Over heating. Coolant is leaking out of coolant bottle. 2004…

Okay. And it appears you have had a lot of work on the cooling system done. How long does it take for the coolant in the reservoir to overflow?

Does this vehicle have a diesel engine?

Have you replaced the cooling fan?

Is it a fan clutch or electric fan?

It sounds like that is what the problem is. Not enough air getting across the radiator when you drive. I would also make sure the air conditioning condensor that is in front of the radiator is not covered with something (paper sack, plastic bag, dead bird, etc.) Look behind the grille.

I don't understand. Spark plugs can't smoke. Maybe something is leaking on them that is burning on the exhaust manifold, like engine oil from the valve cover, but the plugs can't smoke. They are made of steel and porcelain.

After you remove the plugs, you see smoke coming from the holes?

So when do you see the smoke, and under what conditions?

And where is the smoke coming from?

Do you see the smoke while the engine is running, or after you shut it off?

Do you have a cooling system pressure tester?

Okay. You will need to do a complete cooling system diagnosis. You will need to pressure test the cooling system to see if it leaking. You will need to remove the spark plugs during the pressure test to see if coolant is leaking into the combustion chambers. And you will need to test the fan clutch and water pump for proper operation.

You will need a cooling system pressure tester and the proper radiator cap adapter. You should also test the radiator cap while you are at it. To test the fan clutch you will try to spin the fan when the engine is cold and not running. It should be relatively easy to spin. Then you will start the truck and let it run until it reaches operating temperature on the gauge. Shut it off and try to spin the fan. It should be a lot harder to spin. If it spins easy, it needs to be replaced. To test the water pump, you will need to make sure the radiator is full with the engine cold and the radiator cap is off. Then start the truck and let it idle, watching the coolant in the radiator. As it heats up it will want to bubble over, so have a drain pan underneath to catch the coolant. Keep watching until you see the coolant start to flow inside the radiator. If it never begins to flow, the water pump is bad.

Yes, you can.

Sounds like a plan.

Then you will need to get an adapter for the reservoir and the reservoir cap.

You won't be able to. Just check the fan for now. If every other thing checks out, then the only thing you will have left is the water pump.

When the engine is cold, yes. When the engine is hot, no. It will not freewheel at all, but it will not be hard to turn when it is cold, but harder to turn when it is hot.

You can replace just one if you want.

You should never reuse any gasket. It will not seal correctly if you do, and you will have a leak.

And intake. You will have to pull the intake manifold to replace the head gasket.

It might. It might not. I don't put much faith in them. I have found the pressure tester to be a better tool. Pump the cooling system up to 16 psi, pull the spark plugs and wait. If the head gasket is leaking, the combustion chambers will fill with coolant very quickly. You can also check the condition of the engine oil. Sometimes when a head gasket leaks, coolant is allowed to go into the crankcase and the oil will look like chocolate milk.

Then run the tests and see what happens. Don't forget about the front of the condenser.

Okay.

Okay. Then you are down to the fan clutch. I am going to look something up about the fan clutch, to see if it is electrically controlled or not. Please stand by.

Okay. I found a diagnostic procedure for the fan clutch. I am sending that to you in a few minutes. Please follow it exactly.

Here are the diagnostic flow charts for the fan clutch. There are two sheets. If you have never used flow charts before it is quite simple. Answer the first question yes or no. That answer will take you to the next step. Depending on your answer you may take the steps in sequence or not. Do not follow the steps in sequence all the way through or you will not properly diagnose this issue. I hope this helps.

Replace those hoses and the clamps.

If it's leaking out of the weep hole, then yes, replace it.

Use your pressure tester and put about 7 psi in the system and watch the weep hole. If the seal is leaking, you should see water start to drip out.

Try using a small mirror. That's why you see most mechanics with a small pocket mirror on an expandable handle. It works great for looking into areas you can't get your head into.

You can buy the inspection mirrors at any auto parts store like NAPA, AutoZone, Pep Boys, or O'Rielly's. The first thing you need to do though, is fix the problem with the hoses before you will be able to tell if the water pump is leaking.

That means you have a problem with the hoses or the clamps. Replace them both.

No, I don't. You'll just have to shop around at the auto parts stores in your area.

Sounds like you may have a blown head gasket or a crack in the head or block. Overheating an engine will cause that, especially if you overheat it multiple times.

Pull the spark plugs and look at them. Whichever plug looks very clean with a white residue, that's the cylinder that is burning coolant.