6.0 antifreeze smell

[Navy75]

I keep getting a antifreeze smell from my 02 2500hd. this has been going on for a year now. no leaks under the truck, i can't find any drip marks, but the thing will need the resevoir refilled about every month.
this is starting to drive me nuts
any help is appreciated

 

[noJeepshere]

Prolly a head bolt near the back of the passenger side bank. It tends to loosen and cause a fluid leak on GM's, sometimes inward into a cylinder, sometimes outward onto the block, where it drips. My 99 Yukon has the same problem, but it's leaking outward. Buy a new bolt and gaskets, clean the mounting surface thoroughly, and be sure to threadlock it and tighten it to spec.

 

[NorCal_Chris]

smell in the cab? My dads 01 Silverado had an issue with heater core.. Would lose coolant magically and smelled like it. Sometimes he would have foggy windows though.

 

[Avery4jc]

My k3500 went through it's fair share of coolant issues. Like NorCal Chris said one time it was my heater core, it wasn't cracked enough to leak on the floor but just enough to seep and make it smell in the cab.
Another time I was slowly loosing coolant but couldn't find any drips... turns out it was the short hose on the top of the water pump. It was old and when the truck warmed up it would swell up letting a little coolant drip down but the engine was so hot it would just evaporate instead of dripping on the ground.

 

[sweetk30]

4.8/5.3/6.0 have a water pump gasket to block problem. some leak slow and the hot motor dry's it up before puddle.

 

[supersize75k5]

4.8/5.3/6.0 have a water pump gasket to block problem. some leak slow and the hot motor dry's it up before puddle.

Bingo!

This is a seemingly unique problem to them. The one on the buggy leaks. I never see any water but if I crawl under there when its running I can catch the leak. I have a new pump and gaskets, just not motivated to retap the holes involved in the swap "buggy related only"

 

[Navy75]

I was wondering if it might be the water pump gasket. I had read on another thread about someone having that same problem. I don't get the smell in the cab or foggy windows.
I think I will try replacing the water pump gasket and hoses first. they seem to be a little less involved than head gaskets .
Does anyone know if GM has a recall on this issue?

 

[supersize75k5]

I was wondering if it might be the water pump gasket. I had read on another thread about someone having that same problem. I don't get the smell in the cab or foggy windows.
I think I will try replacing the water pump gasket and hoses first. they seem to be a little less involved than head gaskets .
Does anyone know if GM has a recall on this issue?

it also would be the weep hole on the water pump. If you are getting that far into it there is no way I would not replace the water pump with a life time unit while I was in there. The hoses on these are also pretty involved and pricy compared to older radiator hoses.


If you lay under there with it running after its warm and topped off shine a light up near the crank pulley and look for fluid.