pahhhoul Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 For the past 2 months my car has been low on coolant.The first month I added about a whole gallon of coolant/antifreeze mix.I just added about 3/4 of a gallon of coolant/antifreeze mix yesterday.Something isn't right.What should I check for other than leaky hoses.I'm sure I'm not leaky anything since I leave no puddles of coolant/antifreeze on the ground under my engine bay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betterthingstodo Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 Is the carpet wet on the passenger side under the dash? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TorqueSteer Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 Well if you dont see it leaking from under the car, its either going to be going into the engines combustion chambers or crankcase due to a blown head gasket, or the much more common problem with older 850's a leaky heater core. Like the above poster said, if your passenger side carpet is wet or damp, it indicates its a blown heater core, however my heater core was blown but I never had a wet carpet, maybe because of the heat and humidity in the area. If it is the heater core, either fix it fast, or bypass it until you can fix it, because you dont want water being emptied constantly behind your dash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlc Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 For the past 2 months my car has been low on coolant.The first month I added about a whole gallon of coolant/antifreeze mix.I just added about 3/4 of a gallon of coolant/antifreeze mix yesterday.Something isn't right.What should I check for other than leaky hoses.I'm sure I'm not leaky anything since I leave no puddles of coolant/antifreeze on the ground under my engine bay.IDK if coolant pressure is directly related to rpm, but my guess is it is. Based on this assumption, you could be leaking coolant while on the road when the engine is under load, and not so much when idling, and probably hardly at all when engine is off.Waterpump inside the t-belt enclosure, and fire-wall heater hoses coupling are the other places you want to look at aside from hoses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_P Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 IDK if coolant pressure is directly related to rpm, but my guess is it is. Based on this assumption, you could be leaking coolant while on the road when the engine is under load, and not so much when idling, and probably hardly at all when engine is off.Waterpump inside the t-belt enclosure, and fire-wall heater hoses coupling are the other places you want to look at aside from hoses.+1Also around all other coolant hose (block, radiator, around thermostat) connections. I once had a small leak that ended up being at the ECT, easy fix. Look for dried whitish residue that the evaporated coolant leaves behind. Look for the easy stuff before you fear the worst.Coolant pressure is probably more related to its temperature than anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pops Racer Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 For the past 2 months my car has been low on coolant.The first month I added about a whole gallon of coolant/antifreeze mix.I just added about 3/4 of a gallon of coolant/antifreeze mix yesterday.Something isn't right.What should I check for other than leaky hoses.I'm sure I'm not leaky anything since I leave no puddles of coolant/antifreeze on the ground under my engine bay.Check for a hairline crack on radiator at hose that goes to t-stat. Very common and sneaky leak. Replaced my radiator in August. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt b Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 When my radiator failed, it started as a hairline crack, no drips since the coolant would essentially evaporate with the engine heat. When it finally cracked, I had a puddle.Do you see any grime or residue on the block ? How does your oil look, is it milky in any way ? How does the exhaust look when the car's running ?The stuff is going somewhere, you should be able to trace it quickly with the information in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWinkey Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Chances are it's leaking at the waterpump as they usually leak while running and your loosing it as you drive. I do see a lot of radiator failure. In cold climates it is totally normal for the rad to seep at the end tank o-rings due to contraction.(same theory that brought down the first space shuttle) however your in CA so I doubt it and also not that much coolant. Have the system pressure tested or you can drive the car and get it nice and warmed up then let it sit and idle for a little to build up more pressure. Shut it off and look for leaks or let it run and look for leaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilled man Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Dang I am not the only one here. I have been looking for my leak for two months now. cant find it at all, I use about a E tank of coolant a week. seems to disapper when I really jump on it like its a cheap ass misting system for the Intercooler cant find where its leaking and its driving me crazy <_< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeG Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Check the hose and clamp on the bottom of the overflow reservoir, and look for leakage residue going down the fender well.Then, pull the timing belt dust cover off, and look for coolant residue coming out of the water pump.+1 to everything Mr. Winkey said. Pressure test is key... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DARKSIDE Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 same thing happened to me when why heater core was shot... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tca217 Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 When I first bought my 855 I was losing coolant also. I looked for leaks everywhere with no luck. Then one night I was checking something under the hood with a flashlight and saw a very fine mist coming from the heater hose going into the firewall. It was not the "O" rings but about 2 inches from the firewall. The hose had a very small crack that would allow steam to escape when the car was at operating temp and then when you shuit it down, everything cooled off and the crack in the hose would not leak anymore. Drove me nuts till I happpened to find it that night. Oh and no white residue on the hose either, the crack was on the bottom part of the hose so you could not see it very well and there was no coolant running anywhere. So get a flashlight out and check it out, make sure there is no other lights around so you can see the mist, hope this might help someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auburn T5 Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 When I got my car, the little plug type thing on the water pump was leaking. I had the car about a week before I had the timing belt/water pump replaced but I did notice the coolant light flicker when I'd get on it.As the others said, there were no visible signs of leaking on the ground but the coolant did leak out during driving.When we did the Tbelt change the water pump had all sorts of corrosion and dried up anitifreeze around that little circular plug looking thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacexisxfree Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 +1Also around all other coolant hose (block, radiator, around thermostat) connections. I once had a small leak that ended up being at the ECT, easy fix. Look for dried whitish residue that the evaporated coolant leaves behind. Look for the easy stuff before you fear the worst.Coolant pressure is probably more related to its temperature than anything else.i also have a bad leak that leaves me dry after about 30 miles of driving. my leak is very visible and is coming from the other side of the block (opposite the t belt enclosure). i haven't had time to check it out due to the fact that my cam position sensor stuff out and the car won't start. any ideas before i can get under there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tca217 Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Check the condition of the heater hose that comes out of the block just below the distributor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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