major prolbem looking for help

[CortrightsDogHouse]

i have a major prolbem with my lb7 loosing coolant out the overflow i have had it to the chevy house dealer they did some test and came up with nothing did a leak test had it hold for 3 and a half hours with no prolbem replaced the cap thought that might be it the engine does not run hot just pumps out the fluid out the overflow i hooked up a bottle to my overflow tube it fills up real quick no other leaks can anyone give me some help the truck has 145 thousand and i dont want to have to replace a head or a headgasket

[Duramaster]

Hi cortright! I saw your post earlier this week about the low coolant light on. It sounds to me like you have either a head gasket leak or an injector sleeve leaking. The way that I diagnose this condition is pull all glow plugs and pressure test the cooling system. After letting the system set under pressure, I then crank the engine over with the help of an assistant and observe the glowplug holes for any coolant vapor. ;) Good luck with that.

[CortrightsDogHouse]

thanks for the reply i have had it at the dealership its suppose to go back after this holiday my question is i was reading the other post where it said this has happend just after the injectors were replaced on the factory warrenty mine was just done 500 miles ago think that could have something to do with it

[jbplock]

... happend just after the injectors were replaced... mine was just done 500 miles ago think that could have something to do with it

Good chance one of your replaced injector cup seals is leaking .. best take it back to the dealer who replaced the injectors ...

:)

[CortrightsDogHouse]

yes i thought of that too but the dealership that did it is 600 miles away thats where i picked up the truck when i bought it im hoping my local dealer will do something for me

[Duramaster]

So just take the truck and the reciept to your local dealer and tell them that ever since you had the "SPECIAL POLICY" repair done on your truck, the cooling system has had issues. You didn't this problem before, right? If things come to blows, ask to get the AVM involved and even go as far as to call GM customer relations. :)

[CortrightsDogHouse]

thats whats suppose to be going on thursday ill let you know what happens

[More Power]

Thanks for helping out Duramaster... I've read the service manual procedure for changing LB7 injectors. What do real service techs do with the injector cups when just replacing injectors? Should they be re-sealed as a matter of course, or only if they are visibly disturbed when pulling and replacing an injector (as specified in the manual)?

Thanks,

Jim

[Duramaster]

When I replace the injectors, I only reseal the sleeves if they pull out during service. Now I also do a visual of the sleeve after the injectors are removed. I like to make sure that they are all seated into the head and don't appear to be sticking up in any way. If they do, then I reseal them as well. Now before you get upset with that response, let me say that the DMAX injectors are still under warranty and that if GM saw 16 injector sleeve seals billed on every job that I did, they would start to ask questions. :) I have been working on the DMAX since it came out in 2001 and have replaced hundreds of injectors (if not thousands ;) ) and I have NEVER had one come back after injector replacement complaining cooling system issues. :cool:

[Mark Rinker]

What year is the truck in question? 2001s seem more prone to head gasket problems. Was the truck used in stock form, or turned up with programmer and boost mods?

I'll never know if it was an injector cup seal or head gasket leaking on my 2001. The guy who bought it will be pulling the engine and doing the replacement himself.

If there was no coolant loss before the injector replacement, it sure sounds like a cup seal in this case. My problem came on after the injectors were replaced, but more gradually that this one sounds.

[CortrightsDogHouse]

like i said i just purchased this truck drove it home 600miles at night about 60 to 70 degrees never got hot temp always ran about 205-210 it was a farm truck with a flatbed and a welder not much for pulling i talked to the previous owner i did a search from the title he lost the truck during a bankruptcy never had any prolbems never had any mod not even the exhaust it has 145thousand the dealership did the injectors 200 miles before i took possesion i did a search on everything they ever done and had nothing my dealer just replaced the tailgate straps cause they said it was never done i figure it was because it had a flatbed any how its a 2003 1 ton dually silverado ext cab

[TheJDMan]

Replace the radiator cap.

