RZRX7TT

well as some of you guys have read my previous posts I have been having issues with my cooling system at which point i might have a moderate ORING failure where exhaust gases are getting into the Cooling System, not that severe put a pain in the neck in the sense that it would trip my thermostat and i would get erratic Temp readings from 180 to 210 and stock guage going up to Hot and then dropping back down to normal like a yoyo. I was out on a cool evening with my FD enjoying the ambient Temps from 180 F to 210 F when all of a sudden my aftermarket Guage shot up to 220F and kept climbing. The Stock Gauge sky rockets right to the H marker, i make a right turn a move not even a half a block when i decide to pull over immediatly to the right on the shoulder and turn the car off .All of a sudden i see steam shooting up through the Intercooler area. I get out of the car and to my dismay i see Coolant Pool right under the subframe of the car and the Radiator Drainplug area. I go behined the car and there is a long stream of Coolant going beneath the car and out back. I immediatly went back in and left the Fans running for a good 30 minutes until the Aftermarket Temp guage read 110F and the Stock guage almost went down to the Cold Marker. I then went ahead and obtained 3 1 litre bottles of water from a grocery store near by. I popped open the Filler Neck cap and began pouring. It took 2 full 1 litre bottles and just under half of the third 1 litre bottle to top the filler neck. Now the moment of truth lay ahead to see if i truly overheated the engine or not. I turn the Key and it fires right up, no white smoke or nothing. I quickly get the car home and began letting it idle in front of my house to see if it would hold Temp. The car gets to operating Temp and maintains 180 Farheneit Temp. Just as i think everything might be ok I hear a Knocking Thud sound coming from the front left side of the Car. I pop open the hood and to my dismay i hear the Clunking sound in my AST bottle! seemed like it was under alot of Pressure! i then look beneath the car and i begin seeing Water dripping from the Tray area in front of the oil pan and water steadly dripping right from the Drain plug area. The overflow bottle is leaking coolant on the street aswell. When the car was cooled off i popped open the Overflow bottle and the Bottle was overfull. Whats this water showing up underneath the Tray now and dripping from the Radiator Drain plug hole? and the AST knocking?! could it be Radiator is cracked? Or has a hose gone south with the pressure of the exhaust gases over pressurizing the system. I beginning to speculate the AST is no good. I always see a wet ring around the Hose that connects to the the Top of the AST that runs to the overflow. Not to mention the color of the AST which now Green! apparently its supposed to be black. What you guys think? Steam from beneath the intercooler shooting up and Coolant dripping on plastic cover front of the Oil Pan.

DarkLikePoe

Yeah, I think your AST is shot. Replace or remove it.

Looks like you're staring down a rebuild anyway, since you've already identified an O-ring failure. Get that done before more goes wrong?

RZRX7TT

where was all that Steam coming from? it was shooting through the Intercooler Vents. I didnt see any Coolant on top of the engine or the Filler Neck area or even on the Intercooler or Air Seperation Tank. No Coolant drips visible in the Engine Bay.

RZRX7TT

i Speculated it might be the Oring because i have to always fill coolant at the Filler Neck every morning i open it the Filler Neck has no coolant in it. But now i beginning to speculate that it might be the AST. First of all that Box is supposed to be black and my is gone green! secondly the hose that connects right by the AST Cap always gets wet around its ring even though its nicely snug on the AST plastic connector. What was the Steam? Water Evaporating in the Rad? and the droplets under the belly of the car not to mention the puddle right underneath the car where the rad drain plug is located.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

I would definitely replace that AST right away. Even if it just has a cap problem a green tank is soaked and weakened. Ditto if the radiator has similar discoloration on the plastic endtanks.

Dave