Coolant Leak

[ktm250rider]

So i got the fuel issue all taken care of and now its time to tackle my coolant leak in my Hyundai R130LC3 with Cummins 4bta3.9. I dont see signs of coolant in the oil and to be honest with the amount of coolant ive added, it should be overflowing. I also ran the exhaust gas leak in the radiator and found no signs of leakage there. Not sure if this is scientific but i exhaled into the test fluid and it changed colors. I also dont see any noticeable white smoke but i do have a sweet smell when in the cab. Engine runs great (especially with the fuel tank cleaned out) and doesnt overheat. I get 3-4 bars on the temperature gage and thats where it will stay.
Brainstorming here at work, we thought maybe a leak in the heater core which would account for the smell in the cab. ANy thoughts? I really dont want to do a head gasket if thats not the problem. Well I dont think it will be that bad except for removing the manifold bolts which are all rusted to crap.

 

[Welder Dave]

A tiny drip from a heater core or bad hose will smell in the cab. Is it hard to get at the heater to see if it's wet?

 

[John C.]

I think there is a drain hole in the heater case that goes under the cab. Check there for a coolant leak. You will probably have to pull the plates under the cab to be able to view the drain.

 

[ktm250rider]

I will check this weekend. The chair is in the way to get tot he heater core and its a pain to remove.
We were thinking that if i could find the line from the engine bay to the heat core, I could clamp it off and see if the rad/overflow stays full.

 

[Bls repair]

Try a black light .When dark look around with black light ,antifreeze should glow.

 

[ycs]

Try tighten the hose clamps.. my hitachi have the same problem.

 

[Vetech63]

How much antifreeze are you adding after how long?

 

[ktm250rider]

Havent gotten around to working on this yet. I did get a blacklight so hopefully ill free up some time soon.
Tough to say how much and how long because it sits more than its used. Maybe 1/2 gallon per 10 hours and i probably have about 10 hours on it this year. I think the volume is enough that i would see it in the engine oil.
There is what looks like a drain hose under the engine just in front of the counter weight. Not sure if its a vent or breather hose.

 

[Delmer]

If you can get at both heater hoses on the engine, then you can take them both off and run a separate piece between the ports. That will tell you if it's using coolant somewhere else, because you already know it's leaking in the cab.

You might get lucky and have valves on both ports. They might leak though, so don't trust the valves to tear into the engine on that.

 

[Vetech63]

I was wondering if you may just be losing some coolant though normal heat expansion. Does your cooling system have a recovery tank. When you fill the radiator are you topping it completely off?