Italian CRD Steamer

Smacker · **Posted:** Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:43 am

Now that I got the 'CRD Puzzle" sorted out it is time to deal with the coolant loss and steam from exhaust pipe after sitting over night. On a side note the Liberty is now running great after the Easy Off turbo cleaning and daily WOT runs whenever I can get away with it.

After reading hours of posts on coolant leaks, the question regarding steam out the exhaust is always asked and I have never heard what that means other than 'its not good'. It sounds to me like I have coolant leaking into one of the cylinders as the engine cools down over night. On start up it fires right up but there is a slight roughness for about 1 second and then smooths right out. The steam takes about 15 seconds to get going and then it fogs everything behind me for about 2 minutes or a mile and a half of driving. After the engine warms up no fog for the rest of the day and runs great.

Now my questions are:
1. How long can this go on before there is catastrophic damage done to the engine?
2. Are there any CRD mechanics close to Western MD or is Sir Sam Heading East anytime soon?

The liberty has been a labor of love and it still boggles my mind why I still have it, so if someone can explain this I would really appreciate it! Thanks :rockon:

LMWatBullRun · **Posted:** Wed Oct 31, 2012 11:40 am

Coolant loss can be the result of :
Leakage unrelated to the HG ( water pump, tstat, hoses etc.);
HG failure;
Head cracks;
Sleeve seal failure;
Others?

Suggest you definitively rule out coolant loss from other sources first.
First step is to put clean white paper under the whole front end and look for leaks after shutdown. If none are found, try pulling a vacuum on the coolant system. If that does not hold, then you have an internal leak. I would not recommend a pressure test unless you drain the coolant to preclude pushing coolant into the combustion chamber, which is a Bad Thing.

Keep in mind that one of the byproducts of IC engines is water vapor.

racertracer · **Posted:** Wed Oct 31, 2012 6:32 pm

Have you ever found coolant on the right side of the expansion tank, the reservoir?

Coolant in the reservoir indicates a head gasket leak.

Here is a quick head gasket leak test.

1. Turn the engine off.
2. Remove the radiator cap located on top of the expansion tank to release any of the existing pressure that is in the system and then replace the cap.
3. Start the engine and let it run for no more than 60 seconds, then turn it off.
4. Remove the radiator cap again and be attentive to note if any pressure escapes from under it. Even the most miniscule amount of pressure escaping would indicate a HG leak.

kjjet · **Posted:** Wed Oct 31, 2012 7:33 pm

The more you drive it the more damage you may cause. If its just a head gasket, it may cause the head to crack, rings to break, valves to burn. Park it untill it can be worked on is what i would do.

Good luck!

MRausch82 · **Posted:** Wed Oct 31, 2012 7:43 pm

Are you losing coolant? On a colder morning, you will get some steam out of your tailpipe due to the colder ambient air temperature vs. the hot exhaust pipes. Eventually it will dissipate. This is not uncommon. Make sure that is not what you are seeing before jumping to the conclusion that the HG is bad. Does the exhaust smell like coolant? On a diesel, you'll hydro-lock it if it is leaking a lot into a cylinder, which can bend rods, break rings, etc. Seen that before.

Smacker · **Posted:** Thu Nov 01, 2012 4:26 am

Thanks for the suggestions! Just got off work, will check out these items after rest..........

R/T Thanks for the input, I thought I would hear from you!
Passed the head gasket test both cold engine and warm and the expansion tank is empty on the right side.

M/82: I have been adding about a pint of antifreeze every 2-3 weeks for about 6 mo now.

Now to try the white paper inspection and vacuum on cooling system test (if I can figure where to hook up the vacuum pump) in the next few days.

PIRATA · **Posted:** Thu Dec 06, 2012 11:38 am

Smacker,

Where you able to find out what the issue was? I have the exact issue with my CRD. It's been going on for about 6 month too but mine is starting to go through more coolant now. I've taken it to a local shop and they told me to take it to the dealer :cry:

. they think its the head gasket or a warped engine block. My CDR has never overheated.

racertracer · **Posted:** Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:59 pm

Smaker,

Post your mileage, how long have you owned it, what oil have you been using and at what intervals, ever flush the cooling system?

Smacker · **Posted:** Fri Dec 07, 2012 11:32 am

racertracer wrote:

Smaker,

Post your mileage, how long have you owned it, what oil have you been using and at what intervals, ever flush the cooling system?

Mileage around 160,000, original owner, Mobil 1 0w30 changed every 10K miles with coolant flushed during timing belt replacement.

Smacker · **Posted:** Fri Dec 07, 2012 11:36 am

PIRATA wrote:

Smacker,

Where you able to find out what the issue was? I have the exact issue with my CRD. It's been going on for about 6 month too but mine is starting to go through more coolant now. I've taken it to a local shop and they told me to take it to the dealer :cry:

. they think its the head gasket or a warped engine block. My CDR has never overheated.

Still Steaming on start up. mine has has never overheated also that I know of. Can the water pump leak internally?

Drewd · **Joined:** Mon Feb 06, 2006 12:24 pm **Posts:** 902

Couple of suggestions to consider:

a. Pull an oil sample and send it to a lab. If you have a head gasket leak, you may see coolant in the oil. I use Blackstone labs.

b. Isn't the EGR liquid cooled? I know in other diesels that EGR cooler leaks are a fairly common source of coolant leaks

c. Put some UV dye in the cooler reservoir and check exhaust and engine bay areas for leak with a UV light

Good luck and please share what you find.

papaindigo · **Posted:** Fri Dec 07, 2012 12:55 pm

Both the EGR and the oil cooler are liquid cooled. I don't know about the EGR cooler but it would certainly be possible to get coolant into the oil via a leaky oil cooler (turbo side of block and a bit in front of the turbo), see parts manual.

Smacker · **Posted:** Fri Dec 07, 2012 1:27 pm

Thanks for the input.

Ordered sample kit from blackstone and will send some oil for testing.

Have already removed EGR and cleaned. Found no leaks and area dry. Will locate oil cooler and check it out.

Brother in law may have a UV detection system he uses for HVAC leaks, i'll check with him and see if compatible, Thanks..

papaindigo · **Posted:** Fri Dec 07, 2012 1:44 pm

To do the UV test you will need automotive coolant compatable UV dye, from auto parts store and not the same as what they use in AC systems, and a UV light which should be the same as in an AC UV dye detection system.

Smacker · **Posted:** Sat Dec 08, 2012 4:56 pm

papaindigo wrote:

To do the UV test you will need automotive coolant compatable UV dye, from auto parts store and not the same as what they use in AC systems, and a UV light which should be the same as in an AC UV dye detection system.

Thanks, i'LL give that a try and see what turns up.

Italian CRD Steamer

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