ok my car has run perfect for a month so far after ive purchased it...ive checked the coolant level frequently and its been right at full on the dipstick..two days ago i venteded the bov to atmosphere i just reinstalled it today...today when i checked my coolant it was below the L mark but my buzzer/light was not on...i ended up adding 3 cups of antifreeze (wtf)? i am not seeing any white smoke on startup except when theres i moisture on the inside of my pipes that i can actually see for bout 5-10 seconds...

today i just opened the metal filler cap to do the bubble test...i started the car with the cap off and i didnt notice anything significant for about 2 mins or so...no bubbles (maybe some extremely extremely small bubbles that may have been dirty) then when the water temps reached about 140 deg on my gauge the liquid inside the filler neck started to rise and kept rising slowing so i put the cap back on before it overfilled (once again no bubbling or bursts) then i shut the engine off and waited 2 mins and barely twisted the cap...some coolant poured out through the cracks so i twisted it back?

is this any indication of a bad seal"?

 

Make sure there's water/coolant in the overflow tank. If you don't notice any leaks, keep an eye on the dipstick in the OF tank. If it gets higher and higher, then coolant isn't being sucked back in the system which would mean the return hose is clogged.

Oh yeah, do a search on coolant seal or overheating. There's tons of threads about missing coolant, coolant spilling out, etc. It doesn't always mean a bad seal, but we all like to panic about it.

 

It could be a bad seal if it is you will find out soon enough, once they start to go the ygo quick i just hope whoeve had the car before you took care of it. i had one engine that the seal slipped because the housing on the center iron corroded from the inside out the guy before me was running just water. watch for your low level light coming on and a drop in coolant as you rev around 5000rpm. the added pressure lets more exhaust gas into the lacket water and causes it to go into the overflow tank. good luck bud if you have any questions ask. some guys will be dicks and shoot you down but the worst thing you can do is try to attack this problem without knowing what you are doing.

 

To do the bubble test, you need 1) to wait until coolant temps get up all the way - around 180f 2) it helps to have a bottle taped to the neck to avoid major leakage.

Dave

 

so then its normal for the coolant to pour out of the coolant fill cap neck when the cap is off at operating temps bucuz the cap holds the coolant in and allows it to go to the overfill tank..and when ur engine seal is bad the exhaust gases will force the coolant out of the overfill tank?? am i right on this?? so if i want to do the bubble test i need a liter bottle or something to put on top of the fill neck so i can see the coolant and any active bubbles w/o it pouring out?

 

hello!?

 

ok i just let the car sit for about 15 mins after running at 180f...came out and turned the fill **** and coolant blew out onto the hoses for a split second as if releaving pressure...is this normal? i know it is not normal when coolant blows itself out of the overfill res. but im talking bout the metal fill cap..should operating temp coolant gush out when the cap is removed?

 

Yes. That's why it's got markings on the top that say "DO NOT REMOVE WHEN HOT".

When the coolant warms up to operating temps, it will expand and begin to overflow unless you have a way to keep it sealed.

 

Yeah. If you're gonna do the bubble test, start with the engine dead cold and with the cap off. Then start and warm it up. Taking the cap off of a hot system is dangerous.

Dave

 

could this be my problem!!

i just noticed an open crack/hole in the filler neck of the overfill tank..could coolant be evaporating through the hole causing my mysterious coolant loss? where can i buy a replacement tanks and how hard is it to replace? will duct tape work?

 

anyone?

 

do the bubble test the right way before assuming its the crack in the overfill tank. can't be too safe.

now that i think about it i don't see how the crack can contribute to coolant loss at all. its high in the neck so that means no coolant goes in from there and there is no possibility that coolant reaches that high when the car is operating. if you look at the overfill tank closely u'll notice that it is not sealed nor meant to hold pressure. the top of the tank has a stopper with has a hole in it, if too much coolant is pushed to the tank it is bled out that hole.

there are only a few causes of coolant loss:

its being burned = internal seal problem

its leaking out from overfill tank = internal seal problem, or coolant hose hole/clogged(ast to
overfill tank), or bad cooling system pressure caps

its leaking out from radiator/radiator end tanks/coolant hosing/water pump housing = something has a hole and needs to be replaced

 

That won't cause you to loose coolant unless it's reaching that point. There is a vent hole on the top of the tank and coolant will generally flow out of that before it reaches the level you have a picture of. The level on the "recovery" dipstick should be about the same place (with the engine at the same temperature when checked less in the tank when cold, more when it's been driven) you should have the level in the recovery tank to just above the "L" level when cold. Make sure your system is topped off and the air is removed from the system. There are two caps on the cooling system and I can only guess your talking about the one nearest the alternator that your looking at while doing these checks.