Coolant Drip Fix

$2 Dollars - 15 Minutes - And No More Dripping Coolant When You Hit A Speedbump

Original Writeup By THURENfab.

I can't stand the lame coolant reservoir on these trucks. I don't know if they changed the design, but here's what I did on my 04.5...

What do they pay these engineers? I hope it's not much over minimum wage.. You GOTTA' put a bit more design time into the coolant overflow tank, as it's a bit more important than copying a washer fluid tank!!!

So the problem..... Everytime the truck bounces around a bit, I get a good stream of antifreeze/coolant running down the frame and suspension. The reservoir is basically a huge open tank, with a flimsy cap, and no interior baffle blocking the oversize, funnel shaped vent...

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So here's what I did..


Grab a 1' section of standard 1" ID heater hose. It should have an approximate 1-3/8" outside diameter..

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Cut a small wedge shape at the tip so in can restrict, but not block all flow at the bottom when shoved in the tank..

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Shove the hose down in the tank, and look through the center making sure the hose is touching the bottom of the top portion.. About 3-4 inches down..

Now, draw a line around the top, and make an alignment mark/arrow where the existing vent is now...

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Measure down and cut a 1/4" x 1/4" vent hole to line up with the vent hole in your tank..

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Grab a small self tapping screw and a small drill bit. I wrapped the bit in masking tape and worked it through the tank by hand as it's soft thin plastic..


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Drill through tank. Reference location in the next pics...

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Slide hose back down in tank, make sure the cut vent hole lines up with the tank vent, and screw in the screw. Once in, cut the hose flush with the top of the tank...

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Top view... You can see the hose touches the bottom, but doesn't block the flow..

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Snap flimsy cheap lid back on and go!!!!

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What this will do is still allow you to fill/top off the tank, but the huge amount of splash will have a near impossible time getting up the new hose and out the smaller vent..

When you get the hose, make sure it fits tight in the neck as it will also prevent the loose fitting cap from leaking too..

--Iker42 18:10, 19 July 2007 (EDT)