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Coolant system question

3K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  ASTE25 
#1 ·
Hey. I've had my '99 Silverado for about 5 months now. My engine light has been on since i got the truck, and have traced to code to a PO420 (http://www.obd-codes.com/p0420). Which is mostly related to the catalytic converter system. I haven't experienced any problems. Only that the engine reads that it's running a little cool (87celsius). The other day the 'Low Coolant' light came on for the first time. It was about 1/4" low at most, so I topped it up. Today the light came back on and it was about an inch low. There are no leaks and I don't smell anything out of the ordinary, so I suspect there may have been air in the system, only because this hasn't happened before. I'm going to take it for another drive to see if it drops again.

I guess I don't really have a specific question about this, just maybe some opinions on what I'm looking at and what major problems could be awaiting if I don't sort this out sooner than later. I live in an area where the emissions laws are pretty lax, so if failing an emission test is my only concern, I won't panic,otherwise, any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
#4 ·
I'd say you have a coolant leak somewhere. The cooling systems on these trucks are closed, so, there should be no loss of coolant. Have the cooling system pressure tested for leaks. Now, as for the code you are getting, it may or may not be related to the coolant loss. If coolant is getting into the combustion chamber/exhaust, I guess it may be able to cause that code to show up if it damages an o2 sensor of the converters.
 
#7 ·
The coolant level hasn't dropped again since then. At one point yesterday while i was climbing a long hill, the temp actually went up to the middle range, my heater was off. after the road leveled off, the temp went back down to its usual 87c.
 
#8 ·
I just noticed your's is a 4.3 liter. Those engines are notorious for developing an intake gasket leak. If you still have problems, I'd suspect they are bad. Felpro makes a great updated gasket for them that are made of metal/rubber VS the factory's plastic/rubber configuration.
 
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