wph351

iTrader: (3)

Was able to get the car out and drive for a bit today. Two 30 minute jaunts a few hours in between. The coolant level dropped slightly. Im not sure if its beause i didnt have the system bled properly or if its losing coolant.
I do have steam coming out of the tail pipes. Its not conistent steam, it seams to fluctuate in volume but definitely increases with rpm.
It will drop some water out of the tail pipes after a rev. It doesn't seem to be antifreeze though. Feels like water between the finger and doesnt have a smell.

Normally I would automatically think head gasket, but the cat back system that's on the car sat behind my garage for a year exposed to the elements. Maybe it has water in the muffler?
I suppose the next move is to top up the radiator and run it some more and see what happens.

SheepDog209

iTrader: (2)

Condensation from the exhaust is normal. Some mufflers and exhaust tips have weep holes for it. Looks like you're gonna need to pressure test your cooling system.

wph351

iTrader: (3)

I was able to top the coolant to the proper level. Decided to let it idle in the driveway for an extended period. Turned out to be an hour and a half total, with 4k revs every so often. The steam slowly became less and less till none at all. Upon checking the coolant level, it hasn't dropped at all!
I have room for optimism now. Will perform the test After the car is 100% cool.
If the steam returns in bulk volume, it will be time for a pressure test.

SheepDog209

iTrader: (2)

Cool! Good luck

wph351

iTrader: (3)

Steam has returned. This car needs head gaskets. The steam is very wet.

SheepDog209

iTrader: (2)

Make sure the heads aren't cracked once they're off.

.boB

iTrader: (1)

Well, of course it is. It's vaporized water.

Before taking anything apart, do the cooling system test. It's free and doesn't take long. Proper diagnosis is critical to the repair.

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

At least heads are really easy on these cars..

Make sure and get the right gasket, if it has early heads with divets in them you have to get the specific gasket for them. If the deck is 100% flat, no divet, then whatever gasket is good.

Thing is, why did it pop a gasket.. It's not necessarily common so i'd look for the why it did it and make sure and repair that as well.

Best of luck man

wph351

iTrader: (3)

Was there sarcasm mixed in there? Hard to tell when reading text.

While not a complex procedure, I'm a big dude and working under the cowl is rough on me. Im considering dropping it out and doing the gaskets and a few other items.

Hard to say why it has happened. I bought the car that way. There is a set of fresh 799s on the shelf here that I'll put on when this job takes place.

What's wierd is, it doesn't steam all the time. And doesn't lose antifreeze all the time. The longer the motor runs, the less steam I get from the pipes. After about a 45 minute run this evening, Nothing visible from the pipes when I got home.

Very small leak into the cylinder me thinks.

SheepDog209

iTrader: (2)

It's not unusual for the exhaust to develop condensation and therefore steam as the water burns out. It's going to be more prevalent in colder weather. Dies it smell "sweet"? Coolant has a "sweet" smell when burned. Pressure test the system before you tear it apart.

wph351

iTrader: (3)

My sense of smell is very weak so I'm not sure. My stepdad said he thought he smelled the sweet. I have a few LS powered vehicles, and none of them put out anything from the exhaust close to what this one does. The rear bumper cutouts will get soaked to the point of dripping!

But alas yes. I know you are right. If it loses pressure it's almost certainly a head gasket as I can't find anything in the way of coolant leaks. And it's for sure losing coolant, albeit slightly.

SheepDog209

iTrader: (2)

It could also be a cracked head or block (not as likely). The pressure test only takes s few minutes. that's your best bet.