To my surprise, I found coolant seeping out around a fuel injector. My guess that this indicates an issue with the gasket and it needs to be replaced. I hope this is not expensive and is replaceable if you can follow instructions. So I am looking for suggestion to test and confirm if this is the issue and procedures to complete the repair. I have general basic tools (sockets, wrenches, and screwdrivers)
My expedition has over 200K miles. A gas drinking elephant at 13 miles /gal but has been extremely reliable. I am also considering replacing her with something less thirsty.
Sir Marc, I think that you underestimate the size of your problem. Either that or you need to describe better what your vehicle is doing right now.
If you’re overheating and losing coolant this won’t have anything to do with a fuel injector. In fact, I’m struggling with how you would ever get water leaking from a fuel injector. But assuming that is possible it means that the vehicle need a new cylinder head. How do you know that its water? And is it water or coolant? Or is it maybe fuel?
Do you know why you are losing coolant? Is there a noticeable leak? Does it only overheat because it gets low on coolant? Have you let the temp gauge actually make it to the red zone? Have you checked your oil? What does the oil look like? Have you noticed any smoke coming out of your exhaust?
The thing about the fuel injector is confusing, but this all adds up to a head problem - cracked head or head gasket. Unless you’re a very experienced mechanic with lots of mechanic tools this isn’t going to be something you will be doing yourself. Its likely that the time to get something less thirsty is now.
I am scratching my head on this but I can clearly see it is coolant seeping up around the injector and the coolant levels going lower. It is not fuel. If it was, I think I be making a claim. It is only one injector. Any accommodation on testing if it is a head gasket or cylinder head.
Thanks for help
Here is a picture of the injector with coolant seeping at the base. I hope you can see it.
Sir Marc,
I think you need to dig deeper. If coolant was leaking out from around a fuel injector, that would imply not only that the intake was full of coolant, but that the engine itself would have coolant in the cylinders, and at the very least you’d see a huge plume of smoke behind your thirsty elephant. Checking spark plugs should reveal green tints on them, too.
At a minimum, to get coolant into the intake, we’re talking intake manifold gaskets, and possibly a head gasket.
Are you positive it’s not leaking from a nearby hose, running down a wire, and appearing to be coming from the injector?
Edit: Unfortunately, I’m not on a network with access to the pictures. It’s very frustrating for me, but I’m sure Cig will have a look at them.
I am getting no smoke out of the exhaust, and have looked for other sources but will look again.
Thanks for tip the plugs.
Its not the fuel injector. Right next to the injector is one of the radiator hoses and I can see a trail of coolant right down the side of the gooseneck. From what I can make out, the hose looks good, but if you drain down the cooling system and remove the hose, I think you will see a crack or hole in the gooseneck.
On second thought, that might be a heater hose, but still the same conclusion.
I can’t make it out as the picture is too blurry, but keith’s take on it sounds about right.
One way to find fine or slow trickles is to clean the area and spray a little baby powder on. Then start it and blow the baby powder off, if the engine’s fan doesn’t blow it off anyway.
Where the baby powder sticks is where you have some sort of fluid leak.
Did you ever find the source of leak? My girlfriend truck is having exact same problem