Leaking coolant after valve spring repair

[Hemi661]

I have a 2013 5.7 with around 105k on the odometer. On my way to work recently the engine cut out, it ended up being an intake valve spring failure. I had that repaired by a local mechanic. I also had all the spark plugs changed and the valve cover gasket on the affected side replaced. Runs as good as it ever did, no doubt. I've actually put 100+ miles on it since.

But when I picked it up from the shop I noticed there was kind of a "dirty engine" smell paired with coolant smell. There was some wetness under the radiator cap, which I presumed was from the mechanic topping off the coolant. I've experienced this before when I topped off the coolant myself, but it eventually went away. The radiator cap felt very loose so I replaced it, but its still not totally sealing and there might even be a crack somewhere further down. ON TOP of that I noticed a brand new leak coming from under the water pump/ belt tensioner area before the engine even got up to operating temperature.

I will be calling the shop again in the morning but I wanted to get some more angles on this. Just high mileage engine problems, or is there a correlation?

 

[Wild one]

I have a 2013 5.7 with around 105k on the odometer. On my way to work recently the engine cut out, it ended up being an intake valve spring failure. I had that repaired by a local mechanic. I also had all the spark plugs changed and the valve cover gasket on the affected side replaced. Runs as good as it ever did, no doubt. I've actually put 100+ miles on it since.

But when I picked it up from the shop I noticed there was kind of a "dirty engine" smell paired with coolant smell. There was some wetness under the radiator cap, which I presumed was from the mechanic topping off the coolant. I've experienced this before when I topped off the coolant myself, but it eventually went away. The radiator cap felt very loose so I replaced it, but its still not totally sealing and there might even be a crack somewhere further down. ON TOP of that I noticed a brand new leak coming from under the water pump/ belt tensioner area before the engine even got up to operating temperature.

I will be calling the shop again in the morning but I wanted to get some more angles on this. Just high mileage engine problems, or is there a correlation?

If it's leaking out the bottom weep hole of the water pump,you need a new water pump,and no it probably had nothing to do with the recent work you had done. So don't try and blame the shop,if anything the new rad cap you installed might have been the death knell for a wore out water pump.

 

[Hemi661]

If it's leaking out the bottom weep hole of the water pump,you need a new water pump,and no it probably had nothing to do with the recent work you had done. So don't try and blame the shop,if anything the new rad cap you installed might have been the death knell for a wore out water pump.

I could not find the exact source of the leak because the tensioner is in the way, but its definitely coming from behind the pump pulley, so it probably is the weep hole. I'm struggling to understand whats happening at the system level though. If I were on the very low side of an acceptable coolant level and it was topped off, would this moderate increase in volume (to the normal full level) cause some increase in pressure causing leaks to appear in an aging system? Is the impeller broken or binding? I have never added coolant in the last year or even longer because it always seemed fine when I checked it. My last oil change in June I'm pretty sure the mechanic just topped it off with plain water... I didn't like that shop. The new mechanics I like and I will probably have them fix this too.

Whats just the water pump going to set me back ballpark at the mechanics? I know I'm capable of replacing a water pump, but I also thought all I needed was a new radiator cap and it would take 5 minutes.

 

[crash68]

I'm struggling to understand whats happening at the system level though. If I were on the very low side of an acceptable coolant level and it was topped off, would this moderate increase in volume (to the normal full level) cause some increase in pressure causing leaks to appear in an aging system?

It's probably just due to runtime/age of the water pump. A pump shaft seal can be negatively impacted if the system runs low on coolant from cavitation through the pump., the seal surfaces utilize the coolant to "lubricate" and cool themselves.

 

[Wild one]

I could not find the exact source of the leak because the tensioner is in the way, but its definitely coming from behind the pump pulley, so it probably is the weep hole. I'm struggling to understand whats happening at the system level though. If I were on the very low side of an acceptable coolant level and it was topped off, would this moderate increase in volume (to the normal full level) cause some increase in pressure causing leaks to appear in an aging system? Is the impeller broken or binding? I have never added coolant in the last year or even longer because it always seemed fine when I checked it. My last oil change in June I'm pretty sure the mechanic just topped it off with plain water... I didn't like that shop. The new mechanics I like and I will probably have them fix this too.

Whats just the water pump going to set me back ballpark at the mechanics? I know I'm capable of replacing a water pump, but I also thought all I needed was a new radiator cap and it would take 5 minutes.

@crash68 pretty well covered it,and installing a new rad cap was probably the push that caused the seal to start leaking.
If you're installing the pump yourself,try and find a pump with a steel impeller,as alot of replacement pumps use a plastic impeller. You might have to open a few boxes before you get to one with a steel impeller.

