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Topic
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2008 pontiac grand prix, 3800 series III N/A engine
symptom, experiencing slow coolant loss.
alright, well i have been busy again, and as usual i keep a firm check on my car, and i have noticed the coolant resovwar will slowly loose coolant level after a few weeks, now i noticed something ells… coolant is not over flowing into the coolant resovwar, the coolant that is in the resovwar is cold, so is the hose that runs from the resovwar too the radiator.
the cooling system holds pressure just fine, when i shut the car off and gives the hoses a squeeze they are under pressure, appropriate, but no coolant overflows into the over flow tank, this leads me to suspect my radiator cap may be screwing up
the car is not over heating, it operates at normal operating temperatures, thermostat and fans work just fine, there is no coolant in oil, i have checked as i always do, weekly, all i notice is after a few weeks too a month the resovwar has very little coolant in it, this has me concerned.
i am smelling coolant a little more than normal i think, i am pretty in tune too the smell of my engine when its warm, and the coolant smell is a little on the strong side i have noticed lately… i have noticed a wet spot right below the lower radiator hose where it meets the radiator, fluid is pooling up on the radiator mount, i wouldn’t be surprised if that is coolant.
my guess if its possible is my radiator cap is not allowing coolant to go into the overflow resovwar when it is hot, also that lower hose clamp may need tightened a little, not a big deal… i just don’t want to do any damage to my engine or radiator.
what do you guys think?
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Replies
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Quite possibly the radiator cap. You can have the cap tested, or just change it out and see what happens.
Radiator cap systems with a overflow tank will never stop throwing people for loops thinking that the overflow tank is an indication of coolant level or condition. That tank is just an overflow container, which the cooling system only interacts with under undesirable circumstances. As long as your cooling system doesn’t exceed pressure or go into a vacuum, that tank and the fluid in it just sits there stagnating. You have to pull the radiator cap with a cool engine to check if there’s coolant in there. You can have coolant in that bottle but have low coolant in the actual system at the same time.
If the radiator cap is bad the engine will probably overheat. The cap keeps the coolant at a pressure higher than atmospheric which increases the boiling point of the coolant.
Fopeano is pretty much correct, but there is a difference between a “coolant reservoir” and an “expansion chamber” (which most cars have now). They both do the same thing, essentially. Expansion chambers see a lot more action from the radiator though.
If you’re smelling coolant than it is evaporating.
You said,” the cooling system holds pressure just fine.” Have you done an actual pressure test on the system?
Are you smelling coolant from the engine compartment or are you smelling coolant while driving?
It’d be useful to know the year, make, model, and mileage.no i have not done a pressure test on the cooling system yet, but i know its holding pressure buy feeling the hoses, every time i check the car, i feel the hoses and see if they feel squishy or brittle and need replaced, right now they feel fine, they feel like a rubber hose should, and look ok. but i feel pressure in the hoses like they usually would under operating conditions… they feel like they are filled with pressure like they normally would. obviously this means the cooling system is pressurized. No i haven’t done a cooling system pressure test, perhaps i should do that.
the coolant smell is not noticeable when driving at all, i noticed it when i parked the car, and walked up to it too check it and before i opened the hood i could smell a faint smell of coolant, at this point i am right in front of the car, but it could be my paranoia, as most cars usually make a faint smell of coolant when they get warmer, and i had drove the car enough to get the car nice and warm.
and as a side note, there is coolant in the radiator, its not low the coolant is actually full for the most part,ou
thank you all for your replies, i think i will just take today off work and work on the car, it will be good for me to just relaxe a little today… i am feeling stressed out about everything lately, this will give me a good chance too unwind.
ooh and FoPeano
i think the over flow tank is trying to tell me something, because i have put over 1/2 a gallon of coolant in it in total over a several month perioud, its levels will drop over and over, the coolant is going somewhere, i am just hoping that little hose clamp needing tightening is the issue, its gotta be leaking or dissapearing somewhere, i am just hoping its not a head gasket. 🙁
I would get a pressure test done.
Squeezing the hoses is not a reliable test of cooling system health. The pressure you feel just means that there is pressure it is not an indication of whether there is a leak. The system is under considerably heavier load while driving. You probably have a pin hole leak while driving, but when it’s parked (and not under as much pressure) the leak stops.
