Bad Water Pump?
11-07-2012, 09:31 PM
#23
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well since mixed dex cool and prestone I should flush it anyway. what if its not holding 15psi? does that mean bad coolant? or a leak? the exhaust isn't smoking differently than it usually does.
11-08-2012, 08:37 AM
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If it's not holding the pressure (and it's simple to use that testing tool) you have a leak and coolant going somewhere. Worn hose clamp, break in a gasket, or just a slow bleed that could also be letting air in in the system. Just having pressure on the cooling system allowed me to see a lose hose clamp on the water pump with a slow drip
You should flush it as stated since you mixed the two and then never worry about using dex-cool again, not needed.
How does the car usually smoke? Just on start-up, under acceleration?
I believe it's blue tint smoke burning oil,
white is coolant usually meaning you have a leak in the gasket,
and black is fuel burning.
11-08-2012, 05:53 PM
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Also the pressure test can't rule out a faulty cap since that's how you run the test, cap off. It's a cheap fix/check and if it's original or never replaced since you've had it not a bad idea. Good luck.
11-10-2012, 01:26 AM
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If it's not holding the pressure (and it's simple to use that testing tool) you have a leak and coolant going somewhere. Worn hose clamp, break in a gasket, or just a slow bleed that could also be letting air in in the system. Just having pressure on the cooling system allowed me to see a lose hose clamp on the water pump with a slow drip
You should flush it as stated since you mixed the two and then never worry about using dex-cool again, not needed.
How does the car usually smoke? Just on start-up, under acceleration?
I believe it's blue tint smoke burning oil,
white is coolant usually meaning you have a leak in the gasket,
and black is fuel burning.
You should flush it as stated since you mixed the two and then never worry about using dex-cool again, not needed.
How does the car usually smoke? Just on start-up, under acceleration?
I believe it's blue tint smoke burning oil,
white is coolant usually meaning you have a leak in the gasket,
and black is fuel burning.
11-10-2012, 06:38 AM
#29
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Doing a coolant pressure test will tell you whether or not there is a leak in the cooling system whether it be internal or external. I'd pull the plugs before doing the test. Rent a pressure tester at any autoparts store and put 18psi in the system and see how long it takes for the pressure to bleed off, if it does at all. If pressure does bleed off then do the test a few times, start checking the engine to see if there are signs of coolant anywhere. If not, rotate the engine by hand and see if coolant leaks out of any of the spark plug holes. The pressure checker also has an adapter to test how much pressure the cap can hold.
A blown head gasket doesn't necessarily mean coolant will be seen through the exhaust depending on how bad the gasket is blown. Same with oil. The gasket may not be bad enough to leak coolant into the oil. That's why you should do the test a few times if it is indeed bleeding down. That way there should be enough coolant pooled somewhere to make spotting it a lot easier.
A blown head gasket doesn't necessarily mean coolant will be seen through the exhaust depending on how bad the gasket is blown. Same with oil. The gasket may not be bad enough to leak coolant into the oil. That's why you should do the test a few times if it is indeed bleeding down. That way there should be enough coolant pooled somewhere to make spotting it a lot easier.
11-10-2012, 08:50 PM
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Possibly if it's bad but not a certainty. Sounds like your best bet is still to pressurize the system see what that tells you. SSRRR gave a great explanation on how to use that test if you can't visibly see anything right away.
