Coolant level drop, dealer can't find leak

[Tahoe]

Hi,
I had my coolant level drop by several quarts recently. No coolant on the garage floor and no evidence of a leak inside the engine bay.

I took it to the dealer (truck is still under warrenty 36,500 miles). They could t find the leak or tell me where the coolant went. I asked them to do an oil test to see if the coolant would up in the crankcase but was told they were not equipt to test oil.

I called ram/chrystler/stellantis to see if they could get the dealer to do more than a visual leak test and have been told that there is nothing they can do. At this point the car is back home. My warrenty expires in 500 miles and ram has told me that they will not cover this issue if the truck is out of warranty.

I'm not sure what to do at this point as I am concerned about the missing coolant and received no help from dealer or chrysler

Any suggestions?

 

[Scram1500]

You need to find a better dealership. Mention that you're afraid to drive it there as coolant is most likely escaping out of the tailpipes. Pretty sure the factory power train is 5yr/50,000mi so you're good for a while

 

[theblet]

It’s going somewhere. If they pressure through the rad cap and no leaks, you likely have a head or head gasket problem. I agree with going to another dealer

 

[TampaLaramie]

Yeah, not acceptable. I don’t care what they can and can’t do. If they’re a full-service dealer, they can figure out a way to diagnose your issue. Sounds like they’re shoving the issue off because they don’t want to deal with a warranty claim.

 

[Cbty2050]

Sounds like they’re shoving the issue off because they don’t want to deal with a warranty claim.

I bet, warranty claims are so terrible and difficult.

 

[O'Town Ram]

I would do an oil test myself. Only $35 for peace of mind or proof of leak.

Standard Oil Analysis | Blackstone Laboratories

Learn about the standard analysis, the baseline testing we do on most samples. The standard analysis is all most people need to answer their questions.

www.blackstone-labs.com

 

[tom318]

I had something similar and I did a pressure test myself with no luck. System held 25psi for 45min. I’ve since been monitoring coolant levels but i dont drive as much and in the last 2 months it’s been fine with no drop. Initially I lost maybe half a gallon over 12k miles. No leaks found. I suspect my egr cooler is failing. My oil at the time was higher in potassium which is an indicator of coolant but it wasn’t at any alarming level. Egr cooler warranty is unfortunately only 2yr or 20k miles so it’s on my now. I personally don’t want to pay the dealer $150-300 to diagnose it and they tell me it’s the egr cooler which I can buy for $400 and swap. I’ll do another oil analysis at 80k, I’m at 78 now. We will see.
I hit a deer a while back and just finally dropped the truck off for repairs yesterday and mentioned to them my coolant issue but I’m sure they will say we found no leaks and your fine.

 

[BTB123]

I’m probably ignorant on this subject but it has to go somewhere and you’re not seeing it. Wouldn’t that mean it’s entering the crank case and wouldn’t your oil look cloudy and the levels be high?

 

[Rick3478]

EGR cooler was a new one on me, I'm not a diesel guy. Also don't know what engine you have, not in your signature.

So it could be a simple as the radiator cap, if the outer ring doesn't seal well, could be letting hot coolant evaporate rather than making it bubble into the recovery bottle where it gets cooled back to liquid. Wasn't much of a problem in the old days with 180~190 thermostats, but the new breed of engines run closer to the boiling point to improve efficiency.

Or a leaky water pump may only happen when you are on the road building heat and pressure.

Or a leaky head gasket may close back up when not running. Ditto cracked block or head.

Or many of these now have an oil-to-antifreeze intercooler that can leak, though I'd think you would see milky oil or sludge in the radiator.

Dealer should be able to figure it out, though I've been unimpressed with some service departments. If yours sucks, get another opinion somewhere else.

 

[n8zcc]

I’m probably ignorant on this subject but it has to go somewhere and you’re not seeing it. Wouldn’t that mean it’s entering the crank case and wouldn’t your oil look cloudy and the levels be high?

I had a "missing coolant" issue with my 2013 when I first got it. Turned out to be an evaporation leak around the thermostat housing. The engine needed to be at full operating temperature to cause a slight, almost invisible leak. I dyed the coolant and used a black light to find the leak. Turned out the thermostat housing wasn't torqued to spec.

The dealer was no help (3 separate visits, all they would do is top off the coolant level) I had to add the dye and find the leak.

 

[Jako]

I had a "missing coolant" issue with my 2013 when I first got it. Turned out to be an evaporation leak around the thermostat housing. The engine needed to be at full operating temperature to cause a slight, almost invisible leak. I dyed the coolant and used a black light to find the leak. Turned out the thermostat housing wasn't torqued to spec.

The dealer was no help (3 separate visits, all they would do is top off the coolant level) I had to add the dye and find the leak.

for you, for the dealer. I've added a little anti freeze to keep the level at max over 36,000 miles of ownership.
How much were you losing?

 

[eye exaggerate]

You could run a white cloth over your windshield to see if there’s any antifreeze building up. The dealership couldn’t find the leak after 3 trips, I found the leak because of my “keen sense of smell”. It was the heater core.

