exitium

so my overheating problems have more or less stopped, but now, occasionally, when i park, lots of coolant leaks out from under the car.

by the time i get back to the car its dried up, and i check the plastic tank. thats always full.

the water levels under the radiator tank are always a bit low.

and when i turn on the car, it says toadd coolant.

but thing is, why wont the car keep the coolant in?

i havent changed to a new thermostat yet, it's on the cards, but why is my coolant overflowing and how can i stop it from doing so?

birdy01

check ur line from the radiator cap to the resevoir, it may have a cut and instead of pulling back in water, it pulls in air, therefore u get the bubbles in ur radiator and getting the add coolant lite

Herblenny

iTrader: (13)

Do you have a stock radiator??

I've seen 2 stock radiators that acturally had cracks that leaked..
if its small, it will only leak when its pressurized.. and when its not, it will not leak.

I would go get a pressure tester and see where its leaking from..

wrankin

My stock radiator also cracked on the plastic end tank. It would leak once the engine heat-soaked and the pressure went up. It did not leak significantly once cold, nor while I was on the road.

When you check your coolant levels, you should check them at the filler neck (passanger side cap) *and* the AST cap (drivers side). Checking the level in the overflow bottle is not sufficient. Coolant should be added to the filler neck if it is low.

-bill

fd3s_rx7

iTrader: (13)

maybe just too much coolant that overflows through the reservoir.

wrankin

if you are blowing coolant out the reservoir *and* you have overheated your car, it may be time to consider getting a coolant pressure check. do a search for how to diagnose O-ring failures because this is a distinct possibility, give what you describe.

good luck,

-bill

Banis

the same thing was happening to me and when i had it diagnosed it was o-ring failure.

gambit023

I have the same problem, coolant overflowing through my overflow tank. You can check to see if it's your O-rings that's failing by doing the Champaign bubble test.

Just a word on this though. I waited until my thermostat opened up before seeing any bubbles come up. I attached a “no-spill” coolant fill funnel and filled it up half way then started the car and waited until 180degrees until the thermostat opened. Don’t attempt to warm up the car without something like that there or else coolant will be all over the place.

If it’s a leak somewhere else, get a pressure test done. Or you can go to sears and buy a coolant pressure tester for $75.00. To detect the failure on the o-rings, you will have to keep it pressurized for hours or else the pressure won’t drop (this is where most dealerships miss the problem). Else, if you’re lucky it’ll only be a coolant hose!

My engine is going to be rebuilt by Pineapple Racing with their heavy-duty coolant seals. I’ve been told that these seals can withstand 450degrees plus.

chris7777777

Don't know the extent of meaning "lots' but I just had to replace the seal on the bottom plug underneath the car 3 freakin times before it stopped leaking coolant in my garage.

Worth a check ??

Herblenny

iTrader: (13)

I didn't know such a thing existed.. can you post some more info??

My last engine went out via coolant seal..

Just as he said, check for bubbles or pressure test..

Good luck! hope its something simple..

gambit023

Yeah, i was talking to Chris at GT Garage (right next door to Pineapple) and he was telling me about a motor that was running Evan's Coolent that overheated. Evan's coolant starts to turn into a paste once it reaches 450 degrees F and that's what happened in this case. Chris told me the motor was almost totally shot with melted who knows what but the heavy duty coolant seals (Pineapple) were still perfect.

IMO it's totally worth the $99.00 that they charge for the upgraded seals. However, I can't say for sure until I test them out myself. I booked an appointment with him and will be doing a new rebuild through Pineapple with Chris from GT Garage doing all the install work.

I'll probably post a new thread on this just to let you guys know what my experience with them is, but with their reputation I think i'll be safe.

Hagge

This problem appears when you mix the caps on the AST and filler neck.
The one with the spring goes on the AST !

Just a tip !

f2racer

iTrader: (1)

Definitely do a pressure test. I thought I had an O-Ring failure a while back, but but it wound up actually being a tear in the coolant hose that goes into the turbos.