1997 Chevy k1500 Radiator question

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I was out driving around and when I got home, I noticed the smell of coolant. Found evidence under the hood and I believe I found the source. I’m attaching a picture out of a book with the location hilighted. My problem is I don’t have a heater hose there or a loose one anywhere I can find. My hoses come out of firewall and one goes to intake and the other to the water pump. It’s open to the radiator and you can shine a light and see it inside.

my truck has nothing there besides an outlet. No hose, no cap.....I don’t know what I’m looking at. Is there supposed to be something there?

Anyone have any ideas here?
 

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nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Yours doesn't have a small one (about 3/8" OD) that goes from under the cap area to a coolant recovery tank? I would look at the coolant recovery tank and see where the hose to it goes. I am suspecting you will find it is laying under it somewhere with the barb stuck in the end of it and broken off your radiator.

That larger one is your return from your heater core, depending on model, they route them to other places.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Yours doesn't have a small one (about 3/8" OD) that goes from under the cap area to a coolant recovery tank? I would look at the coolant recovery tank and see where the hose to it goes. I am suspecting you will find it is laying under it somewhere with the barb stuck in the end of it and broken off your radiator.

That larger one is your return from your heater core, depending on model, they route them to other places.

I do have a small hose from the bottom of cap to reservoir/overflow. That’s working fine. It’s all leaked into the radiator and fluid in radiator is right below where the heater hose in the picture goes. I don’t have a hose there. No hose/cap or anything. I’m wondering if a cap blew off. Fluid is coming out of the radiator there. My heater hoses route to the intake and to the water pump.
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Sounds like the seal on your tank is shot, pretty common on those crossflow radiators. Like I said it isn’t uncommon for the heater hoses to be routed like yours is.

Sounds like a pressure test is in order and most likely a new radiator. The good thing is they aren’t bad to change and as radiators go fairly economical.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Sounds like the seal on your tank is shot, pretty common on those crossflow radiators. Like I said it isn’t uncommon for the heater hoses to be routed like yours is.

Sounds like a pressure test is in order and most likely a new radiator. The good thing is they aren’t bad to change and as radiators go fairly economical.

I don’t understand when you say “seal on the tank”.

I know it won’t hold pressure. There is an open hole at the location that I hilighted. If it’s not important, I’ll find some kinda cap and hose clamp it on. That radiator is about two years old. I just didn’t know if something is supposed to be hooked up there or not.
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Ok, I misunderstood some of your post. If there is an open hole where you speak I am hoping it is a barb fitting. That would be in case your truck was plumbed to have the return from the core there. If in fact it has a barb there all you have to do is get a cap and clamp it off, it had one and blew off.

If it is a hole that is flush with the tank then check for threads and try to identify what they are and get a plug for it. If it doesn’t have threads I really don’t have any good suggestions.

Sorry I ran you around in a circle for a little while.
 

bigten

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
If the radiator has been replaced, it would have come with a heater hose nipple in that location and a rubber cap with a heater hose clamp to plug it off if not needed. Sounds like the clamp somehow got loose and the cap blew off... you can get a replacement at any parts house. Just make sure it's not broken instead. If broken, you'll need a radiator. Replacing the end tank would cost as much as a replacement unit..
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Take a photo of the "hole" below the radiator cap so folks can tell you if you need a new plug cap on the nipple or if your nipple broke clean off and you need a whole new radiator.
 

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
If there is a trans cooler built in and no auto trans or was not use there are 2 ports for the cooler. It lets trans fluid pass inside and back out. There are no caps needed if they are not used but if that tube inside gets a hole it will leak out.

Take a picture it would be best....
 

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
In the picture top is the vent hose, middle is heater hose bottom is one of the trans cooler ports.
If someone removed the heating unit most have the heater hose cap or pluged.
Our old truck when the heater started leaking we plugged them off.
Was tge heater system removed or modified?
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Take a photo of the "hole" below the radiator cap so folks can tell you if you need a new plug cap on the nipple or if your nipple broke clean off and you need a whole new radiator.

its gonna need a new cap. There’s nothing to show a break. It has a nipple olet with nothing on it. As it is now, it dumps fluid. Some kinda cap and a hose clamp.....should be fine.

now, hopefully there isn’t a reason it blew off....like a stuck thermostat or stopped hose. I replaced all of that stuff last summer when it sprung a hole in the original.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
its gonna need a new cap. There’s nothing to show a break. It has a nipple olet with nothing on it. As it is now, it dumps fluid. Some kinda cap and a hose clamp.....should be fine.

now, hopefully there isn’t a reason it blew off....like a stuck thermostat or stopped hose. I replaced all of that stuff last summer when it sprung a hole in the original.


Awesome. Glad ya got it figured out!
 

country

Ten Pointer
Here is picture from my 97 1500

Top hose goes to overflow reservoir. Second one is just a stub. I've had several leak due to aging
 

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