X15 coolant loss

[MA Arborist]

Anybody here with a Cummins x15 experience this?

There are no visible leaks

There is a coolant smell coming from the truck but only when running the crane and under load.

Coolant reservoir is down about a gallon after 30 or so hours of use

I’ve already googled the hell out of this topic but I’d appreciate if anyone has had experience with this issue

 

[Treetopflyer]

Anybody here with a Cummins x15 experience this?

There are no visible leaks

There is a coolant smell coming from the truck but only when running the crane and under load.

Coolant reservoir is down about a gallon after 30 or so hours of use

I’ve already googled the hell out of this topic but I’d appreciate if anyone has had experience with this issue

Is it possible that your overflow tank is leaking a small drip that runs down and burns off on the exhaust? That’s what happened to my old ISM Cummins. It’s mounted high in the year on my cabover so probably different mounting location ! I’m sure you’ve already examined all this on yours ! Just spitballing

 

[VenasNursery]

Anybody here with a Cummins x15 experience this?

There are no visible leaks

There is a coolant smell coming from the truck but only when running the crane and under load.

Coolant reservoir is down about a gallon after 30 or so hours of use

I’ve already googled the hell out of this topic but I’d appreciate if anyone has had experience with this issue

I have a buddy with a rv with that engine and his rings went bad at 33k miles and 6 months out of warranty
In frame rebuild was $42k and Cummins only helped out with the repair I think it cost him $33k

I hope the best for you
Hopefully whatever it is is covered under warranty

 

[Reach]

Not that particular engine, but I have seen head gasket failures cause similar symptoms. If you can check the pressure of the overflow bottle, that might tell you. Sometimes if it is a head gasket you will get more pressure in the bottle than you should, or you'll see tiny bubbles coming up from the tube on the bottom of the tank. If it is overpressurizing the tank, you might see a little bit of coolant residue around the pressure tank cap where it is venting the excess gas.

You could also check the crankcase vent tube to see if there's any hint of coolant or coolant smell at the end of it, if it is a bad head gasket you might see a little hint of coolant residue or be able to smell it coming out of the vent tube.