Yellow fluid Leaking and Squealing from driver side fender area?

6.0YOUNEVERKNOW

MEMBER
1999 FORD F-350
6.0L
V8
TURBO
4WD
AUTOMATIC
169,454 MILES

I have a 2007 f350 6.0 outlaw.
Recently I was in a school circle picking up my sister and this grinding noise started. (Video will be attached of the very second it happened)
So, I drove it home and no noise but when I popped the hood, I noticed little hoses were damp. Figured it was my coolant cap because I leave it ever so slightly unscrewed for pressure to release so I have a less chance of blowing a head gasket. May think it's stupid but it works for my 6.0. No oil in coolant and no blown heads just small drips of overflow.
So, I cleaned off the hoses and brake lines on the master cylinder and drove the next day. The noise went from grinding/creaking to an occasional squeak here and there while driving so I stopped and looked under hood again to find every hose wet that has to do with brake lines and coolant lines.

Cleaned them off and same thing next time I drove everything soaked. The fluid is a light yellow. Coolant and brake fluid, right? Well feels too oily to be coolant, and has no smell whatsoever like its water.

I was told it was my brake booster.

And then I took it to another shop.
They said they think it's my coolant Y pipe connecting to my coolant reservoir. I will say coolant level dropping but doesn't drop below a certain point, but it's always done that, and truck doesn't get hot or overheat ever!

The next shop was telling me it was one of my pumps screaming for help and it probably put to much stress on a hose and cracked one somewhere which is causing a pressurized leak hence fluid everywhere and squeaking every 30ft of road while driving. I'm probably missing a lot but I'm making this post while I am working as this morning it was puking fluid everywhere. I have checked all reservoir none are low except coolant but again it's always leaked and stayed at a certain level.

2 Replies

6.0YOUNEVERKNOW

MEMBER
5 POSTS

Will have better videos taken when I get home.

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Tuesday, February 21st, 2023 AT 5:27 AM

BRENDON S

MECHANIC
653 POSTS

Hello,

Can you see how high the leak is coming from? Your fan attaches to a bell like pulley, right behind that is your water pump (I will add a picture for you).

There is an O-ring that seals it, and it is very thin. It seems to me the pump or the O-ring has failed.

The fan is attached directly to the water pump. Usually fans only work under about 40 MPH. After that there is enough air moving through the radiator to cool the engine.

So, it's possible you didn't hear it on the way home because you were above or around that speed putting less strain on the defective pump. But that's a nasty sound I personally wouldn't drive it.

Ford uses a yellow coolant so the yellow fluid would make sense.

Let's see where the leak is coming from.

First: Go to your local parts store and rent a "Coolant Pressure Tester" or you can buy one at Harbor Freight as well. Also grab some brake clean maybe 4 cans and plenty of rags if you don't have any. Grab some coolant while you are there as well. Make sure it is equivalent to the yellow for stuff. If they sell Motorcraft I would just buy that. You don't want to be mixing coolants.

Second: When you get home let the truck cool down and use the brake cleaner and rags to clean all the coolant off the motor and other surfaces and let it dry.

Third: Top off the coolant squeezing the hoses to get the air out of the system. Then using the adapter in the kit, attach the pressure tester to the adapter, then to the where the radiator cap goes. (You may not need an adapter) Make sure you get a good seal.

*If there is an overflow house make sure to use some hose pliers or locking pliers and a rag to pinch the house closed so the pressure won't leak out the system. *

(I have added a picture of the hose pliers I use myself)

Fourth: Make sure you have a really good flashlight and pump the tester to about 15psi. The hoses should be tight. Check your radiator cap for your system's rated pressure and go by that. Usually, it is between 13-15 PSI.

Fifth: Starting from the top of the motor looking up from the bottom, see if you can see coolant starting to leak. Look particularly at the bottom of the water pump area (center top). Also check all hoses, and their connections.

Let me know what you see. Also be patient as it might take a bit to start leaking.

I have added images of the tester as well as a link to a video on pressure testing:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/radiator-pressure-test

Let me know what you find, and we can go from there.

Thank you,
Brendon

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