Few Problems. (Coolant leak, clunk)

[nathan1314]

I have a 97 ext cab with a 305. I have a very slow coolant leak that I cannot pinpoint. Underneath there seems to be coolant running down the tranny but also some up front. I have to top up my coolant once a month with maybe a litre or so. Not a problem but i would like to fix it. Any ideas?

My second question is whenever i go over rough road (gravel driveway with potholes) i have a clunk in the ass end of the truck with a real rough ride. It almost seems like the bed is loose but i know it isn't. What can be the cause of this, bad shocks?

Thanks.

[Kurt L]

your coolant leak is intake gaskets,ask me how i know lol.had to replace mine [91]as far as the problem don't know bout that.

[piecesparts]

Shocks =YES or there is a loose shock bracket--had that happen.

[msgross]

clunk might = spare tire in the back loose?

[nathan1314]

My spare tire is out right now so can't be that. Ill have to look at the bracket.

how sure can one be that my coolant leak is from the intake gaskets? I have read a few posts on here and people say it gets into the oil and oil pressure is higher. I am losing so little, is it possible it can be from somewhere else?

what is involved in changing intake gaskets?

[69-350]

Originally Posted by nathan1314

My spare tire is out right now so can't be that. Ill have to look at the bracket.

how sure can one be that my coolant leak is from the intake gaskets? I have read a few posts on here and people say it gets into the oil and oil pressure is higher. I am losing so little, is it possible it can be from somewhere else?

what is involved in changing intake gaskets?

on your 97, I think you should have to take all the stuff off the intake I know, what a great answer! There's quite a bit up there to take off, but don't let it scare you. Most of it is straight forward taking off, pulling out, etc. Dizzy included, plus all your stuff like fuel injector connector dealie, this and that. I can't think of anything off hand that should be too hard to get out of the way to get the intake manifold off. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

[rockman20]

Sounds like intake gasket on the leak.

The back clunk may be a loose bracket or it could be that the rubber donut in the shock could be gone. Could also be as simple as the bolt is loose. Had this on my dually.

[mitch1965]

Just last night, I finished replacing the lower intake gaskets on my '96. Not a horrible job, just really annoying laying over the engine for a couple hours. My truck was doing the same thing, coolant dripping down the back or front, not really able to pinpoint the leakage point. I didn't even remove the upper portion or throttle body, removed it all together. Just be very sure of distributor postion, and rebolt all the ground leads. I missed one, and it kept throwing a code that the crank and cam sensors did not match.

[Liftech1]

Best way to be sure is to clean your engine and suspect areas and pressure test your system to find the leak. Better to be completely sure before tearing into it. Intake gaskets are an extremely common problem with the same symptoms you are describing, (leak at front and back of engine). The clunk could be as simple as a loose tailgate bumping around or as complicated as a broken leaf spring, a close inspection of all suspected parts is the only way to determine the noise.

[98 Custom]

If the heater hose is leaking at the factory connection to the intake(up front), it will run down on the side of the intake and roll off down the back of the engine/tranny. Mine was doing that, just another area to check.

[Mr_Rich]

I had a coolant leak that was caused by a deteriorating hose and fitting at the back end of the intake on the pass. side. I replaced it, and that was the end of the leak. My truck's an '89 though....

[Boog]

Do you any of you install the Felpro gaskets dry? I read that's the recommended method by Felpro. I've always used a thin layer of rtv around each port on both sides of the gasket just as insurance. Gasgacinch or equivalent?

[piecesparts]

No, I use a light coat of sealant around the holes to enhance the adhesion properties, no problems yet.

[69-350]

best way to do gaskets; get a little bottle of this sticky material, I forgot what it's called off hand, but it's dark purple, get it any automotive store. Apply this stuff to the gasket, and to the head, let sit for just a little bit, place the gaskets in place on the head, bam, done, it's not moving. Next thing is to throw those thick gaskets away, the ones that go in the middle of the block, front and back. Lay a thick line about 1/8" of silicone in their places. Last thing is to lay a thin line of silicone around your water ports. Then just slap your manifold on, bolt it in two opposite corners, tighten those by fingers, slap all the rest in and then tighten everything.

Doing this that way ensures everything is good. We just had to rip the intake manifold off of a 77 C20 because it had no choke - carbon got built up in the port that runs across the top of the intake manifold inside, uses exhaust heat to operate the choke. A lot of hassle to rip off the intake and everything on it just for a damned choke.