 

[EdGs]

@crash68 pretty well covered it,and installing a new rad cap was probably the push that caused the seal to start leaking.
If you're installing the pump yourself,try and find a pump with a steel impeller,as alot of replacement pumps use a plastic impeller. You might have to open a few boxes before you get to one with a steel impeller.

Does the OE Mopar pump have the steel impeller?

My pump has 202k on it, and I didn't check when I reassembled it on my engine.

 

[Ken226]

Does the OE Mopar pump have the steel impeller?

M pump has 202k on it, and I didn't check when I reassembled it on my engine.

No. At least, the two I did early this year were plastic.

 

[Hagar1]

If it's leaking out the bottom weep hole of the water pump,you need a new water pump,and no it probably had nothing to do with the recent work you had done. So don't try and blame the shop,if anything the new rad cap you installed might have been the death knell for a wore out water pump.

It is always the first go to ......... blame the shop. There are so many times that things fail at the wrong time. A few years back, I did a brake job for a friend, a few days later, he is back with a coolant leak and "what did I hit with the jack" ...... he was present the entire time I worked on it. Water pump decided to spring a leak just then.
I had some paint work done on my van recently and around the same time the door lock assembly in the rear of the door decided to quit. Not the body shop fault but strange stuff happens every day.

 

[Hemi661]

I did a lot of research last night and still couldn't piece things together confidently, so I just brought it back to the mechanic (on a flatbed). I explained my issue and showed him where it was freshly wet under the pump just from the day before and presumably from driving it onto the flatbed this morning. But I will say it was very damp out this morning and hard to tell coolant from water condensation. He said he hadn't added coolant or anything after the valve spring repair, which proves my thinking wrong.

But now I'm feeling pretty stupid because near closing he said everything pressure tested OK and hes not seeing any leaks or dribbles more than what Dodge/ Ram would consider normal, even after driving it around a bit and letting it get up to temperature. I only let the engine idle for 5-10 min at most after replacing the cap, so maybe I was too quick to call it a bad water pump? He wants to try an OEM radiator cap tomorrow instead of the Duralast one, but isn't 100% sure either.

What then could it be? It's not a failed bearing or loose pulley. I'm wondering if the thermostat inside could be sticking? Although I've never had issues with overheating, I've sat in LA traffic for hours in the heat even in recent months. I don't really know where to look next but I can't keep smelling or seeing coolant it drives me nuts!

 

[Wild one]

I did a lot of research last night and still couldn't piece things together confidently, so I just brought it back to the mechanic (on a flatbed). I explained my issue and showed him where it was freshly wet under the pump just from the day before and presumably from driving it onto the flatbed this morning. But I will say it was very damp out this morning and hard to tell coolant from water condensation. He said he hadn't added coolant or anything after the valve spring repair, which proves my thinking wrong.

But now I'm feeling pretty stupid because near closing he said everything pressure tested OK and hes not seeing any leaks or dribbles more than what Dodge/ Ram would consider normal, even after driving it around a bit and letting it get up to temperature. I only let the engine idle for 5-10 min at most after replacing the cap, so maybe I was too quick to call it a bad water pump? He wants to try an OEM radiator cap tomorrow instead of the Duralast one, but isn't 100% sure either.

What then could it be? It's not a failed bearing or loose pulley. I'm wondering if the thermostat inside could be sticking? Although I've never had issues with overheating, I've sat in LA traffic for hours in the heat even in recent months. I don't really know where to look next but I can't keep smelling or seeing coolant it drives me nuts!

Look at the hoses coming out of the water pump,there's a steel line that has a rep of corroding and leaking right where it goes into the pump. Thermostats can go bad at anytime,so you don't want to rule it out either. The thermostat if you're staying stock i'd get at the dealer,they're not cheap,but they seem to still be one of the better ones to buy

 

[Hagar1]

I did a lot of research last night and still couldn't piece things together confidently, so I just brought it back to the mechanic (on a flatbed). I explained my issue and showed him where it was freshly wet under the pump just from the day before and presumably from driving it onto the flatbed this morning. But I will say it was very damp out this morning and hard to tell coolant from water condensation. He said he hadn't added coolant or anything after the valve spring repair, which proves my thinking wrong.

But now I'm feeling pretty stupid because near closing he said everything pressure tested OK and hes not seeing any leaks or dribbles more than what Dodge/ Ram would consider normal, even after driving it around a bit and letting it get up to temperature. I only let the engine idle for 5-10 min at most after replacing the cap, so maybe I was too quick to call it a bad water pump? He wants to try an OEM radiator cap tomorrow instead of the Duralast one, but isn't 100% sure either.

What then could it be? It's not a failed bearing or loose pulley. I'm wondering if the thermostat inside could be sticking? Although I've never had issues with overheating, I've sat in LA traffic for hours in the heat even in recent months. I don't really know where to look next but I can't keep smelling or seeing coolant it drives me nuts!

