The car model I recently purchased is prone to blown head gaskets....however there is no water in the oil...no oil in the coolant...no white smoke from the exhaust....no overheating...no puddles on the ground......so WHERE is my coolant going ???????
its either boiling off or leaking out somewhere. Those are the options.
NT
leaking heater matrix? Check the carpets for damp.
Mmmmm...I think the floor would be awash by now !!! ......
boiling off where ?????? .....
bad pipe seal or very often water pump main bearing seal
Try pumping it up with a hand pump and checking pressure/hissing/oozing
good idea ....
Stuck thermostat and when it opens the pressure (and water) is released through the cooling water tank cap. Any sign of the anti-freeze colourant on the outside of the tank?
It might be into the oil - but there's no mayo. It might be into the combustion chambers - you say there's "no white smoke" (steam), but how fast is it going? It might be out to the atmosphere - if it's going hot, under pressure, it'll not puddle, but just steam.
I've had coolant levels drop rapidly from leaks here, there and everywhere with little evidence in the way of drippage.
What engine is it?
no ......
3.8 ford v6 .......tried the usual copper based cooling system stuff with no result ......
There's fluorescent dye you can put in the coolant, then wave about a UV tube to look for leaks.
Theo
Jim,
I once had a Vauxhall Viva back in 1981 that has this problem, and it was a split core plug on the back of the engine block, just where it couldn't easily be seen.
(How is ura doing in my absence?)
Ask in uk.rec.cars.maintenance . Still active, and great car advice.
But for the quantity likely to be involved, I don't think you'd see white smoke.
How much water are you losing?
Could be anything serious to a perished seal on your filler cap.
Bet the 2CV was hell for that.
Best way is to get some dye added to the coolant. A minor leak can evaporate without showing. The dye does show that up.
Pressurizing the rad with the engine stopped can be another way to find a minor leak that doesn't show easily.
I had one go on a 3l ford V6 there covered by the bellhousing .....
I got brian big time UGLE are involved ...
there is water coming out the twin exhausts but I think that is just condensation as it goes away when the car heats up .....I see that on my other two cars as well but they have smaller engins ...
it has the correct and unperished 16psi pressure cap on the radiator.......the system is sucking coolant in from the expansion tank ......
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