Starting to think I have a head gasket leak

[gcrump01]

I'm losing some coolant, but have never seen a drop on the floor. Also see some white smoke upon starting - but only sometimes. It goes away within a few minutes.

I don't have any milky looking oil. I'm looking at the coolant drop in the overflow bottle. it's not a lot, but I have to top it off after driving it for an hour or so. There is also a antifreeze smell after driving - I've seen it described as a "sweet" smell.

What else do I test or look for?

Tried to upload a short video of the smoke but file was too large??

 

[Rock40]

I had a pin hole leak in a radiator once (84' Toyota min-truck) that did just the same thing. It didn't leak enough to hit the floor and nothing looked wet around the engine area. It would only leak hot and then the coolant would evaporate on the hot radiator. It slowly drained the coolant reservoir and I could smell it. I finally found it looking in the dark with a flashlight, I could see the water vapor. I new radiator solved it of course.

I'd double check all your hose connections, they are the most likely culprit though

 

[reddingcruiser]

I had a pin hole leak in a radiator once (84' Toyota min-truck) that did just the same thing. It didn't leak enough to hit the floor and nothing looked wet around the engine area. It would only leak hot and then the coolant would evaporate on the hot radiator. It slowly drained the coolant reservoir and I could smell it. I finally found it looking in the dark with a flashlight, I could see the water vapor. I new radiator solved it of course.

I'd double check all your hose connections, they are the most likely culprit though

Had the same thing. Pressure test the radiator and see what happens.

 

[gcrump01]

I can follow that logic regarding the loss of coolant, but how does this explain the white smoke?

 

[brian]

Condensation in the exhaust for a bit on a cold is quite normal.

 

[White Stripe]

How old is the radiator cap?

 

[gcrump01]

New, radiator is new, all hoses & clamps are new.

 

[middlecalf]

Leak down test next after doing what Rock40 and others suggest

 

[reddingcruiser]

New, radiator is new, all hoses & clamps are new.

Coolant system check is easy. Don't confuse new with functioning properly. If you do the test an there are no outward signs of a problem then it's internal and you are part way to answering the hard gasket question.

 

[gcrump01]

Got it - I'll have the coolant system pressure tested & go from there.

Thanks.

 

[Solace in Solitude]

I put a brass T in the heater loop, under the hood, and a few months later started losing coolant and running hotter than normal.

I could never find a leak, but a couple of weeks later, I was driving in 108* heat and the temp gauge kept climbing.

I stopped and opened the hood and found the brass T had a pinhole in it... The hot coolant sprayed about 15', but the stream was so focused it could have blown out an eye.

Moral... Don't assume new fittings and hoses don't leak...