Alright this is my first thread at yotatech, my 86 pickup is having an issue with running through radiator fluid, past 2 weeks it would use about half a jug every 2 days , then I put one of those stop leaks in it and now it's only a fraction of the amount, but still enough to bother me somewhat. My pa says he can hear the tappets a bit but I can't, ( blew my hearing out in the service), any help would be awesome, wondering what my next course of action should be? Also found some caked on fluid on the right side of the engine next to exhaust and oil dipstick....maybe a leak near there

 

You need to figure out just where it is going.

Pressure test and look for leaks

Are you getting the white smoke at all??

Had it over heated before this happened??

All vehicle directions are given from the drivers seat like your driving

 

How is your Timing Chain? It can wear hole in the Timing Chain Cover and let water into the motor. Check your dipstick and see what your oil looks like. Adding a sealant like you did only puts a bandaid on the problem and will eventually come back worse then what it was before.

Run a compression check and see what your numbers are. You can check your plugs and see if one is really clean. Could be a head gasket leak. Any steam out the exhaust?

 

What terry said.

 

When it first happened it , overheated and the temp needle went pretty darn close to the red , so I pulled over and my overflow was empty and when I checked the radiator , it didn't have any in the area above the grooves ( poured half a jug into it b4 it finally showed it was in the grooved area/filled up , the leak ( as previously mentioned is just 2 inches ish below the spark plug and just above where the oil dipstick hole is), I need to talk to my mechanic buddy about checking the timing and all, I don't have a torquer wrench and I'll ask him about a compression check, and I didn't see anything out of the ordinary with my exhaust....

 

Btw I have pictures but it doesn't seem to let me upload them