Question regarding loss of coolant on my Turbo car...
11-12-2008, 05:23 PM
#1
Question regarding loss of coolant on my Turbo car... I'm one of those guys that checks his fluid levels at least 3 times a week out of habit. My coolant (Glycol/Green stuff) has been perfect for months but about 3 days ago, I found it to be low by about a cups worth of coolant. "Wth?" thought I. I looked under the car. No pools or drips. No telltale scent of evaporated coolant. All hoses free of drips. I checked the overflow. Hmmm.. odd. It's perfect at the level for a cold motor. It didn't run hot the prior evening on the 20 mile trip home. The car runs great. There's no coolant in my oil and no oil in my coolant. I took some clean paper towels and wiped around the steam pipe on the back of the heads. Nothing indicative there either. The temp on the 20 mile drive to work and from work never gets over the 1/4 mark. Each time, before I drive it to/from work, I fill up the radiator with about another cup of coolant. By the time I get to my destination, that much is gone. I've also checked the heater core. No leak there either. I pulled the plugs and they look fine. I just read a couple of quick tests and I'll try those here in a few minutes.
You guys have any ideas?
Thanks!
You guys have any ideas?
Thanks!
11-12-2008, 06:19 PM
#2
Hmm can it be blown out the exhaust but not get into the oil or the coolant..?
My dud turbo put tons of coolant into my oilpan and I mean within minutes . Was so luck to catch it. Must have internal cracks. Yours sounds pretty minor but it must be going somewhere I would think.
My dud turbo put tons of coolant into my oilpan and I mean within minutes . Was so luck to catch it. Must have internal cracks. Yours sounds pretty minor but it must be going somewhere I would think.
11-12-2008, 07:01 PM
#3
Yeah. It's baffling. I just got her in the air on jackstands, rolled under the car on the creeper and looked at every surface, hose, coupler and the ground. Not one drop or discoloration indicating coolant. I then started it up and smelled the exhaust, checking for coolant but there's no scent of coolant nor steam coming out.
11-13-2008, 06:23 PM
#6
Stopped by AutoZone on the way home. Tested it after I let it cool down a bit. Pumped up the pressure to 18psi (that's what's on the radiator cap) with the kits pump. It held steady. Per instructions in the kit. I kept it on the radiator and cranked the car up. It says to let it get up to pressure then, watch for the needle to bounce around, indicating cylinder pressure is affecting it. Nope. I even drummed the throttle several times to see if that would show up. Nope. Now here's something even more strange.... Last night, I left the radiator cap off and topped it up complete covering the neck of the radiator. I went to bed. When I got up and went to the garage to check, I'll be damned if the coolant wasn't down that 'cup' of fluid again! Without even running! I looked under the car. Nothing (phock!). I said a prayer and cranked the car (fearing hydrolock if it actually was getting into the cylinders.) She cranked right up. I drove it to/from work and it's running great as usual. What is it???
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11-13-2008, 10:12 PM
#11
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I would try letting it go for a few days and seeing if the level continues to drop. I think you might just be pushing some water into the recovery tank and the radiator is finding it's own level.
11-14-2008, 09:01 AM
#12
Yes.
Oil: Perfect level, unchanging. No 'Milkshake' in the oil
Coolant: dropping level but no oil in it, no bubbles from blown head gasket.
Radiator: Pressure tested and passed 18 psi test
Heater core: Not leaking inside the car as you would expect.
Puddles under the car: no
Overflow tank: Rock stead at the cold mark.
Temperature of motor on drive to/from work in Houston: 1st quarter mark.
Spark plugs: clean
Performance: runs perfect
Smell of coolant in the engine compartment: No
Steam coming out of exhaust: No
Smell of coolant at tailpipe: No
Underside of oil cap: Perfectly clean.
If I heard someone saying all this, knowing what I know about coolant systems, I'd think "the guy is either lying/making this up". All those concurrent conditions can't occur.
Oil: Perfect level, unchanging. No 'Milkshake' in the oil
Coolant: dropping level but no oil in it, no bubbles from blown head gasket.
Radiator: Pressure tested and passed 18 psi test
Heater core: Not leaking inside the car as you would expect.
Puddles under the car: no
Overflow tank: Rock stead at the cold mark.
Temperature of motor on drive to/from work in Houston: 1st quarter mark.
Spark plugs: clean
Performance: runs perfect
Smell of coolant in the engine compartment: No
Steam coming out of exhaust: No
Smell of coolant at tailpipe: No
Underside of oil cap: Perfectly clean.
If I heard someone saying all this, knowing what I know about coolant systems, I'd think "the guy is either lying/making this up". All those concurrent conditions can't occur.
11-14-2008, 09:56 AM
#13
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It's baffling but those are all good signs. I had a similiar problem on my suburban I was told as long as the level stays near the top and your not having to add water to the recovery tank that it was normal. My brother who owns a shop said that there are coolant systems that produce their own air gaps as part of the siphoning process.
