99 F150 uses coolant, no leaks, steam in exhaust, 100% head gasket?
10

Asked by Mike Feb 11, 2019 at 07:26 PM about the 1999 Ford F-150 Work SB

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My neighbor has a 99 F150 V6 with 180k on it. He said it uses a half a gallon of coolant every weel to two weeks and runs warmer than it used to on the highway. It got a new radiator 6 mo's ago, but this problem just started happening in the last week or so. There are no coolant leaks anywhere, and he sees steam coming out of the exhaust pipe long after the engine has warmed up, using the passenger side rear view mirror. Is this 100% caused by the head gasket? The oil doesn't show any emulsified water.
I can't think of any other explanation, but I don't want to tell him the wrong thing. He already had a guy say it is the water pump and ask for $150 to replace it, which I advised against.
(I selected Work SB but am not sure what model this is)

4 Answers

F_O_R answered 5 years ago

I don't think there is any possible way the water pump can cause water to enter the combustion chambers. I would try a compression test next.

Mark helpful
10

Mike answered 5 years ago

Thanks F_O_R, I'll recommend that to him. Will the standard compression test work or does he need a top-down compression test?

Mark helpful

F_O_R answered 5 years ago

I would not waste much money on a 20 year old truck. I would either buy another truck or swap in another 6.

Mark helpful

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