 

[n8zcc]

for you, for the dealer. I've added a little anti freeze to keep the level at max over 36,000 miles of ownership.
How much were you losing?

It has been a while but I think I was dropping to the low-level mark on the coolant dipstick about every 8 to 10 weeks. Back then I was typically driving to and from work daily, about 70 miles round trip. The season was the summer months (I got the truck in April of 2013) so the warm-ups were quick.

The leak could be seen as a small bulbing out of the thermostat base, difficult to see (until you knew where to look) but the dye left a tell-tale path of evidence. After parking the vehicle and walking to the front of the truck, you could get that smell of antifreeze. No smell when sniffing around the cold engine thus the idea it was a hot-only engine leak which took me down the dye path. I told my dealer this but they said there was nothing they could do unless they could see the leak. They were so bold to tell me they don't get paid to find an issue, only to fix it.

I'm still ticked about it, brand new truck, brand new customer to RAM, and this is how they address an obvious issue. They saw the coolant level was down, and they could smell the antifreeze when I pulled up, but all they did was a quick visual inspection and topped off the antifreeze, at no charge (how big of them).

 

[Jako]

It has been a while but I think I was dropping to the low-level mark on the coolant dipstick about every 8 to 10 weeks. Back then I was typically driving to and from work daily, about 70 miles round trip. The season was the summer months (I got the truck in April of 2013) so the warm-ups were quick.

The leak could be seen as a small bulbing out of the thermostat base, difficult to see (until you knew where to look) but the dye left a tell-tale path of evidence. After parking the vehicle and walking to the front of the truck, you could get that smell of antifreeze. No smell when sniffing around the cold engine thus the idea it was a hot-only engine leak which took me down the dye path. I told my dealer this but they said there was nothing they could do unless they could see the leak. They were so bold to tell me they don't get paid to find an issue, only to fix it.

I'm still ticked about it, brand new truck, brand new customer to RAM, and this is how they address an obvious issue. They saw the coolant level was down, and they could smell the antifreeze when I pulled up, but all they did was a quick visual inspection and topped off the antifreeze, at no charge (how big of them).

Thanks for the info. I'm between LOL and WTF with "don't get paid to find an issue". It appears to me there is a shortage of qualified mechanics with plenty of work. Unfortunately shops are in a position to take advantage of customers and ignore their concerns.

It comes down to being a knowledgeable consumer and caveat emptor.

For the latin language challenged:
caveat emptor

ĕmp′tôr″

noun​

1. The axiom or principle in commerce that the buyer alone is responsible for assessing the quality of a purchase before buying.
2. A commercial principle that without a warranty the buyer takes upon himself the risk of quality.

 

[Scram1500]

Does that mean we send FCA a bill for performing our own diagnostic work? @RamCares ?

 

[Jako]

Does that mean we send FCA a bill for performing our own diagnostic work? @RamCares ?

I had one mechanic tell me to get the part and he will put it in. No Thanks! Not looking to get in the middle of a potential issue/problem.
I had to give my Ram service department the TSB to let them know what they should know.
I had to give my architect the zoning section so he would add 100 sq. ft. to the house as allowed.

"Professional" and "Tech" are often not an accurate description of the service you will receive.

 

[n8zcc]

Does that mean we send FCA a bill for performing our own diagnostic work? @RamCares ?

They owe me for a bottle of dye, I already had the black light, and two hours of labor. What is the address of RAM's billing department, I give net 30 days om billing.

 

[RamCares]

Does that mean we send FCA a bill for performing our own diagnostic work? @RamCares ?

Hi there,

If you have any questions regarding potential reimbursement requests, please call Ram Cares directly at 866-726-4636, as they are best equipped to assist.

Lex
Ram Cares

 

[Belvedere]

Might be worth getting an exhaust gas detection kit for your radiator. They're relatively cheap. If there are gasses in the radiator, then you could be burning a little coolant.

Can also just leave the cap off and start the truck. Then watch for bubbles.

 

[RealtorRick]

Hi,
I had my coolant level drop by several quarts recently. No coolant on the garage floor and no evidence of a leak inside the engine bay.

I took it to the dealer (truck is still under warrenty 36,500 miles). They could t find the leak or tell me where the coolant went. I asked them to do an oil test to see if the coolant would up in the crankcase but was told they were not equipt to test oil.

I called ram/chrystler/stellantis to see if they could get the dealer to do more than a visual leak test and have been told that there is nothing they can do. At this point the car is back home. My warrenty expires in 500 miles and ram has told me that they will not cover this issue if the truck is out of warranty.

I'm not sure what to do at this point as I am concerned about the missing coolant and received no help from dealer or chrysler

Any suggestions?

I and others have had similar issues. My friend ended up getting a new heater core. I smell coolant every time I park the truck but nobody can find anything. Anxious to hear other comments. FYI: Mine is a 2019 that I bought with 56,000 miles and now have 85,000.