PDA

View Full Version : losing coolant but no leaks



TeddyZ
01-04-2006, 02:35 AM
i bought a 90 shadow es with a 2.5 turbo. the head gasket has been replaced. i lost a half a rad of coolant in seconds. as i was going through the car i was topping up the coolant till it was full that what i thought. but after running the idle sounded different and the turbo became louder. so i shut it down. i have no external leaks and its colder here in edmonton and i noticed nothing from the exhaust. it is a felpro gasket. could that be a problem?
TeddyZ

dwh4784
01-04-2006, 02:50 AM
Good lord, that much coolant has to be obvious somewhere?? If it was going into the cylinders I can't imagine it would stay running, or at least not pour out white smoke.

When did you lose the coolant? Starting it up for the first time after being drained(assuming they drained the block as well) it would empty the radiator pretty fast. But if it is constantly drinking that much, it's got to be coming out somewhere.

turbovanmanČ
01-04-2006, 03:39 AM
I would take it to a rad shop and have them pressurize the cooling system but agreed, half a rad, you should see smoke or a puddle on the ground.

85shelbycharger
01-04-2006, 04:22 AM
It's hard to believe that you don't see anything...hmm. Are you sure it's not smoking?

Whorse
01-04-2006, 08:34 AM
Double check the cylinders. If it's going into the cylinders, you should be careful when restarting the engine so that you don't bend your crank from the pressure when you try to turn it over.

You can always try pulling out your plugs and checking if there is any fluid getting in there while it's cold. If there's nothing leaking in within 5 or 10 minutes of shutting off the car you shouldn't have a problem with it getting into the cylinders when it's cooling down.

If it's getting into your engine at any point while it's on you should definitely see some smoke, like my white car puffs out every time I start it. Goes away after a minute or two once the car warms up. I top up my coolant about once a week, so I'm not losing nearly as much as you are, yet it still piles out some thick smoke.

altered7151
01-04-2006, 11:21 AM
Is it the first time you filled the radiator in a while? If so sounds like you probaby had an air pocket in the block, and when it came out of the system it used up all the coolant. If you were using up that much coolant I would think you would definitally be able to see it in your oil.

cordes
01-04-2006, 01:36 PM
A compression check might be in order.

inmyshadow
01-04-2006, 02:21 PM
Doing a headgasket pretty much empties the whole cooling system. When you pull the coolant return line, there goes nearly all the coolant. The cooling system can easily take up to 9qts.

I usually pour some water down the thremostat housing before I install the thremostat to help fill up the block. Then I can check for some leaks too.

later

Jack's Dodge
01-06-2006, 02:02 PM
Check the quality of your oil. You say you are running a Felpro head gasket? Are you noticing the coolant lose while it is idling, or after driving?

daytonajesse
01-07-2006, 02:10 PM
+1 on the air pocket. Coolant doesnt just vanish!