it's not uncommon to occur, but I'm not certain. I can't see anywhere that I am losing it, and am sending in an oil sample shortly to ensure it's not a small head gasket leak, but my oil looks good with no foaming or residue on my filler cap or discoloration when I change it last. I would like to know if anyone else has lost a small amount without finding a leak. I am having a hard time believing the evaporation story.

I added mopar coolant and I mixed 50/50 with distilled water. Do. Not use tap water Coolant I think about $70 gal
mine seeps out of rad. I posted pics in the pAst

165000 kilometers and I Added about a gallon of mixed So not so bad
mine uses. OAT. Check your stick on tank

 

[sabmgb]

my 14 was down about an inch and stayed there with no further loss, I would check it about once a month. I checked the 16 when before I drove it off the lot and it was in the normal range. I will be checking it once a month for awhile as well to make sure it doesn't drop. What are your thoughts on the level being down an inch and staying there?

 

[Mopar73340]

As long as there is coolant in the overflow tank the radiator is full. Keeping the overflow at 1/4, 1/2, or 3/4 will make no difference in cooling. As long as my tank has some coolant in it I have no need to add any. It will also vary with engine temperature as the coolant expands as it warms up. Same as any other vehicle I've had over the years.

 

[wbdavey]

I just bought a gallon of Mopar concentrate OAT at the dealer for under $20US. Diluted 50/50 with demineralized water that's only $10/gallon. (Hope it takes many years to go through 2 gallons though)

 

[ecodiesel13]

When I took delivery of my truck I checked the coolant level and it was right at the "low mark range" for when the engine was cold. I noticed now at 1,000 miles on the odometer that the engine coolant is now 1 inch below where it should be when cold. I mentioned this to my dealer and they went ahead and pressure checked the system, and checked for leaks. They found no issues/problems and they went ahead and topped it off for me at no cost. Glad I have this documented in case of an oil cooler failure in the future. (fingers crossed)

I suspect maybe air in the system from factory fill that finally escaped.

 

[ecodiesel13]

Picture of the coolant below the provided "cold range" after 1,000 miles.

 

[jaallen]

Something for all to check. There have been confirmed leaks (weeping if you will) at the coolant joints for the EGR on the passenger side of the engine. If you look, you will see wetness around these plug-like joints.
If you have this leak, it will not show on the driveway, as it is not enough and evaporates by heat. GDE has also confirmed this with customers, and mine does this as well. I have to take mine in soon before the Summer.

 

[97hmcs]

Something for all to check. There have been confirmed leaks (weeping if you will) at the coolant joints for the EGR on the passenger side of the engine. If you look, you will see wetness around these plug-like joints.
If you have this leak, it will not show on the driveway, as it is not enough and evaporates by heat. GDE has also confirmed this with customers, and mine does this as well. I have to take mine in soon before the Summer.

Be careful not to confuse the seepage from the assembly grease used when the EGR cooler is initially installed.

Here's a photo of the grease seepage.

Here's what coolant seepage looks like This isn't at the cooler but is a good reference.

 

[Kazimodo]

So.... other pictures on the site don't really show coolant leak , I don't see the pink wax look on any of the pictures .
here they are from various threads .

 

[RudolfDiesel]

my 14 was down about an inch and stayed there with no further loss, I would check it about once a month. I checked the 16 when before I drove it off the lot and it was in the normal range. I will be checking it once a month for awhile as well to make sure it doesn't drop. What are your thoughts on the level being down an inch and staying there?

sabmgb, I've had the same thing occur. Mine went down about an inch at 40,000 kilometers from when I purchased it, I went and bought 4 liters at the dealer, brought it back up, and now no change after 10,000 kilometers. One thing you need to do is ensure you check it on level ground and running. Even a 1 to 2 percent grade can throw this reading off. I'm not going to worry about getting it pressure tested as it hasn't lost any more and can't see any leaks at the usual suspect locations. Strange issue, but I've not had any other engine issues at 54 thousand kilometers, so I'm a happy guy.

 

[njensen]

Don't think that water is leaking rom the EGR cooler as my ED now has 27500 miles and no loss of cooling water but also indicated similar traces on EGR cooler. The traces observed on EGR cooler and believes to be cooling leaks is more likely
to be from lubrication added to O-rings on water jumpers (water connections) during assembly.

 

[Perrysburg Dodgeboy]

So.... other pictures on the site don't really show coolant leak , I don't see the pink wax look on any of the pictures .
here they are from various threads . View attachment 13636 View attachment 13637 View attachment 13638 View attachment 13639 View attachment 13640

I have the same wetness as the bottom photo and i am going to clean it off with brake clean then keep an eye on it. First I will drop by the dealer and let them see it. They may want to add some dye to the antifreeze to see if there is a leak or not. Coolant bottle is at the full mark hot and cold mark when cold so I don't think mine has an issue yet lol. Anyone that is losing antifreeze should take their trucks in and have the dye added to the cooling system to verify if there is a leak or not!

Also a oil sample sent to a lab like Blackstone would not be a bad idea either, this will tell you if there is any coolant in the oil.

 

[howie12]

AS I posted in another thread on this subject, my theory is that in a new engine the radiator hoses do some stretching when they are subject to the hoop stress of the pressure at high heat for a while until the cords in the rubber in the hose are well bedded in the rubber and taking the hoop stress. I have seen the radiator tank fluid go down a quart or two on nearly every new vehicle I get and tehn it stabilizes to a very slow loss by evaporation. My truck is now 22 months old and in the first 6-8 months the level dropped an inch or a bit more and has not moved perceptively since then. Dissolved air in the system could be the culprit too, but I think that would disappear in the first few hours of operating at running temps and I fell sure even FCA has a procedure to fill the engine properly with coolant and not leave air pockets.

If the level stops dropping as mine did I think you have no problem.