Adding coolant..

You should never have to put in coolant in a pressurized system. If you're losing coolant, there's a problem.

 

So many things could be happening , from a simple cap not holding pressure causing the coolant to boil out, or a simple( PLASTIC!!) hose clamp or hose itself, or it could be something severe like an egr cooler leaking , to head gaskets .. The cooling system needs to be pressurized and maintain pressure to keep the boiling point up, this is why you see the psi on the cap, for every psi you gain XX temperature in boiling point ( don't remember the formula)

If it's a 2017 just use the warranty and take it to the dealer.

It's never "normal" to have to add coolant , be it a 2000 truck with 800,000 miles or a 2017 truck with 4,000 miles

 

Remove the oil pan and get a pressure pump that fits the radiator cap and pump it to like 15 psi and see if it comes out, might be as simple as the water pump. seen it before but that was on a few 1998 to 2004 cats, also is the engine oil getting a bit white or milky looking

 

Our yard has put on about 20 579's in the last three months. Every one of them has required coolant to be added. They're new trucks with air in the system. Fill it, keep detailed records of consumption , do a super thorough inspection for leaks.

 

There isn't a truck in the states that doesn't require coolant on a regular basis. It's VERY normal to have to add coolant occasionally.

Freightliner was shocked when i took my last FL in for oil change. And it went 100k miles before needing a top off. According to them. It should require a top off every 50k miles.

I was on the road for 6 years. drove Kw's, Pete's, and FL's. from 1996 to 2017. They all needed topping off when they lasted that long without coolant repairs of some sort. My 99 Pete dump truck i drove for 7 years also needed topping off. It only had 125k when i jumped in to her.

I didn't think it was normal either. But my last 2 trucks were new FL's. 13, and 17 model years.

 

First cold morning (below 30 degrees F) after it sat all night [off], chances are you'll see some red fluid on the ground somewhere. "Cold weather leaks" at various hose clamp areas are common on new vehicles and trucks. Be sure to check the coolant path back to the APU if you have one.

 

This is very bad info. Sounds like dealership kool-aid. Coolant is like power steering fluid, in that the levels should remain the same unless there's an external or internal leak of some kind. I mean, veteran drivers, correct me if I'm wrong

 

I fully agree with you hopeovermope. yes alot of trucks have tiny leaks that can add up over a long time but it's dumb to think that it's normal for antifreeze to just disappear like the truck is burning as fuel. there's only three possibilities, it's leaking out into the environment, the oil, or running through the engine and out the exhaust.

 

Coolant disappears. Aint nuttn anyone can do about it. Think how much it expands when you're climbing hills. Then contracts when you're going down. Think about the air pressure as it gets hotter. And colder. And as texan mentioned. Think about the contraction of the seals when things get REALLY cold. You're bound to find some pissing. Both FL's i drove had a habit of leaking at the def tank. In january.When shut down.

Coolant systems aren't sealed tight. They DO have a overflow at the cap or some place. Most of your coolant lost, probably happens climbing hills when fluid expands and air pressure builds up and gets higher. It's small and will take time before level drops are noticed. But imagine if there was no pressure release.

Every time both FL's got topped off from the mechanics. They were plum full. They had no room for expansion. I was waiting for something to blow up. I don't know about other trucks as to wether they had plastic see through reservoirs. The trucks i drove were older and didn't have them.