Low Coolant Light on, AGAIN!! Help me!
Low Coolant Light on, AGAIN!! Help me! Alright this all started about a week or 2 ago, it started with the low coolant light coming on, so checked and i was low on coolant, so i topped off the radiator, then after i drive it again my coolant likes to disapear. So i read on here i possibly had a blown head gasket and drained my oil to check for chocolate milky oil from the coolant, but no it was def not any coolant in there, so i just topped off the radiator again and drove it a little bit, and what do ya know? it's low again. I thought maybe the coolant was just workin threw the lines? so i topped it off again and today i drove it to school about a 10-15 mile drive and when i'm about 3 miles from school the damn little low coolant light came on again! Where is all my coolant going? I'm lost on what the hell is going on!
Staging Lane
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 60
Likes: 0
From: A bit south of Sacramento, CA
If you don't find a leak, you most likely have a blown head gasket.
Depending on where the gasket failed you may not get coolant in the oil.
It may be going out the exhaust.
Sure sign is white sweet smelling smoke out of the tail pipes. It may not be very apparent if the leak is slight.
Take your car by a radiator shop, they can test to see if there is exhaust gases in with the coolant.
Depending on where the gasket failed you may not get coolant in the oil.
It may be going out the exhaust.
Sure sign is white sweet smelling smoke out of the tail pipes. It may not be very apparent if the leak is slight.
Take your car by a radiator shop, they can test to see if there is exhaust gases in with the coolant.
Take the Cap off and start the Car. It's better to do it when it's been running for a while that way the Thermostat is open. You can take it off hot, use a Rag or a Towell, and do it slowly. Once you get it off, then start the car and see if you have any bubbling in the Radiator. It might take a sec to get there, but you will know it when you see it. Also, if you do have a Blown Gasket, the Coolant should smell slightly like Exhaust, and be a little darker than it should be.
i had a very similar problem and saw no leaks it ended up being the overflow tank had a small leak that i could not tell pull the cover off underneath the car and check to see if there is any obvious spots where water has been collecting.
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could be burning up in your cylinders. When i had a head not tightened down all the way, i would lose coolant as well with no leaks. It was burning up in the cylinder. Of course if its alot then you can hydrolock the motor but thats just being dramatic. Do a test to see if its a head gasket first
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Brett Foote
TECH Regular
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 443
Likes: 0
From: tampa
do you see any white smoke or smell anything sweet? (coolant). usually with a blown head gasket, you will see white smoke coming out of the exaust.
stupid question... but do you have the proper radiator cap on (tension for PSI) i had the wrong one on the IROC when i got it and it would bubble over the top when i was driving and wouldnt notice it. could it be cracked?
stupid question... but do you have the proper radiator cap on (tension for PSI) i had the wrong one on the IROC when i got it and it would bubble over the top when i was driving and wouldnt notice it. could it be cracked?
TECH Regular
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 440
Likes: 0
From: league city,tx
Might want to replace your radiator cap; I had the same problem a few years ago with coolant disappearing and sure enough it was because the cap wasn't sealing properly. I think you need the 24psi one if I remember correctly.
I could try the radiator cap, i have the stock one so which is it 18 or 24psi? i know i need to do a compression test to be 100% positive but i know its gonna be a b with the manifolds, i wish i had headers already lol.
12 Second Club
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 509
Likes: 0
From: Warner Robins Ga
I've seen where head gaskets leak coolant right on to the exh manifolds and it burns off before hitt.ing the ground. If its been doing it for awhile it will actually have a stain where it burned off. I'd also check freeze plugs, sometimes it wont leak till pressure builds in the system
