2010 SRT 6.1 Coolant Leak

Cool. So you understand patching holes in tubing. As a kid in high school I worked for a guy who had a refrigeration business in Johnson City, NY. Probably not far from where you’re at.

 

Yes, patched plenty of copper rub troughs with a little bit of brazing.

Johnson City is near Binghamton. I believe I was there once?

 

FYI it is not the outside that was the issue. That pipe is corroding from the inside. You would be better off to powder coat the thing inside and out, or get it zinc dipped.

I've seen one coolant tube that was rusted and nasty on the inside, but the outside was still painted and normal-looking.

 

Ok, the gaskets finally came in. Here they are:



The originals have these plastic push-in fasteners that I thought the new ones would have, too, but they didn't. You need them to hold the gaskets in place while you set the manifold back on top of the engine. Other than that, I can't see where they are structural at all, so I got them out of the old gaskets and re-used them. They're hard to get out without distorting them, but with a plastic trim fork and a pair of wire cutters, used gently, I managed to get them out in a condition where I could still use them.



Here's why you want new gaskets, this one is already starting to show signs of age.



Here's the manifold with the new gaskets in place:



This thing mounts to the stud that holds the rearmost bracket of the heater pipe. I had no clue what it is, but a search on the part number showed that it's a capacitor for the ignition system. Ok. Just make sure ya put it back where it belongs...



@Moparisto, you made a good point that the pipe could be corroded on the inside and ready to fall apart. I have the endoscope, and tried to run it down through, but there's a tight right angle bend on each end and the camera wouldn't go past it. So I checked it as best I could, and it seems to still be solid. I guess we'll see if it lasts. Here's the pipe re-installed...



This stuff is really helpful for getting the rubber hoses back over their metal fittings. Just a really light amount makes re-assembly way easier...



Here it is with the manifold back on. Somewhere in the 8000 page service manual .pdf file that I got a while back from a link on this very site, was a spec on the torque value for the 10 little bolts that hold the manifold. (I think it was page 3663 or 3814...) Anyhow, the spec is 105 in-lbs. That's not a lot of torque, but remember, it only has to seal against vacuum pressure which tops out at 14.7 lbs/sqin at sea level (where I live). The days of "sock 'er down real tight, sonny, so she don't leak" are over. You really need to follow the spec, because overtightening will probably cause it to leak.



Anyway, it's all back together, and looks like the coolant leak is gone. Hear the happy sounds...



As always, hope this helps someone tackle their own fixes.
Rick

 

Smooth running too, can hardly see engine movement.