Do you possibly have a leaking heater core? I know in your part of the world a heater is not used much but it is still "there" and can still leak. If you can smell antifreeze while you are in the cab, it might be something to consider.
Sometimes, switching to defrost mode and cranking up the fan will cause a bit of "fogging" on the windshield that might indicate a leak.

 

[Hemi661]

Do you possibly have a leaking heater core? I know in your part of the world a heater is not used much but it is still "there" and can still leak. If you can smell antifreeze while you are in the cab, it might be something to consider.
Sometimes, switching to defrost mode and cranking up the fan will cause a bit of "fogging" on the windshield that might indicate a leak.

I didn't see anything leaking under the hood near the firewall and there is nothing wet on the floor of the interior. I think I'm smelling coolant through the cabin air intake since that's also on the side close to the radiator cap and where its pooling on the frame rail. If I turn the fans off, I don't smell anything. Last week on Thursday I washed that whole area of the engine bay and it didn't smell for ~50 miles, but then the smell came back by Saturday.

I think if it were leaking in the interior the smell would be MUCH stronger, like an open bottle of antifreeze next to me. Wouldn't the pressure test have failed if it were the core, since its part of the same system?

 

[Burla]

One of the best products in stop leak world deals with coolant. If you even have a clue or thought it is head gasket, they work so good it could be considered permanent. of course a compression test should be done, but watch this work by mr fix it.. This product is harmless to the rest of the system. Compression testing is 100% way to tell if head gasket isn't sealed correctly or has a tear.

Do Head Gasket Sealers Actually Work (FULL 2yr TEST with Engine Teardown)

Replacing a blown Head Gasket can be difficult and expensive. Sometimes your car is not worth fixing and this is where a head gasket sealer in a bottle comes...

youtu.be

 

[Hagar1]

I didn't see anything leaking under the hood near the firewall and there is nothing wet on the floor of the interior. I think I'm smelling coolant through the cabin air intake since that's also on the side close to the radiator cap and where its pooling on the frame rail. If I turn the fans off, I don't smell anything. Last week on Thursday I washed that whole area of the engine bay and it didn't smell for ~50 miles, but then the smell came back by Saturday.

I think if it were leaking in the interior the smell would be MUCH stronger, like an open bottle of antifreeze next to me. Wouldn't the pressure test have failed if it were the core, since its part of the same system?

If there was a leak anywhere in the system, the pressure test should have failed. Sometimes though, leaks can be difficult to trace if they only occur under specific conditions.

 

[EdGs]

.........he said everything pressure tested OK and hes not seeing any leaks or dribbles more than what Dodge/ Ram would consider normal, even after driving it around a bit and letting it get up to temperature.........I don't really know where to look next but I can't keep smelling or seeing coolant it drives me nuts!

I wasn't aware that any coolant leakage was considered "normal".

I sometimes get a whiff of coolant outside my truck, but haven't found any leaks

And FYI, the coolant reservoir is not a closed container either, there is a spout on the side.

 

[Hemi661]

One of the best products in stop leak world deals with coolant. If you even have a clue or thought it is head gasket, they work so good it could be considered permanent. of course a compression test should be done, but watch this work by mr fix it.. This product is harmless to the rest of the system. Compression testing is 100% way to tell if head gasket isn't sealed correctly or has a tear.

Do Head Gasket Sealers Actually Work (FULL 2yr TEST with Engine Teardown)

Replacing a blown Head Gasket can be difficult and expensive. Sometimes your car is not worth fixing and this is where a head gasket sealer in a bottle comes...

youtu.be

The compression was tested after replacing the valve spring and was within 220-225 psi on all cylinders, so that should rule out head gasket?

 

[Burla]

Yes if it was all put together it rules it out. If there is any thought it would still be possible look for oil in coolant reservoir or merky engine oil.

 

[Hemi661]

Mechanic said the OEM cap is staying dry today, so I definitely feel stupid for bringing it in just to have the cap replaced a second time. He said you really have to press down and turn. But the original one I could turn loose with my pinky and the Duralast one still didn't have the right amount of compression in the spring apparently, it was somewhere in between. So go OEM on radiator caps.

He wasn't denying the water pump spit out some fluid, but didn't say it was imperative to replace it at this time. I think hes an honest mechanic in that way, fixing only what needs fixing. But I elected to have him replace the pump anyway with a OEM one and yes the impellers are metal on the Dodge ones.

I resurfaced my exhaust manifolds almost 2 years ago so I have done work on this truck, but these days I don't have a place to work on anything, otherwise I would have continued to monitor it and replace it myself later on. But its my only vehicle and I really want to keep this truck going so it was worth it to me and I will be more confident. Knock on wood that will be all it needs for a while. I'll let ya'll know how it goes when I get it back again and drive it around more.

 

[Gary Fields]

I'd put my money on the water pump being 12 years old as the cause of the leak.