[CortrightsDogHouse]

the radiator cap was the first thing i did

[Idle_Chatter]

If you take it to the dealer for more diagnostics, ask them to sniff the radiator for hydrocarbons with their emissions tester - that will tell in an instant if you have combustion gases leaking from a faulty head gasket or injector sleeve seal (which you undoubtably do). The cooling system pressure test is passing because the leak requires the high pressure of compression/combustion to pass the gases into your cooling system. This is a very serious problem that needs correction ASAP. If the leak continues to erode the gasket/seal and escalates to the point of coolant intrusion, you may get a coolant hydrolock in a cylinder and that will severely damage your engine.

[Duramaster]

Hey CORT........... I have some awsome pics of ERODED heads that I am trying to figure out how to post on this site. What happened was the injector sleeve seats in the heads actually eroded away from the sleeves themselves. Really cool!!! My only explanation for this is the fact that the customer was using standard "GREEN" coolant in the cooling system instead of the "DEXCOOL".



Now I'm not a chemist, but it is my understanding that the Dexcool should not be mixed with the green coolant because it can cause corrosion. :eek:

I will try and get the photos posted. ;)

[CortrightsDogHouse]

i would appericate any input on this matter i took the truck back to my dealership they are going to check things out again ill let you all know what they tell me

[Duramaster]

Here is a picure of the corroded injector sleeve seats. Every seat was this way!!! :eek:


www.thedieselpageforums.com/photopost/data/500/medium/DSCF5369.JPG
www.thedieselpageforums.com/photopost/data/500/medium/DSCF5370.JPG
www.thedieselpageforums.com/photopost/data/500/medium/DSCF5367.JPG
www.thedieselpageforums.com/photopost/data/500/medium/DSCF5366.JPG

[More Power]

Cool photos DM!...

I understand that mixing green coolant with pink (or orange) reduces the service cycle to that of the green. That's it. Shouldn't be a problem otherwise.

What can you tell us about the history of this engine? Was it a daily driver or used with power mods, or...?

Is electrolysis or gas cutting due to high cylinder temperature & pressures a possibility?

Jim

[CortrightsDogHouse]

from the start i always had little bubbles in the overflow tank i took the truck back to dealership yesterday he said what he did was in each cylinder he filled it with air and in the number 6 cylinder it made bubbles in the overflow so he said bad head gasket and 2300 dollars to fix does this sound right

[Duramaster]

I would try resealing the sleeve first. ;)

[Duramaster]

As far as the electrolysis goes, It had that! The radiator had been replaced before the truck came in before last christmas. The customer originally brought the truck in running bad (C-3500 tow truck) (Corvallis, Oregon "Benton Counties Finest") ;)

Anyway, we found external head gasket leaks and injector balance rates out of spec. We bid for the job, customer declined repair and "TOWED" it back to Corvallis. Customer brings heads back for us to reseal the sleeves. We pull sleeves and find all the erosion. Local machine shop says "Yeah we can fix it!!!" They even installed the new sleeves into the heads that are pictured!!! They said passes pressure test. Customer takes heads and installes themselves (SCARY). Truck comes back to us after heads and new injectors spewing steam. I pull glow plugs and find #3 and 4 spewing water. Pulled injectors and sleeves and found that the seats were just as bad before repair.


Here is the best part:::::::::::: :D :D The service manager says to use "COPPER COAT" on the sleeves and really bang them in! Did this, didn't work. Replaced the heads (which comes with new sleeve "PRESSED IN" from the factory) and reassembled just in time for the radiator to leak again. Electrolysis!!! :D :D :D :D Customer took truck and replaced the radiator themselves again!!!

[Dakster]

Wow.... I bet they could've almost bought a new truck by now. That work doesn't sound cheap and alot of downtime too...

I bet the new stuff won't last long with that contamination... You are definetly giving a good reason to verify the type of fluids you put in your truck.

[Duramaster]

How do you like the new truck DAKSTER?? I noticed the :D :D :D :D !

