guys-

i need some help. i own a red 93 R1 with 92K miles on it. a few months ago, my turbos went away (i get a boost upto 4 psi) on both turbos. the turbos may not be bad, it could just be a vacuum leak somewhere but i haven't checked.

recently, i have started to lose coolant on a regular basis. i dont have a coolant leak, but everytime i park the car i lose about a gallon of coolant. the car doesnt have any problems starting, and i dont get a lot of white smoke from the back during starts either. the problem could be blown coolant seal, or it could be a bad radiator cap. i will replace the radiator cap to see if that is the problem, but i suspect it might just be a blown seal.

now here is my question. assuming i have faulty turbos and blown coolant seals, how much can i sell my car for?

help will be appreciated.

-bilal

 

btw: following are the mods i have

power fc with commander
momo steering wheel
aftermarket shifter
99 spec body kit
aftermarket wheels
downpipe
aftermarket catback
apexi air intake system
aftermarket steel y-pipe
aftermarket 5 way adjustable struts
brand new clutch (oem) 1k ago
indigo 9 pound flywheel

 

^ ^ not much.. rolling chassis price.

I don't get how you "don't have a coolant leak, but every time i park the car i lose about a gallon of coolant."

If you don't have a leak and you are loosing that much fluid with the car just sitting, then where is this magical fluid going?

 

hes burning the coolant because his coolant seals are shot it was the same thing that happened to my car.

 

Ahh. So he's not loosing coolant when it's sitting then, he's loosing it when he drives.

From his 1st post it sounded like he was saying he only looses coolant when he's parked, but he doesn't have a leak... this perplexed me.

 

what i meant was that there are no leaks in coolant hoses; when i shut down the car and leave it parked coolant will come out of the overflow tank.

i dont think i am burning any coolant; if i were wouldnt there be a lot of white smoke coming out especially at starts?

 

too much coolant maby?

 

Most likely the force of the combustion pressure is forcing the coolant past a bad coolant o-ring into the overflow tank. It's possible you might just have a pinhole leak in one of your AST hoses as well....

 

how much could i get for the car if i were to sell it? how much could i get if i trade it in at a dealership? do you think a dealer would even agree to take this car given that the coolant buzzer goes off during starts.

 

You might try the radiator/coolant stop leak first. My brothers 2nd gen 7 had bad coolant O-rings causing overheating and overfilling overflow tank and it fixed his problems. I have heard of others having success too.

 

You make me not want to buy used cars.

 

check the overflow line coming from youre ast it runs along the fans. if this is disconected you will lose coolent when you park. i had the same problem and i replaced the ast cap with a greddy and still had the same problem. then i followed the line and it was disconected fixed it and no leaks

 

A gallon of coolant is a LOT of coolant to lose.

I'd check the coolant caps just for kicks, just to see if they're TOTALLY blown. If you were losing a gallon of coolant somewhere other than the combustion chamber, you'd notice the huge mess it left.

What is the definitive test for a completely blown coolant seal(s) in 10 steps?

1. Fill up the coolant.
2. Fire up the car, let it warm up.
3. Check for leaks.
4. Go for a spirited drive
5. Park the car and place cardboard under it
6. Let it sit overnight
7. Wake up, have breakfast and put on your grease monkey suit.
8. Jack up the car and remove the leading (lower) spark plugs on each housing
9. Turn the motor over by hand (I suggest turning it at the alternator)
10. Look for coolant spewing out of the spark plug hole

If step 10 resulted in a watery substance coming out of your spark plug hole, your coolant seal is blown. Otherwise, you have a massive coolant leak elsewhere that you are overlooking.

Best of luck to you, my friend.

 

don't sale your car to a dealer.. if it's older, dealers will only take $500 no matter how great the condition is. you have a much better chance of getting a fair amount from it by selling it yourself even with it's problems.

 

Thanks a lot for all of your help guys. I will keep everyone posted on what becomes of my car.

 

try posting a feeler in the for sale section, an see what comes of it.