Scan Gauge II; Engine Oil and Coolant Delta T

[PatO]

I'm going into the dealer next week for a $90 oil change special and have them look it over. I had the dog house off today and found the EGR cooler (square style) but can not see the orange vs blue hose as I think it is up front and hidden from sight.

As to the degas bottle cap it is holding pressure. I'll see if the dealer has any other ideas.

Pat

[IheartDieselVans]

Originally Posted by Ford_6L_E350

After a one mile trip, your engine is not fully warmed up. Still, a couple of possibilities:

- Coolant cap. As the coolant warms up it expands (creating pressure), if the cap can't hold the pressure, it will vent. Since this is a known problem and a cheap and easy fix, I would just change the cap.

- Thermostat. It is possible for the thermostat to stick closed, then operate normally once it does open. Again, a fairly easy and inexpensive fix.

I have no other good ideas from this distance.

Mike

I respectfully disagree with a portion of this. The problem with the cap not holding pressure has to do with the coolant having a lower boiling point when under less pressure (from a leaky cap). This is only an issue at full operating temp, and the temps generated when driving only a mile aren't going to reach normal operating temps. I think it IS a good idea to replace the cap since it's cheap and easy, but I don' think this is your problem.

If your thermostat was broken in the closed position your vehicle would quickly overheat, since coolant would not circulate through the radiator. If it was stuck in the open position it would take a much longer time to reach operating temp, but I don't think it would result in much else.

No matter what, I think you have a leak somewhere that you need to find. I'd cut a hole in a paper towel or something and put it around your coolant reservoir cap. Other than that, it must be a connection or fitting somewhere. Let us know...

Edit to add: I think your deltas are completely normal, at least compared to the ones I see on my 2008 6.0.

[JoeH]

FYI: Bulletproof diesel is looking for an SMB that they can "borrow" for an unspecified time so they can engineer their E-Series external oil cooler to fit the vans when converted to 4x4. I believe aftermarket bumpers are also part of the issue. Anyway, they'll do whatever else is needed like replace the EGR cooler. I believe a bit of a discount is in order but it wasn't clearly specified during our conversation. Nor was it clear how long they'd need the van.

I thought I'd pass the info along since I decided to pass on the opportunity. Their EGR cooler is highly regarded but holy cow is the external oil cooler one expensive upgrade.

[PatO]

Thanks JoeH but I would pass on that too. I have the Ford front bumper so probably not of interest to them.

OK - I thoroughly looked for my coolant leak this morning. As mentioned yesterday I went and filled the tank. One mile round trip and a small amount of idling in the driveway yesterday. No where near operating temps and I had a small coolant puddle (1/2 cup) this morning. This is the one common denominator; it only happens after a short drive. I drove the van Mon - Thur to work which is 9 miles each way with no morning puddles. I had a 200 mile desert run the weekend before and it has never leaked after a multi-hour drive. All I can see is that it comes from the driver side and what ever is dripping must be above and inboard of the steering box. You just can not get a line of sight into that area. It hits the cross member and works it way down to the lowest point. The block does not having wet spots and there is nothing wet anywhere in the vicinity of the Degas bottle.

I think the EGR leakages cause passenger side drips.
I do have the original wimpy pressure cap and will replace as recommended but that but does not seem related to this problem.

Thanks everyone for the help and comments about the delta T and coolant leaks.

[PatO]

The van had its 60K service today at my local Ford dealer. They did a 1 hour, 16 PSI pressure test without finding any problems except for the radiator cap itself. I had already asked that they replace it and the cap cost $10.88. They also noted the residue around the cap but during the last leak I could not find any wet spots in it's vicinity. I do have a higher comfort level now on the integrity of the coolant system though and it was flushed and coolant replaced. I'll do a few 1 mile drive checks over the next week as it takes overnight for the drip from hell to be evident. I continue to monitor Delta's and do not see any concerns based on everyone's feedback. I'll put off the bullet proof EGR cooler and replacement OEM oil cooler till the next turbo failure which should be in about 8000 miles or 1 year which ever comes first!

I will only comment again here if I experience another leak or someone asks a question.