Hemoraging coolant

[anarchy0392]

Originally Posted by whynotthinkwhynot

All you have to do is try, but once you get started- don't give up. No mechanic wants to see someone bringing in a pile of parts "Hey man, I suck, can you put this back together with a new head gasket?"

No but that made me laugh so hard when I read it. But yes if there's thick white smoke from the exhaust then it's your head gasket. But do the easy stuff first. here I'll make you a list.


1.Turn the car on an have someone rev it get it up there to like 5K-6K rpm see if there white smoke
2.If not turn car off jack it up on both sides in the front put cardboard down(helps find leaky spots when they drip) check your petcock see if it's loss or broken or leaking.
3.Next check ALL hoses and fittings.(see if loss or popped off or visible breakage)
4.Turn car on repeat step 3 but you car will be running so be careful don't get burnt. (Look for leaks around connecting points and breaks in the lines and see if the hard plastic thing in the front above the radiator isn't broke)
5.If all else fails for $hit$ and giggles go buy a new o-ring for the t-stat housing to engine block it's like 3 or 4 bucks and take the t-stat housing out inspect it see if its breaking down or broke. If not just put the new gasket in if it is either get a ride from someone or risk it for the biscuit put the new gasket in put it back together an go buy a new one from the dealership. I got mine from a pick it yourself boneyard for $5.
6.Go get a leak test done if all that fails and pray its not a head gasket.

[focusmaniaczx3]

Originally Posted by whynotthinkwhynot

What I didn't see suggested in this thread was "does the exhaust smell like coolant", or "is there a whitish substance on the oil dipstick, or around the oil fill cap?"

Originally Posted by focusmaniaczx3

check for any water in the oil, crank the car and see if there is an antifreeze smell coming from the exhaust

i got it in my first posting

[amc49]

If motor burning coolant you should be able to smell the AFZ in the exhaust. When bad enough (half bottle of coolant) you should be able to detect some misfire as a result too. Pull plugs and see what they look like. Look at dipstick too. Watch water vapor coming off cold-not-warmed-up motor tailpipe, does it disappear COMPLETELY once motor warms up? If you still have wisps of fog or vapor in cold weather and motor warm then, very possible coolant there. Sometimes being colder than sh-t outside serves a purpose...............

I lean toward heater core, smell coming through HVAC, if any lower windshield mist or fog on defrost windshield only, then that clinches it. The core overflow is same as a/c, a tube sticking out of firewall. You'd be surprised, I've seen coolant going away pretty bad and swear you'd find leak under car but not necessarily so. Car motion keeps most of it thrown out while moving. But DID find yellow-green drops on the a/c dump tube. Core.....I clamped a longer piece of clear tubing to the outlet to have something I could see since down there in the dark. One could bypass core to check, but you'll get cold in this weather...........

That bundle of hose at front of stat housing has a tendency to block seeing leaks from anywhere at the housing. Common to leak at housing to head and stat cover to housing. Look around the immediate underlying bellhousing area of trans for runoff, often it catches in casting lows to stay for awhile for you to find it.