I ran your scenero past him and he was more interested in that your car never gets past 1/4 on the gauge on your drive. He said the first thing he would do is address that issue, he feels thats the car needs to be running at 180 to 210 in the fall and winter for the cooling system to work as designed. He wonders if your coolant issue appeared because of the cooler fall temps.
I ran your scenero past him and he was more interested in that your car never gets past 1/4 on the gauge on your drive. He said the first thing he would do is address that issue, he feels thats the car needs to be running at 180 to 210 in the fall and winter for the cooling system to work as designed. He wonders if your coolant issue appeared because of the cooler fall temps.
11-14-2008, 10:20 AM
#14
Thanks Mike. I should add that the car has ran that cool (Quarter mark) since I put the 160 thermostat in, reprogrammed the fans to come on at 150 degrees and put in the Meziere Electric waterpump and that was some 7 years ago.
Over the span of this problem (5 or 7 days or so now?) I've added about 1/2 gallon of coolant.
Over the span of this problem (5 or 7 days or so now?) I've added about 1/2 gallon of coolant.
It's baffling but those are all good signs. I had a similiar problem on my suburban I was told as long as the level stays near the top and your not having to add water to the recovery tank that it was normal. My brother who owns a shop said that there are coolant systems that produce their own air gaps as part of the siphoning process.
I ran your scenero past him and he was more interested in that your car never gets past 1/4 on the gauge on your drive. He said the first thing he would do is address that issue, he feels thats the car needs to be running at 180 to 210 in the fall and winter for the cooling system to work as designed. He wonders if your coolant issue appeared because of the cooler fall temps.
I ran your scenero past him and he was more interested in that your car never gets past 1/4 on the gauge on your drive. He said the first thing he would do is address that issue, he feels thats the car needs to be running at 180 to 210 in the fall and winter for the cooling system to work as designed. He wonders if your coolant issue appeared because of the cooler fall temps.
11-14-2008, 10:29 AM
#15
I have ran a 160 stat in my cars both 96z and the 99 ta for years also .Never seen any coolant go down from that. Thats bs. Yours makes no sense. Where is it going. Usually it has to go into the oil. But you said they oil was fine or out the back but you said no white smoke out the back? Or leak out the rad, a coolant hose with even pinhole leak.somewhere.Be interesting when you figure it out.
11-14-2008, 10:47 AM
#16
Interesting for sure. I've never seen anything like this. I keep thinking "Is it just pooling in the AC/Heater box? Nah.. that things not water tight" and "Maybe it's draining into a cylinder or two...Nah.. if it did that, then *some* of it would get down in the oil or worse, hydrolock the motor" and even, "Maybe it's a crack in the cylinder head that goes right into an exhaust port... Nah.. if it did that, then I'd see steam or raw coolant coming out the exhaust.."....
I think the next step is to buy a good quality 'stop leak' and try that.
I think the next step is to buy a good quality 'stop leak' and try that.
I have ran a 160 stat in my cars both 96z and the 99 ta for years also .Never seen any coolant go down from that. Thats bs. Yours makes no sense. Where is it going. Usually it has to go into the oil. But you said they oil was fine or out the back but you said no white smoke out the back? Or leak out the rad, a coolant hose with even pinhole leak.somewhere.Be interesting when you figure it out.
11-17-2008, 07:24 PM
#17
Bingo (I think)
Update: Well, I think it's doing what you guys call "Pushing Water". I've caught it overfilling the overflow with coolant. I suppose the coolant going down over night is just the coolant finding voids in the heads and elsewhere as it sits overnight. If I put coolant up to the neck of the radiator and just ease around when driving, it barely goes down at all. But if I get into boost (A superbike thinks he's king, what can you do but correct this misperception?
) then I can see traces of coolant around the cap on the overflow when I stop and the 'cup' of coolant is missing from the radiator. I guess this means that cylinder pressure is pushing past the gasket into the waterjacket but not to the extent it runs hot or the coolant gets into the combustion chamber. I'll put on some new head gaskets soon, perhaps this weekend.
Update: Well, I think it's doing what you guys call "Pushing Water". I've caught it overfilling the overflow with coolant. I suppose the coolant going down over night is just the coolant finding voids in the heads and elsewhere as it sits overnight. If I put coolant up to the neck of the radiator and just ease around when driving, it barely goes down at all. But if I get into boost (A superbike thinks he's king, what can you do but correct this misperception?
) then I can see traces of coolant around the cap on the overflow when I stop and the 'cup' of coolant is missing from the radiator. I guess this means that cylinder pressure is pushing past the gasket into the waterjacket but not to the extent it runs hot or the coolant gets into the combustion chamber. I'll put on some new head gaskets soon, perhaps this weekend.