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Where is my coolant going?


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Lately my car has been consuming coolant like crazy. For example, I filled up the radiator about 5 days ago, and I went to check it yesterday and it was missing almost an entire gallon of coolant. Also, as I was filling the radiator I decided to overfill it as the engine was running to see what would come out, and a brownish oily liquid came out.

 

Here's the weird part:

1. there are no puddles under my car where I park it

2. I checked compression and it is as follows:

6 - 190

5 - 200

4 - 205

3 - 200

2 - 195

1 - 205

 

Which, is not really indicating a headgasket failure to me.

 

So, where exactly is my coolant going if it's not leaking onto the ground?

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Quick way to check if you have oil in your oil is check your oil filler cap; if it looks like a cafe' latte underneath, you have water in oil.

 

Sometimes you get splits in hoses that open on certain movement of the engine.. While the engine is hot, have a peek under the bonnet and squeez some hoses.. Also, check the inside of the car. Your heater core/hoses/heater tap could be leaking.

 

If no luck get it pressure tested.

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Lately my car has been consuming coolant like crazy. For example, I filled up the radiator about 5 days ago, and I went to check it yesterday and it was missing almost an entire gallon of coolant. Also, as I was filling the radiator I decided to overfill it as the engine was running to see what would come out, and a brownish oily liquid came out.

 

Here's the weird part:

1. there are no puddles under my car where I park it

2. I checked compression and it is as follows:

6 - 190

5 - 200

4 - 205

3 - 200

2 - 195

1 - 205

 

Which, is not really indicating a headgasket failure to me.

 

So, where exactly is my coolant going if it's not leaking onto the ground?

 

 

It could be evaporating from the ground/engine before you see it. I would check the oil and see if it has coolant in it. If not pressure it up and take a good look at all the usual suspects.

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Yep, I'm gonna guess the HG. It may not be completely failed but it's packing up for vacation. If you only have a light bit of coolant in your oil I'd say the majority of it is seeping into the cylinders and getting burned off, turned to steam really, as you drive.

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Yep, I'm gonna guess the HG. It may not be completely failed but it's packing up for vacation. If you only have a light bit of coolant in your oil I'd say the majority of it is seeping into the cylinders and getting burned off, turned to steam really, as you drive.

 

+1

 

To check for this just run the car at idle and hold your hand at the exhaust, if it feels damp you have your problem, and fix! That is if its not in the oil......

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Its been my experiance that 9 out of 10 times, when finding oil in the water, the problem is a cracked head. If this is the case, it can be repaired by competent machinist.

 

Mongo

 

Is this something that I would be able to see after taking the head off? Like, could there be an internal crack within a water passage, not visible from the outside?

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Pull the spark plugs and inspect for cylinder-cylinder differences.

With a light, inspect the tops of the pistons. If coolant is getting into a cylinder, then the piston(s) is usualy VERY CLEAN compared to the others.

 

If you have a compressor, you can pressureize each cylinder to check for combustion chamber leaks also.

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Do you have a similar problem???

And IF SO......you need to fill us in on the history etc,etc, etc,

 

okay only half the water i put in the radiator came out, and it came out brownish/yellow so F*** me goddamn it i got a bad hg or something but i haven't even driven it yet i just got it together.

 

how long can i drive it in this condition? its gonna take me forever to change the HG again.

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yeah i bought my head last year from pierre'z second hand and i have the same problem. I just did a replacement gasket set and i already have oil in my water I guess i got a cracked block or head. yep..I mean i haven't even driven it yet and its already leaked major bad, i havent even gotten the tach and water temp completely wired for ♥♥♥♥♥ sake.......a million words cant explain this frustration

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Frustration aside, organize your thoughts.

Start from when it ran well.

If it ran like ♥♥♥♥,.....start there.

 

Pay attention to punctuation and a logical train of thought...........it helps others help you...........

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Pull the head, take it to a shop, and get it pressure tested. that's the only way to know for sure that your head is not cracked. There have been other forum members who have had problems with Pierre'Z in the past...do a search to find out who and what.

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