TurbosaurusRX

iTrader: (3)

Well after searching for a long while, I havn't come across a thread stating a similar problem. So on to the story...

After a few painstaking hours, I finally got my Koyo radiator installed and my car pieced back together. At this point, I filled the coolant system (through the filler neck with the throttle body hose taken off) with distilled water. After reattaching the TB hose, I squeezed the upper radiator hose a few times to get any air bubbles out. I capped the filler neck and put some water into the overflow tank, accidently way past the full mark. At this point I started up the car and let the engine run for about 10 minutes, while closely monitoring the crappy stock temp gauge. Everything ran fine up until about the 8th minute when I looked under the car, found water dripping from everywhere. I quickly hopped in the car only to be greeted by the coolant buzzer. I shut the car down and tried to find where the water was comming from. It seemed to be leaking from every possible hose.
My only thoughts were that the overflow tank was filled way too much or that there was too much air in the system (maybe from capping the filler neck, which wouldn't let any air escape?)

Does anyone have any input?

c00lduke

From what I undestand when you turn it back on the thermostat will reopen when its hot enough and will cause you to be low on coolant so you must put more in. Over filling the overflow has never lead to any more just maybe it just dripping some out. It has a spout thing on top for that. I'd refill, let the thermostat open up and refill again. I cant imagine it is leaking from everywhere. It might be hitting fans and they get thrown everywhere.

TurbosaurusRX

iTrader: (3)

Thanks alot c00lduke. The car should be cooled down by now so I'm going to drain whatever water is left and refill with a 50/50 mix, then spend more time working out the air bubbles. I'll let ya know what happens.

SidewaysR1

Yeah, Ive spent atleast an hour bleeding the air from the cooling system before. Fill up to the top of the filler neck, squeeze upper hose, top off again, repeat process until you no longer need to refill. It helps to leave the TB line disconnected while doing this.

TurbosaurusRX

iTrader: (3)

Well, today I spent some more time topping off the coolant and then took it out for a spin to make sure everything was in order. After hitting the top of my street, the coolant buzzer went off, so I pulled off the road and shortly after doing so, the buzzer turned off. So once again, I pulled back onto the road and drove around a bit more.
A few minutes into the trip, the buzzer sounded again, thinking that it had something to do with the thermostat (as c00lduke had said earlier), I drove around a bit more and sure enough it turned off.
At this point, I was thinking everything was going fine, so I brought it onto the highway and drove to the next exit. It seemed everything was ok... until I heard what sounded like a big stone hitting the car.
Comming up on the exit, I gave the car a little gas to hop over in the right lane... except the turbos were whining a lot louder than normal and my boost gauge was not going past 0.
Great, now I knew that rock noise was some sort of pipe popping off. I was getting nervous and my friend in the car noticed steam comming from the hood and all I could smell was coolant. I looked down and noticed the stock temp gauge quickly rising, so I pulled the car off into the parking lot next to me at the time and threw on the heater full blast.
I opened the hood to find the rubber coupler between the crossover pipe and the lower intercooler hose had popped off. Carefully I put the coupler back on and tightened the clamps. I also noticed coolant had been leaking everywhere from the nose of the car. I inspected it closer to find that the clamp around the upper radiator hose had come loose and was hanging around the metal pipe on the radiator.
After work, I am going back to tighten the clamp around the radiator hose and refill the coolant I lost. Wish me luck

c00lduke

I'd imagine you'd want to just let the car idle to bring it up to temps where you can just keeping checking things out. Being out and about might leave you stranded somewhere. Some just leave the cap off and turn the car on and keep filling it up as it is running. At some point the thermostat will open up and suck coolant into your motor so you will need most then. After a bit of time it will get hot and start expanding so just close it off and let it run and check for leaks then.

eo2am

iTrader: (9)

I had the same problem when I put in my koyo in. Well I had the car jacked up of the ground and would start the car add coolant and look for leak see none then cap the filler neck and AST and by the time I was down the street the buzzer would be going off. So I learnd the car has to be on flat ground when your filling it up.

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

If you're not leaking, then the coolant buzzer is probably going off because you've got a big air pocket and thus not a full system full of coolant in there yet. Gotta keep burping it, which means getting it warmed up a few times.