Man am I happy I got this fixed on my 2015 under warranty.
DIY Coolant Valley Leak Repair
- Thread starter jmanscotch
- Start date
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what mileage were you at when you got it fixed? Also, did you experience a slow drop in coolant level over time or was it more sudden?
I got it fixed about a year ago at 65k. It was a very slow drop in coolant level. I knew about the issue when I bought the 460 so I watched it very closely and could tell it was slowly losing coolant. I told the dealer I was adding about 1 pint every 5k which was a bit of an exaggeration.
Photos of one of the clips rotated, couldn't get a good one of the other clip but both function the same. The clip operation is to spread the tab away from the clip. It is not a pinch and pull like the electrical connectors. With the clip in place this would mean reaching a finger around and inserting it between the clip and tab, spreading the tab open with your fingernail.
Acrad
GOLD Star
With the intake off it would be a good time to port it or replace it with something more performance oriented. I suppose you could also delete the EGR while you’re waist deep in there already? LOL
Currently being inside of the thing I'd like to delete the entire thing and install a small block chevy right now. This engine is absolutely full of s***.
When I cracked the bolt on one of my knock sensors it made a hissing sound. I think it may just be the only one that had a splash of coolant on the bolt head but I still don't quite understand, maybe it was getting sucked into the bolt hole by the bolt movement.
Anyone know if knock sensors contain a pressurized gas or vacuum? If they do that one might have lost it's magic.
Anyone know if knock sensors contain a pressurized gas or vacuum? If they do that one might have lost it's magic.
Acrad
GOLD Star
Only thing I see on troubleshooting knock sensors
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Clutch! Thank you, I got 201k on it.
I disturbed the rear connection on the coolant bypass pipe before I realized it can just be moved out of the way. Now I'm not sure if it needs to be replaced to be sure of it. I've ordered the hose but the rear connection by the firewall is going to be tricky.
The best, bar-none, lubricant for coolant seals is this stuff.
MOLYKOTE® 33 Medium Extreme Low Temperature Grease
NLGI Grade 2 - Silicone-based grease with a base oil viscosity of 76 cSt at 40°C, lithium-thickened, with no solid lubricants.
www.dupont.com
Primarily, it's a lubricant designed to not swell the o-rings. It's what I use to install cylinder liners in diesel engines. If you can't find some, or don't want to pay for it, then soapy water works pretty well. You generally want to avoid using petroleum-based lubricants on coolant seals due to the swelling they cause.
It kind of sucks as a lubricant for other uses, but it's amazing for coolant seals.
I used this stuff and it worked well enough. Didn't check too thoroughly for coolant compatibility but it's just silicone and I'm not too worried about distant coolant quality concerns right now, I can always flush it later.
Now that I see the compatibility chart is good for everything except silicone, these coolant o rings wouldn't be silicone themselves would they?
www.super-lube.com
Now that I see the compatibility chart is good for everything except silicone, these coolant o rings wouldn't be silicone themselves would they?
Greases - O-Ring Grease | Super Lube
Specially formulated, non-curing silicone fluid designed for lubricating, sealing and conditioning O-rings and other reg…
www.super-lube.com
Ok mine is done! No check engine light and not pissing coolant out the bottom. TBD if my flange job holds tight, I was not able to lay as clean a bead as OP.
Huge huge thanks to you @jmanscotch for the excellent write up. You are the people that make the internet great. Without it I would not have had the confidence to go in on this.
Also, kindly, screw you for making me believe I could do this lol. I am a moderate home mechanic, like I've done a timing belt before ok, and I nearly threw in the towel on this one trying to get the intake manifold off. Combined with everything underneath it I will say I believe the $2000 at the dealer is honestly a fair price for the job.
The service manual method is to depressurize the fuel line and disconnect it either side. I think this maybe should actually get worked into the DIY method too. At least for people who want to get the fuel line bracket back on, I had to remove one side of it on reinstall in order to do so.
Oh, and in case I've given you the idea that I had any easier time with the brackets; No, I stuck a camera scope back there and painstakingly removed the two 10mm bolts holding each clip bracket on a fraction of a turn at a time, with a 10mm wrench I had to get back on the bolt by camera sight for every turn. I tried to break the clip like you did with a pry bar and it just wouldn't snap without more force than I was comfortable with. Hopefully with my detailed clip picture those in the future might be able to actually just unclip them.
For those keeping score at home, I used 1282b sealant. It was such a toss up with all the reports of dealers using 103 but my dealer's parts counter didn't hesitate to say 1282b for coolant so that settled it for me.
Huge huge thanks to you @jmanscotch for the excellent write up. You are the people that make the internet great. Without it I would not have had the confidence to go in on this.
Also, kindly, screw you for making me believe I could do this lol. I am a moderate home mechanic, like I've done a timing belt before ok, and I nearly threw in the towel on this one trying to get the intake manifold off. Combined with everything underneath it I will say I believe the $2000 at the dealer is honestly a fair price for the job.
The service manual method is to depressurize the fuel line and disconnect it either side. I think this maybe should actually get worked into the DIY method too. At least for people who want to get the fuel line bracket back on, I had to remove one side of it on reinstall in order to do so.
Oh, and in case I've given you the idea that I had any easier time with the brackets; No, I stuck a camera scope back there and painstakingly removed the two 10mm bolts holding each clip bracket on a fraction of a turn at a time, with a 10mm wrench I had to get back on the bolt by camera sight for every turn. I tried to break the clip like you did with a pry bar and it just wouldn't snap without more force than I was comfortable with. Hopefully with my detailed clip picture those in the future might be able to actually just unclip them.
For those keeping score at home, I used 1282b sealant. It was such a toss up with all the reports of dealers using 103 but my dealer's parts counter didn't hesitate to say 1282b for coolant so that settled it for me.
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Acrad
GOLD Star
yz125: What year is your GX?
2014, 105k miles
- Thread starter
- #37
Haha, I get it….but you DID do the job successfully didn’t you? So I was right!
It is a pain of a job, with plenty of steps that are incredibly frustrating after you’ve already been bent over the engine bay for a several hours and something’s being stubborn…but it is doable at home by a willing DIYer and you’re proof of that.
Always remember, it isn’t always just saving money from not taking it to a shop, it’s expanding your skills wrenching and growing your knowledge of your rig. If you ever have a component failure, you’ll be notably more familiar with the engine setup, where stuff is and what might be a notable nugget of information that’d help diagnose, perform a trail/home fix, etc for that issue. That’s invaluable knowledge in my opinion as it often expands to vehicles in general and not just your ownership of this rig. Try, learn, grow and eventually enjoy being more and more competent with all things mechanical. At least that’s a big part of it for me.
Cheers man, glad the repair went well and she’s all fixed up!
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@jmanscotch thank you for such an amazing write up! I had a coolant leak, and used your instructions to disassemble so that I could check out the coolant valley plate. One question though - after letting the vehicle sit with the negative terminal off the battery and now reassembling everything, I too have some dash lights on. What was the exact process that you used to “reset” those dash lights?
- Thread starter
- #39
Glad it helped.
I did the Zero Point Calibration and they went away. I don’t have a video handy, but google it and there’s plenty, involves a paper clip in the OBD port and a little driving straight.
Looks like I may have found the culprit of my strange low coolant condition. Though I haven’t crawled under it yet. What is odd is my tech didn’t find it when he did the multipoint inspection if it does exist.
Would there be any puddles on the ground with this leak? I ask because I don’t have anything that leaks/drips on the ground. And last time I saw underneath the truck it was dry.