Posted: May 04 2008 at 7:03pm | IP Logged

Update to my initial thread "head gasket anyone".  After 5 weeks, I finally got my truck back from the stealership however all the repairs were under warranty.  Got a new right side head, machined valves, a couple new bolts/gaskets, and new plug sleeves.  The claimed that the right bank had low compression so they did a complete rebuild on that side - no head gasket issues nor was there any visible sign of coolant ever being present in the engine.

Here is what they also did before they put a new head on:

Coolant system pressure test; compression test; coolant system review including water pump and rad.  The initial diagnosis also found that there were no overheat codes and the temp gauge that registers on the instrumentation is from the rear of the block - the one at the front controls the electic fans.  They said that coolant was boiling in the overflow and steam was noticed coming out the vent and the front sensor was registering 109 degrees Celcius (sorry, thie is a CDN dealer) when normal temp is 90 - 95 C.  This is when they changed out the thermostat and all went for a crap.....

They told me all was fine and that it was running good without any issues - all temperatures were nominal and this was last Thursday when I picked up my truck.  Well come Friday all I can smell is coolant again - very strong smell from the front of the truck and if the heat is turned on it is noticeable.  No leaks in the heater core or interior of the truck as the smell is from the engine compartment.  Had a look at the reservoir and I didn't notice any steam coming from the overflow but the smell was extremely strong again.

I'm at a loss as now I'm going to take it back to a useless dealership who have no clue what to look for.  Anybody have any ideas on what it may be?

Posted: May 04 2008 at 11:31pm | IP Logged

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nismod;

Posted: May 14 2008 at 6:52pm | IP Logged

It has been two weeks and the smell is still there.  They shampoo'd the engine and there is no sign of a leak yet....I suspect that the initial problem with the engine running hot is still the issue.

Even better is that my rear u-joint is toast and they only sell a complete driveshaft assembly.  Thank goodness for warranty.....did I ever buy a good one here!!!

Posted: May 30 2008 at 10:16pm | IP Logged

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nismod;

I posted this before but here it is again;

Guys,... My parts man at S&H Auto Clinic in Arlington TX says a Precision #354 u-joint will fit a crew cab, crew cab long bed, whether it’s a two or three  u-joint drive shaft.