Coolant tank

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Alal

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so my brother n law said i might have a coolant leak because he seen a spot on the driveway after i pulled away. so i went to check the coolant level in the coolant tank and it was bone dry. i check the coolant in the radiator and that was fine. i have no clue about cars/trucks so be kind with me lol. i am now just starting to work on my own vehicles as much as i can. so my question is it ok for the tank to be dry or should fill it with coolant to the max level on the dipstick? if i need too then i would guess i need to flush the coolant that is in there because i have no cool what type of coolant is in the truck.


i have a 2016 ram 1500 slt 5.7 v8
 

CamperMike

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If truck is cold add the proper coolant to the radiator first then fill the overflow. When full you need to find the leak. Where did you see the drops?
 
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Alal

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i do not know if i have a coolant leak. my brother n law thinks i do. i have checked for leaks while my truck was running but didnt see anything so far. my radiator is full but the coolant tank is dry when i checked. just need to know if that coolant tank should be full? i have seen different answers to that question. if it needs to be full then i would guess i have to completely flush the coolant in the radiator and fill with new since i do not know what type/brand of coolant is currently in the radiator.
 

CamperMike

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I missed that you mentioned radiator was full.
The overflow should have some coolant in it. There is a min and max full line. It should have the newest oat coolant in it as a 2016. I got peak original equipment technology when I had to top off mine. It's oat for Chrysler newer than 2013. Fill to between min and max line on overflow. It probably has a leak or else your overflow would not be dry.
 

Burla

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Keep filling it and checking it, if you have a leak they do sell leak detector stuff that can identify it, good luck. Fill only Mopar Oat Pre Mix known as mopar 10 year coolant, when you get o2 injected into cooling system with a leak, you dont want to mix coolants.
 

Burla

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The best news would be if it is a hose clamp, just check all the hoses and see if you can see or smell it. Te worst news would be if it is coming from the block.
 

cdn cj

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I see your from California and new to engine diagnostics.
Could possibly just be condensate from your air conditioner if you still use it this time of the year. But probably top up the overflow tank too.
 
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Alal

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Keep filling it and checking it, if you have a leak they do sell leak detector stuff that can identify it, good luck. Fill only Mopar Oat Pre Mix known as mopar 10 year coolant, when you get o2 injected into cooling system with a leak, you dont want to mix coolants.

so i should not use just any oat pre mix coolant? i was thinking of get oreillys brand coolant.

How many miles on your truck?

75.3k

I see your from California and new to engine diagnostics.
Could possibly just be condensate from your air conditioner if you still use it this time of the year. But probably top up the overflow tank too.

it could be. i did notice something on the driveway after my inlaws borrowed the truck thursday. i believe it was water and notice that they used the air conditioner as well. i have not notice anything else on the driveway since my brother inlaw said something.
 

indept

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Must be a leak somewhere, the overflow tank shouldn't be dry.one option is get flourescent dye leak detector. Pour some into the radiator, then drive it until it reaches full temp, then using a black light bulb, look for glowing around engine, hoses, radiator etc.
 

GTyankee

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It may not leak at all when running, it will be under pressure
when it is cooling off, it may leak down a bit

I would pour a little 50/50 mix Mopar OAT coolant into the over flow, say between the Minimum & Full marks,
After you do that, the next time that you drive it 20 to 30 miles, park it & lay some cardboard down in the area where the jug is located.
If it is dripping, you should see the wetness & the coloring of the coolant on the cardboard.
 

Gary2

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My daughters 2014 ran a little hot the other night . Tank was empty and rad was low. I filled rad and tank ran it for a while and was fine . Thought maybe tank cracked . lower rad hose was a little wet but so was other stuff like it was spraying out earlier maybe on her way home . Next morning tank dry ,rad a little low. just a bit of coolant at the end of the lower rad hose . Just for the hell of it I picked up a new clamp . When I went to remove the OE clamp one half of it fell off when I touched it with a pair of pliers. It had cracked a while back as the break was all old rust . Replaced the clamp and its been fine for a week so far so I guess the clamp was it . I can't believe it did't blow the hose off but it didn't . You couldn't see the break as it was on top and had not broken completely until I touched it so their was not much holding . I told a few friends who have similar year rams to check theirs as all the rest were fine .
 
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