When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I wonder if the LS2 is the same way. I was driving around today in the GTO when I suddenly got an audible alarm and a graphic on the dash showing the engine temp was high. The gauge was just swinging over to the H in the red. I immediately pulled over and the dipstick was bone dry. I haven't checked it in the last month, but it was full the last time I did. I paid $8 for a couple bottles of water from the strip-mall Papa John's and made it home okay. I'll be investigating tomorrow.
Meanwhile my antique Maxima that just hit 292k miles hasn't required a drop of any kind of fluid since the last oil change in April.
Any smoke? If you have a head gasket issue, coolant could be leaking in slowly into the combustion chamber. It would show up in the exhaust and you'd smell it.
No smoke but I will check again. At what point would it start smoking - on startup or continuous driving?
I did have this problem before and ran a pressure test. That's why we replaced the WP. Im hoping I missed something and there's a hairline crack or hole in the radiator hoses .
ACDelco 252-846 Professional Water Pump
ACDelco 12R10S Professional 18 P.S.I. Safe Release Radiator Cap
Those were the parts. Less than 2 months old.
ANy radiator cap you recommend?
Ill check the bolts again and make sure they are tightened on the water pump - like mentioned above.
If you're only losing a cup every few days you probably won't see any smoke on start up...it has to be a good amount of coolant to be able to see it out the exhaust.
One thing though...if you have coolant leaking into a cylinder through a breach in the head gasket....then you also have to have exhaust toxins in the coolant. The psi in a comustion chamber is thousands of times greater than the 18psi the coolant system has, so it will win the battle and push exhaust into the cooling system. So you can also do a coolant check to see if exhaust toxins are in the coolant. If it is....then a gasket is bad.
And if you do a coolant system pressure test...WARNING....I suggest you remove all 8 spark plugs so in case coolant is leaking into a cylinder.....the coolant has a way to get out. If you fill a cylinder than start the engine with coolant sitting in a cylinder you will break/bend a rod, then the engine must come out for a rebuild.
I don't think you have the right cap. Do you still have the old one? If so, can you put it on and see if it solves the issue? It should look like this:
The stock caps let pressure escape and also prevent a vacuum from building up when the coolant contracts and cools down. I'm wondering if your current cap is letting fluid expand in to the expansion tank but is not letting it siphon back when things cool down? Another symptom of this would be that your overflow tank would be overflowing or very full.
I don't know about that cap you purchased, but if it allows the siphon to work, you should be fine. Not all caps of that style do.
A simple pressure test would prove if this is true or not.
The other ways this can happen are a bad siphon or a bad water pump.
Yea man....if the water pump is leaking through the weep hole, it may just be a very small leak. He wouldn't see any evidence of it when he looked but it could be leaking while driving.
I was told by an engine builder a long time ago, Machedo Motorsports in Orlando, that if the gasket leak is extremely small and tight a coolant system pressure test may not show a leadown of pressure at 18psi or maybe not even 20psi.
But if that tiny leak is there....the compression from the air/fuel explosion will certainly push combustion fumes through that tiny leak and into the coolant system.
So...do a coolant toxins test to see if there is any exhaust gasses present in the coolant.
That will tell you 100% for sure if you have even the smallest gasket leak.
I say.....go drive the car with a topped off radiator. After the engine is up to operation temp or better yet, a little hotter than normal. Drive it home and immediately put the front end up on ramps.
Then immediately get under the car with a flashlight and check everywhere for a fresh leak or steam escaping somewhere.
THEN....walk away and come back in 20 minutes. The engine and coolant temps will rise for a good hour before they actually start to drop because of heat soaking of the metal block and no cooling taking place or airflow from driving.
Then....look again for leaks or steam or drips.
Yea man....if the water pump is leaking through the weep hole, it may just be a very small leak. He wouldn't see any evidence of it when he looked but it could be leaking while driving.
That's how I got this problem. If this is a reman pump, I'd be on the lookout for this.
I had a steady leak for a few years without any obvious leaks except if I revved it hard sometimes a very small wisp of white smoke came out the exhaust. I added half a container of Bars Leak gold dust from Walmart and it stopped using antifreeze. That was over 3 years ago.
So, I ended up finding a crack in the radiator. It was about 3 inches below the radiator cap.
No idea how I didnt see this after searching numerous times.
Some great recommendations in this thread - I definitely appreciate the feedback
So, I ended up finding a crack in the radiator. It was about 3 inches below the radiator cap.
No idea how I didnt see this after searching numerous times.
Some great recommendations in this thread - I definitely appreciate the feedback
11-05-2016, 08:21 PM
Coolant disappearing....no leaks found 