As I stated above; having the year, make, model, and mileage can help with diagnosis.
What is your make, model, year, and mileage?
Can you please post your make, model, year, and mileage?I still say it is probably the radiator cap. Imagine this scenario. Your cap, rated at somewhere around 15 pounds, weakens to maybe somewhere between 8-12. While driving your car, the pressure exceeds where the cap has weakened and pushes coolant past the cap into the bottle. The bottle fills up. Now, more coolant pushing past the radiator cap continues to try to go to the bottle, but it is full, so it spills out through the overflow hose onto the road. As you continue driving, and pressure is constantly changing due to load and temperature, sometimes some of the coolant gets pulled back into the radiator, and after you park, as the system cools, more coolant gets pulled back into the radiator. Because the cap is still able to maintain *some* pressure, when you test the hoses, they feel firm, and you see no leaking. However, the system has lost the coolant that spilled onto the road. And this amount that spilled may not be very much, depending on how strong the cap still is. The faint coolant smell you detect is probably coming from the wet end of the coolant overflow hose that the lost fluid passed through. The point is, you cannot measure PSI with your hands. You need to test your cap with a pressure tester, or just replace it with a new one since they are fairly cheap, before worrying about more expensive repairs. Start with the easy stuff. Test or replace the cap.
Using a small flashlight examine the radiator seam as best you can on both of the end tanks where the plastic meets the aluminum. If you see wetness there and you haven’t spilled any coolant recently you need a new radiator.
first i would like to thank you all for your advice, i did a cooling system pressure test and it passed, in fact i think the car held a better seal than that stupid cooling system pressure tester did i rented, fricking thing was a joke, anyhow i brought up the system to pressure couldn’t find any leaks, however if anything is leaking its the lower radiator hose where it meets the radiator, the hose clamp probably needs tightened.
@barneyb
that is something i will keep in mind from now on, it makes logical sense that those stupid plastic tanks they have on the sides of the radiator will eventually leak, and if i have issues again i will be sure too look there. i was thinking about the Radiator, but typically these cars don’t have radiator issues until much later, but they are known for it.What pressure did you bring the system to?
Did you look all around the water pump and stuff when you had it pressurized?
If you’re so convinced the bottom hose needs to be tightened why don’t you just tighten it?Good to hear your system passed. You didn’t mention if you tested the cap. The cap needs to be tested separately on its own. The pressure rating on the cap is the minimum pressure it needs to hold for at least 2 minutes. The cap should open up above this rated pressure, not below it.
[quote=”13aceofspades13″ post=130754]@barneyb
that is something i will keep in mind from now on, it makes logical sense that those stupid plastic tanks they have on the sides of the radiator will eventually leak, and if i have issues again i will be sure too look there. i was thinking about the Radiator, but typically these cars don’t have radiator issues until much later, but they are known for it.[/quote]My radiator in my wife’s Subaru went at 60K but then it was 10 years old.
The thing is when the seam does start seeping it usually doesn’t drop coolant, the radiator is hot enough to evaporate the liquid. Instead, what you see is a crusty residue which is the dried antifreeze. It will do this for awhile and then turn into a big leak about the time you are 400 miles from home. So, as the car gets older it is a good thing to check for this. Catch it when it first starts.
i inspected everything i know that could leak coolant, water pump, coolant elbows, intake gaskets, rad hoses, radiator, pressure held 15-16 PSI for several minutes, i literally pressurized it, got the stupid testor to hold pressure, let it set, walk into the parts store, talked to the guys about it, got some kitty litter to help clean up the mess i made on there driveway, came back and the system had lost a slight…. bit of pressure maybe a quarter of a PSI and that is about it, the only thing that was close too damp was the bottom radiator hose where its clamped onto the radiator, and if thats the case i am sure the hose clap is just a little loose and tightening it up a little should remedy the situation.
i got a new radiator cap, it was cheep, the old one looked corroded inside so i said what the heck man, whats 8 bucks going too hurt, i put it on the car and got it over with, still no leaks, drove it from the parts store too two car washes, car ran great, everything worked fine… same amount of coolant in the resovwar.
unfortunetly because i was stupid, and in my detraction cleaning the mess i made, embarrassing…… :blush: i forgot to test the radiator cap…. :side:
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