g1900 losing coolant

[mc25a]

I have a g1900 that is losing coolant. It does not get hot. The level goes down 1/2 to 1 inch on in the overflow bottle per hour of use. I don't let it run out so it never overheats.

I had the dealer check it. They said they pressure tested it and found that it was losing pressure just sitting there. Then when it was running it was building up pressure. They thought it was the head gasket and replaced it. I got it back and it's still losing coolant, no change.

I can't see any leaks anywhere and I've looked. I've put a paper towel around the overflow and can't see where any is coming out there (stays dry). I watch it several times per hour and never see the coolant getting really high in the overflow. I don't see white smoke or anything in the crankcase. It runs very low on the temperature scale and never varies unless the intake screen gets clogged.

Are the head bolts on these engines supposed to be re-torqued? It only had one hour more on the engine when I got it back. So I'm thinking they weren't.

Any other ideas?

 

[ibnxe]

Was the cylinder head crack checked when they replaced the head gasket? When the pressure drops when sitting and then builds when running, there is a leak between the cooling system and the compression space. It is leaking at a rate, not noticable in the exhaust yet. If it continues, I would recogmmend having the head checked for cracks.

How old is this engine?

Depending on how the manufacturer specifies head torque, a re-torque may not be needed. There are two general methods, torque to a ft.lb. value and angle torque. Typically, if the requirement is to an angle torque value, there is no requirement to re-torque the bolts. With this method, the bolts should not be reused. If the requirement is to a stated ft.lb. value, a re-torque, after a few heat cycles is usually recommended.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[number two]

ibnxe-good advice!

 

[mc25a]

I've put about 2 hours on it since my first post. It seems to be holding coolant now. It's right at the low mark so I know that's a stable mark. I figure either it quit leaking or it wasn't leaking, just had some air in the system.

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to watch it closely and hopefully it continues to hold.

 

[Sniggle]

Mine is losing coolant from the junction of the radiator neck and the radiator. I used JB weld, and that slowed down the coolant loss.

A new radiator is like $450....so I am opting to just check and add coolant as needed.