Hey Everyone,
I have an '87TII which is losing coolant. I've searched on "coolant leak" and read quite a bit, but could still use your learned opinion.
Here're the details:

1. can't see fluid leaking anywhere. Topside, bottomside, back, left and right - no dripping and no wet stuff.

2. had the top of the engine apart and replaced all the rubber - water, fuel, vacuum.

3. engine starts right up - no hesitation, just cranks over a couple of times, blasts right up to 2500 for 30 seconds, then drops down to 800 and idles like a happy kitten.

4. No smoke - no white, no blue, no black.

5. changed the oil and looked for signs of water - oil was just oil. Nothing which didn't belong

6. no bubbling in the filler neck - no fuel/exhaust odor in the water.

7. coolant disappears from inside the system - I can top of the filler neck and confirm the overflow tank is good, then run the car long enough to warm it up (temp stays in the bottom 1/3 of the gauge) then let it sit for a few days. Open the filler cap and there's no visible fluid - I can pour in a quart to half gallon to top it off again.

So, the Q of the D: where's it goin? Another dimension? The Twilight Zone?

And more importantly, what should I do about it?

I've been thinking about doing the K&W BlockWeld procedure I read about here.

Do you think that's a good idea, or would that be overkill? If so, what is a good alternative?

Thanks for your input!

- k -

 

heater hose or heater core itself is bad.
Does the inside of your windows fog up pretty badly overnight?
This is a sure sign of coolant leaking into the interior due to the heater hoses or the heater core leaking.

You can "clear out" the heater hoses going into the firewall by GENTLY removing them, cleaning out all the crud build-up, and replacing the hose.  Be CAREFUL when doing this, as the ends are very soft copper and easily dented!


-Ted

 

Thanks, RETed. Don't think it's here either. I've had the interior completely gutted during this restoration. The heater core has been completley out - even out of the plastic plenum - and it's fine.
Also, no fog or humidity inside (i'm in bone-dry Colorado, so it'd be obvious).

Any other thoughts?

- k -

 

Anyone?...

 

Found It !!!

It seems that is was the radiator cap. Yup. That simple.
I was letting it idle with the hood open so's I could watch and noticed that the overflow had filled up completely.
The cap was relatively new, so I hadn't suspected it before. Still it bothered me, so I ran down to pep boys and bought another one.
I topped it off and ran it for about a half hour. Today I took of the filler cap and the level is right where I left it. Previously, the exact same action (less the new cap part) would have found the level down to the bottom of the filler neck at best. Today, No Loss! YAY!

- k -

 

Congrads!

-Ted