Would you rebuild?....

if you really feel that is the way it is built then I say listen to your gut on this one

 

Only 700,00 and needs to be opened up already ? That truck sounds like it has been rode hard and put up wet.
Sounds to me like you are looking for an excuse to get rid of it, so I vote trade it off.

But I am not a fan of trading trucks just to be trading for newer. This new stuff is junk to me.

 

Maybe just heat exchanger leak?

Take to good shop to check.

 

could be a egr cooler (if it has one) with that few of miles on it and the oil samples being clean. I would just trade it off if not happy with it, Sounds like it still has life to live.

 

Not an EGR cooler on a CAT but might be something minor like radiator. Do you run ELC? It leaves tell tale stains. If you smell it you ought to be able to find it. Crawl around with a light and look. How long have you had it? If I thought of the truck as throw away i'd get rid of it. I think you have something not so seriously wrong that can easily be fixed if it's otherwise a decent, dependable truck makes no sense to trade.

 

Take stock of its efficiency, especially fuel mileage. Idle time, oil change intervals, type/grade of oil used, overheats, existing/past modifications and general P.M. work make a huge difference on any engine. I'm a Detroit guy but they all respond to proper maintenance the same. If you can smell the coolant but not see a pool/spot under the truck, white dissipating fog out the exhaust upon start-up or detectable glycol/sodium/potassium in oil anylasis, I would bet you have a weeping or cracked coolant hose/radiator. If the truck has an APU in the coolant loop, don't forget to check that too. Whether 1/2 gal every three weeks is a lot depends on miles/idle time. My 14L S60 just cracked 1Mil and over her life, she has occasionally lost that amount in shorter time for various reasons not related to internal engine failings and several times I went nuts trying to find the leak, only to find it once the hose or pipe blew. Keep your engine as clean or cleaner than the body and look very close at all external parts associated with the cooling system.

Should you keep her? That all depends on what you are willing to reinvest in her.

 

If you think of the rig as a "throw away", it's likely you haven't maintained it as well as you could or should have. Are you wanting to rebuild it into something you're proud enough of to maintain? If you trade, will you think of your next rig as a "throw away"? Just some thoughts to ponder, you could make either way work for you, or either way could bankrupt you, just depends on how you run your business and what luck has in store.

 

I don't quite get why you'd buy a truck you consider a throwaway, Reefer. But, if it's not burning oil and runs OK, like rollin coal and some other responders say, it's probably going to make money for you for a while yet to come. And, like rollin and c-walsh mention, if you can smell it, you should be able to find it. My Columbia (I don't consider it a "throw-away" truck at all, it works hard and has been making money for me reliably) had a fluid decrease I couldn't find, so I took it to the Joplin FTLR shop for professional help. Winter was coming and I didn't want a serious problem (shut down on roadside) in January at Fargo/Billings/Des Moines). They found a pinhold leak in my radiator, the radiator had corroded. It cost me a few bucks, but it's a lot better to be done with that leak issue. What about taking it to a good shop (I've found 3 so far, Salina, KS, Joplin, MO, and Birmingham, AR) and get it looked at before making any decisions. Like your friend rollin coal says, very much truth, is that a dependable truck is hard to find, and difficult to replace. Jbatmick says new trucks aren't good? He's right. Those emissions systems are not very well evolved yet, and many new trucks just aren't dependable. That, and the global community of parts makers, add up to plenty of shop time while time goes by, you're not running miles, and the bills don't stop because your truck needs more love. Some really helpful, informed replies in here, Reefer.