Ok so you guys may have seen my other thread about my boost problem... well in trying to fix it i had put my stock exaust back on. well it didnt really help so i decided to take it off and put my hks back on. well after i unbolted it from the cat i noticed that the inside of the exaust pipe was glossy, so i stuck my finger in there and it was wet... so i think to my self... OH ****! i smell my finger and i hate to say it but it smells sweet so im pretty sure its coolant.

im screwed arent I?

and lately the coolant buzzer would come on when i started the car and a few min later it would go off. id just keep adding coolant tinking that there was a buble in the system, now that i see the liquid in my exaust i realize whats wrong. so i have to ask, do i need a rebuild? i no that the answer is porbably yes but i just cant face the facts right now.

 

Same problem I'm having, I'm doing a rebuilt on it tomorrow. Hope it didn't turn out to be a coolant seal leaking?

 

Take the car to garage (Goodyear garage can do this) and have them test for hydrocarbons in your coolant. Also a coolant pressure test wouldn't hurt.

 

ok and that will tell if there is any exaust in the coolant?

 

That will tell if you have a weak coolant seal. If im not mistaken.. (Any smog place should be able to do it also... but unless you know them on a personal level.. They might not feel inclined.) Generally when they go out it will begin to leak combustion into the cooling system. Otherwise you won't be able to tell until either water is pushing out the over flow or well it will start showing the larger signs of failure. Whitesmoke... big time champaign out the radiator on startup... or flooding... wet spark plugs.

You could also just have a small coolant leak somewhere. Turbo hard lines dripping on the hot exaust burning it off a tiny bit at a time while you drive.. or somewhere behind the upper intake manifold. So if you havent already you might try getting the car warm and the cooling system with pressure. Then turn the car off in a location where it can sit a while. Then once off start listening for hissing noises or the sound of liquid dropping on hot exaust. You get the point... Just do a really REALLY complete lookover of the cooling system. Every little hose. I had a small leak behind the upper intake manifold I couldn't spot for a while. Water was slowly leaving, causing me to get scared.....

So your not out for the count yet... Check the other things before assuming the worst...Everyone always thinks the worst about this stuff... These engines are stronger then they appear.

 

ok thanx agin brian, ur just helping me left and right! the only time i see white smoke is a little on start up but after a few sec it goes away. but ill go and try that here in a minute.

 

any more input any one?

 

Start by checking the coolant level in the filler neck each morning before you start the car. If it's consistantly low (i.e. not near the top of the filler neck), you are losing pressure in the cooling system.

That doesn't mean you have a coolant failure automatically, but at least its a start to find/fix a problem.

 

ok will do. thanx

 

ok so i took the car for a drive and let it reach about 180, i got the car back into the garage and shut it off. so i started listening for noises and at first all i could hear was to poping noise that hot metal makes and then i heard what sounded like a hissing noise it was very faint tho. it had a pattern to it also like it was inhaling and exhaling, like it was 2 differnt tones of hissing a high tone and a low tone and after the low tone there would be a buble sound comming from the thermostat. so what does all this mean? it sounded like the noise came from the rear of the engine on the passenger side, turbos maybe? thanx

 

so what do u guys think of the above post?

 

Sounds really don't tell you anything. Do some of the tests that I described in this thread. They will give you a good idea what's happening (but not necessarily why).

 

ok so i did the champane test and all i have to say is CRAP! so i started her up and waited a few min, the coolant stayed clear but after a few min it got abunch of white fizz at the top and alittle bit of smoke coming out... so should i perform the o-ring fix usind the block weld? because i definetly dont have enough for a rebuild right now. thanx

 

so should i perform the o-ring fix?

 

IMO, no. Take it to a shop and have the hydrocarbon test performed before doing anything else. The bubble test isn't always the best test but it's a good one to start out with....

 

ok, i went to a smog shop and they quated me $40 to do it which is pretty much a whole smog test the guy said and at goodyear they wanted $100 so ill probably just take it to that smog shop seeing as it needs to get smoged any way.