I work at a GMC dealership and I haven't even had a chance to drive one yet. We've only had two come in for repairs, one with an ignition lock cylinder concern and another with a NAV radio concern. :) :D :cool:

[CortrightsDogHouse]

ok guys ready for this i was told i need an engine (&&&&) as they started taking the motor apart to fix the head gasket they got to the turbo and stopped they called me and said i better take a look so i looked the fins on the turbo are chewed up i mean every fin has enough gap to slide a pen through they said i might want to think about a different engine because the metal from the fins are somewhere in the engine what do you guys think of this first thing i did was call the guy i bought the truck from a couple weeks ago he said sorry AS IS should i start looking for an engine or just catch this truck on fire and let it burn to the ground

[beeler]

If you don't mind doing it put it back together and install a for sale sign. I bought a used dirt bike from a dealer I trusted a year ago. Total POS. I still have it because I can't just sell it to someone else without telling them the whole story. I have been half heartedly trying to get it into good condition but my heart just isn't in it. While I'm not rich this is just play money, not what you have in your pickup. Bad deal. Maybe a fire is the answer.

Maybe if it runs and looks good a trip through the auction is your way out. I know a fellow here that deals in used pickups and he said the diesels are bringing top dollar now. Can't give a gasser away.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Dakster]

How do you like the new truck DAKSTER?? I noticed the :D :D :D :D !

I work at a GMC dealership and I haven't even had a chance to drive one yet. We've only had two come in for repairs, one with an ignition lock cylinder concern and another with a NAV radio concern. :) :D :cool:


I'm all smiles. I love it. I have a minor concern which I posted about. The rear park assist has been a little flaky. Although it worked fine all day today - Don't want to hijack this thread. I had the first regen today. The fuel mileage dropped over 1 mpg even though I was driving easy in light traffic where my mileage should have gone up from the weekends idle time waiting with the kids. The power was still there during the regen, no lights, bells or whistles. I am so happy to be back in a diesel truck...

Back on Topic
--------------

It sounds like you were hoodwinked into buying someone else's nightmare and they possibly knew there were issues with it. I would get it running for as little as possible and trade it in...

Now comes the disappointing part, I don't think there is much you can do about it against the original owner that is legal. Several illegal ideas come to mind, but I'm sure you thought of them by now and highly discourage it.

Now if you had some sort of discussion regarding repairs and modifications, running condition you may have a case. Although I am no lawyer.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but this is why I am happy that I can now afford to trade-in and buy new when the factory warranty expires. If I couldn't I'd buy used with a warranty - I bet the 2k you would've spend on an extended warranty seems cheap right about now. (They even finance for a couple of years which equals $100 or so a month)

I had a similiar thing happen to me with my first car.

Good Luck.

[Duramaster]

WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLD UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please explain how worn turbo fins equals "NEEDS AN ENGINE"! You never said that you had coolant in the oil, so there should be no bearing/ bushing damage caused from coolant in the oil. I don't believe that you have complained about the drivability of the engine? Your only complaint was that the cooling system was overpressurized, right CORTRIGHT?


145k miles is high but, the DMAX should see 300k no problem. :D Has a compression test been performed? Minimum is 300 psi per cylinder. How much does a new turbocharger cost? (Just checked).......... $1588.78 (my cost is a little cheaper) And that is a GM turbocharger.

I still question if the sleeves are sealing. How about taking some high resolution digital photos and posting/ e-mailing for further examination? :)

Anyway, Keep us posted and lots of luck!!!

[killerbee]

Cool photos DM!...

I understand that mixing green coolant with pink (or orange) reduces the service cycle to that of the green. That's it. Shouldn't be a problem otherwise.




my understanding is different. More like mixing bleach and ammonia. The reaction of mixing a high silicate green formula with an OAT coolant, in the presence of heat and oxygen (dissolved) yields bad juju.

Just one thought. if you have turbine blades that are kuput, it may have been one of these "stacked" overfueled vehicles with no mercy on egt. The dangers of stacking are likely turbo damage and dangerously advanced timing that creates beligerant cylinder pressures. Just a guess.