2003 LC Coolant Leak

[slimno19]

I was at the gas station when I noticed a large puddle of what looked like pink
coolant under the truck. I decided to go ahead and drive home since I was around the corner. I got home and looked under the hood and noticed the coolant reservoir was pretty much empty. I can't really tell where the leak is coming from but it seems to be coming from the hose with the pink residue. There's a few hoses in the area so I'm really not sure. Any help or direction would be appreciated.

IMG_20240912_165425.jpg

• slimno19
• Sep 12, 2024

Hose with Coolant Leak

 

[LJE]

Those are the infamous heater "T"s. It's likely that if you touch them you'll crack them in two or three pieces. I would replace them ASAP before driving the truck any more. If you do a search here you'll find lots of threads on i. You can replace it with OEM plastic Ts and be good for another 20 years, or upgrade to the metal ones sold by @cruiserpatch here: 2UZ-FE Heater Tee kit (OEM 87248-60460) - https://www.cruiserpatch.com/products/100-series-metal-heater-tee-upgrade-kit?srsltid=AfmBOooXS-cBSx3QAaZ2uX2zZQ0vGlmhsUYUAwUbwcEPPYarc8TvIxH1

 

[awesomeissquid]

Go do some reading on the heater tees. Yours likely need to be replaced. Make sure you burp the system properly when refilling.

 

[Shikha]

Seems to be coming from the heater T's. There seems to be some discoloration from the other in the image as well. Have the heater T's & hoses been replaced?

 

[slimno19]

Those are the infamous heater "T"s. It's likely that if you touch them you'll crack them in two or three pieces. I would replace them ASAP before driving the truck any more. If you do a search here you'll find lots of threads on i. You can replace it with OEM plastic Ts and be good for another 20 years, or upgrade to the metal ones sold by @cruiserpatch here: 2UZ-FE Heater Tee kit (OEM 87248-60460) - https://www.cruiserpatch.com/products/100-series-metal-heater-tee-upgrade-kit?srsltid=AfmBOooXS-cBSx3QAaZ2uX2zZQ0vGlmhsUYUAwUbwcEPPYarc8TvIxH1

Thanks a bunch. Im going to stick with the plastic ones since it's OEM. Didn't think something so small could do that much damage.

Go do some reading on the heater tees. Yours likely need to be replaced. Make sure you burp the system properly when refilling.

Thanks, will do

Seems to be coming from the heater T's. There seems to be some discoloration from the other in the image as well. Have the heater T's & hoses been replaced?
View attachment 3725103

Thank you for this list. Neither have been replaced but i plan on replacing the hoses as well.

 

[nissanh]

Those plastic T's are so brittle and will crumble into pieces, so make sure tiny parts won't fall into the hoses. May be clamp the heater hoses using a plier right after the t-joint before the removal.

 

[Rebus Knebus]

I have a set of hoses (but no tees) that I've been meaning to sell. I'll try to get an ad up in the classifieds later today if you're interested

 

[baltistyle]

Repeating, do not drive your truck until this is fixed. These engines can last forever but this is an item that can kill it quickly. You will be shocked when you see it crumble. Don’t even tug on it until you are ready to repair.

 

[slimno19]

I have a set of hoses (but no tees) that I've been meaning to sell. I'll try to get an ad up in the classifieds later today if you're interested

I'm interested.

 

[slimno19]

Repeating, do not drive your truck until this is fixed. These engines can last forever but this is an item that can kill it quickly. You will be shocked when you see it crumble. Don’t even tug on it until you are ready to repair.

I'm not. I don't plan on touching this truck until I get all the necessary parts. So far I only ordered a pair replacement "T"s and 2 gallons of Zerex Red antifreeze which I still don't think is enough for this truck.

 

[slimno19]

I've found a video on flushing out the system which doesn't seem too complicated although I'm concerned about the two nuts at the bottom of the engine block. I'm hoping I'll be able to get them loose enough to drain any excess fluid in there. Is flushing with distilled water really necessary?

 

[darrenk]

I thought the same thing but the drain loosened quite easily. I did have to remove completely (the bolt acts kind of like a stopcock and drains through it when loosened) as there was some rust particles which almost completely blocked the drain hole. Once the grit was removed it worked properly on the next drain.
If it hasn't been done in a while i would definitely flush with distilled water a few times (i did three).

 

[Rebus Knebus]

Yeah thanks I wasn't planning on doing anything until the parts come in on next Wednesday. I ordered a set of

I'm interested.

Posted in classifieds

 

[slimno19]

I just wanted to chime in to personally say thank you to everyone who helped me with this issue which definitely was the Heater "T"s. Pictures attached below for reference. One of them had already broke completely from the hose and the other one broke when removing the other hose. I was able to scrape the remaining pieces out after removing both hoses. I'm currently doing my first flush with distilled water and no leaks to report. I had to put about 3 1/3 gallons of water in so it looks like I'll need to purchase 2 more gallons of coolant. I'm confident I'll be back rolling in a couple of days. Thanks again everyone! This forum is really cool.