I have a 2001 S10. For a few years now, it has been losing coolant. I just added a full gallon to the overflow container. I have done that before, maybe three times now.
I see no evidence of leakage under the truck. Performance seems just fine. I am wondering....could I have head gasket leakage? Should I fix it? The truck has 90K miles on it, and has had zero repairs. Uses no oil.
Thanks
Wei
Since this a home repair newsgroup, you should remember to start the subject line of non-home-repair related posts with OT so that members will know that your post is "off topic". At first I thought this might be a central air conditioning question.
That said, an automobile's coolant system will sometimes only leak when it is under pressure. The pressure goes up as the engine gets hotter. The leak then hits the hot engine and evaporates before you ever see it. By the time the engine cools enough to no longer boil off the leaked fluid, the leak stops because the pressure goes down. The result is that you won't see any fluid under the truck.
An auto repair shop can pressurize the system while it is cool and sometimes reveal the leak. It often doesn't take much pressure to find a leak in a cracked hose or loose clamp.
New kind of home that needs repair?
Check your oil level. That will answer your first question.
As to whether you should have it fixed depends what the answer to your first question. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Subaru had some problems with head gaskets a few years ago. One of the fixes was just to add some radiator sealant. It was a specific Subaru part. I bought some on Ebay. I don't know if it was something super special or just regular coolant system sealant with the Subaru logo.
It certainly COULD be a leaking cylinder head gasket. A small leak will not reduce engine performance sufficiently to be noticable.
I had a 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier that was losing coolant due to a leaking cylinder head gasket, and I only had it repaired once the leakage was bad enough that it was affecting the car's starting and idling. Nowadays most cars have aluminum cylinder heads to save weight, but these are notorious for warping after 100 thousand miles or so and the cylinder head has to be removed, rebuilt and replaced.
But, it would check the simple and cheap stuff first. I would replace the radiator cap. After repeated heating and cooling, the spring tension in the radiator cap can get weak so that your coolant may very well be escaping in the form of steam and ethylene glycol vapours from a radiator cap that's got a weak spring in it. If replacing the radiator cap doesn't resolve the problem, then I'd have the cooling system pressure tested to see if it's holding pressure or not. And, if it's not holding pressure, and the coolant isn't leaking OUT of the engine, then it's leaking IN TO the engine.
Check your oil dipstick. If antifreeze is leaking into the crank case, it'll muck up the oil. If the oil on your dip stick looks normal, then at least you can be confident it's not leaking into the crank case.
It is my understanding that coolant system sealants can be trouble. Since it's the job of the particles and the other sealant compounds to find small passageways that might be leaks, they can block the actual water channels in older radiators with already partially clogged arteries. They can clog heater cores too.
I've always heard that at best they will buy you some time, but eventually you will need to replace whatever was leaking, assuming that they don't cause more problems in the meantime.
First thing is to check all hose connections for white or pink powdery residue.. Replace all spring type hose clamps with screw type clamps. If that doesn't solve it, add a cooling system sealer. A simple stop-leak cube is usually more than sufficient, ot Knight's Aluma-seal powder - but follow the directions to the letter. This will handle external seepage even in a head gasket. If there is no white foam in the rocker cover, the coolant is not getting into the oil.
My guess is it is getting out as a vapour at one or more hose connections.
Properly applied they can litterally be lifesavers. And The heater core on my '57 Fargo went over 20 years without a leak after adding 1 stop leak cube. The important thing is to FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. Second important thing is to use the right product. I've never had problems with stop-leak cube or knights alumaseal. (same stuff as silver-seal) I am not a fan of BarsLeaks, The prestone stuff isn't bad.
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barrs leak clogged my heater core requiring it be replaced. It was a very expensive disassemble the dash to replace the heater core.
The leak was eventually traced to a water pump that only leaked now and then.....
Hi, If there is no visible leak, coolant can evaporate, or burn.
SAT.
Okay. I can do that.
Thanks
Wei
I posted to alt.cars, and got no response. So I thought to try this group. Sorry to bother.
Wei
That has been my feeling for past two years.
Thanks
Wei
I think I remember now that I saw in years past the same product which I used for pinhole leaks in a radiator I had. I forgot about that.
Thanks
wEI
tHANKS
Now that you mention it, I do remember BarsLeaks, which indeed did work for me. Gad - that was years ago.
Thanks
Wei
OK
Wei
OK
Wei
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