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I have a 2001 chevy 1500 silverado with a 5.3 liter engine that has 198,900 miles on it. Recently my low coolant light has been coming on intermittently. 1st question- If the coolant is low should the light come on every time the truck is driven? It has come on while I was driving it arrived at my destination (truck was parked for 8 hours)parked the truck, when I left the light did not come on. I have topped the coolant off twice because it was a little low both times. H2o pump is about 2 years old I cant find and visible leaks any where. I did look under the oil cap and there was this brown looking sludge under the cap.I have not tested the cooling system yet. The engine has all the original gaskets, it has never been torn into. 2nd question- is this a sign of a blown head gasket? How much water should come out of the exhaust when a vehicle is cold and hot? Thank you for your help.
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[quote=”DirtybayTX” post=121357]I have a 2001 chevy 1500 silverado with a 5.3 liter engine that has 198,900 miles on it. Recently my low coolant light has been coming on intermittently. 1st question- If the coolant is low should the light come on every time the truck is driven? It has come on while I was driving it arrived at my destination (truck was parked for 8 hours)parked the truck, when I left the light did not come on. I have topped the coolant off twice because it was a little low both times. H2o pump is about 2 years old I cant find and visible leaks any where. I did look under the oil cap and there was this brown looking sludge under the cap.I have not tested the cooling system yet. The engine has all the original gaskets, it has never been torn into. 2nd question- is this a sign of a blown head gasket? How much water should come out of the exhaust when a vehicle is cold and hot? Thank you for your help.[/quote]
I believe its time to pressurize the cooling system. GM is known for intake
gasket problems. Look on top of the intake for residue.http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/finding-and-fixing-leaks
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/what-to-do-when-your-engine-overheats
I agree with College man, pressure test the cooling system, when doing so make sure to check the back of the engine around the starter and where it meets with the trans. If you come up with a leak you can not see very clearly and it appears to be under the intake manifold you will need to examine the cooler lines that run on top of the valley and around the throttle body. If the leak is hard to locate the origin use a block tester to check for combustion gases in the coolant, this will tell you if its the head gasket.
I reset the C.E.L. Drove 190 miles and the C.E.L. came on. Check it with a code reader and P0420 came up. I understand that is the catalytic convertor code. #1 I know the valves seats are leaking. It smokes a little at start up or if I sit idling for a length of time when I take off it smokes. #2 I have 2 broken exhaust manifold bolts on the drivers side. Would this cause the P0420 code ? If the coolant is leaking where is it going?
Well there are only a few places it could go there is the heater core, the engine block, the water pump, and the radiator. that is the bulk of the coolant system, and if they’re are no signs of leakage, and there is brown sludge in the oil, a blown head gasket is a possibility, however what color is the oil or sludge, is it a lighter brown like chocolate milk color or darker, for an engine of that many miles, a little sludge is very likely just from the use of the engine.
Also the broken exhaust manifold bolts might cause an exhaust leak making the computer not read right causing the code.
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