coolant issue

[4d4life]

my 88 2.9l is using alot of coolant i cant find any leaks or any coolant in the oil. any ideas?

[Mud Addict]

Got any smoke comig out the tailpipe?

[4d4life]

just the usual amount when its cold out thats whats really weird. it is cold here so im using the heater could some of it be sitting in the heater core because what coolant does disapear isnt much

[kirkland2887]

the heater core should always be full of coolant or the heater won't work. can you smell coolant in the cab? can you see any residue under the heater core? have you pressure tested the system? how much smoke out the tailpipe is the usuall amount?

[4d4life]

just a small stream of smoke comes out during really cold starts but goes away after warming up. no havnt preasure tested it havnt had time hopefully will get around to it soon

[Icepicker]

I had the same problem, (or similar to yours) loosing coolant, topping up the reseviour and rad once a week. Found out I had a pinhole leak in my heater core, and that the hoses were also a contributing factor to the problem. My solution was to replace the heater core, ($36 LMC Trucks) new coolant/heater lines, and I also replaced the thermostat, don't forget to put in new coolant, unless you can recycle your old fluid (strained through 3-4 layers cheese cloth or equivalent.)