Why my coolant overflow tank would be bubbling away whilst the engine is hot? No signs of overheating, not done a compression test yet though.
When the engine is cold, the level in the coolant reservoir is higher than it should be and the radiator was low.
1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse. 2.0L 5-speed. 195,000. When I complete my 33 mile trip home and shut off engine, I can hear air bubbling into the overflow tank from radiator. Temp gauge shows normal. Just had new water pump, thermostat, radiator flush and refill and new 16 lb radiator cap installed. Overflow tank fills up to near top (not running over) and when engine cools, the tank is back down to half way. I've checked water level in radiator when cool and it is full. Question: Is this normal? Don't think I've ever noticed or heard the bubbling sound before. The engine runs great and smoothly.
View 5 RepliesI have a 2000 passat tdi, over the past months ive noticed that I have been loosing coolant through my coolant reservoir overflow, my car has been running perfectly, my mechanic told me that its likely to be a head gasket problem and he put ceramic sealer in the coolant system, which was a disaster, the coolant pressure became much worse and told he me I needed a new radiator, which he fitted, but there was no improvement, whilst my mechanic was working on the car he noticed that when my car was running if he removed the oil filler cap the engine breathed heavily, my mechanic told me that the engine would need replacing,so I should sell the car as soon as possible.
I found it difficult to believe my trusty VW was in such a bad state, as it has only done 87000s mile and has full service history and starts and runs like a dream. Today I went for a second opinion, they told me that the coolant problem was because of a defected water pump, with most likely the plastic impellers failing, and the engine breathing problem could be down to a blocked breather at the top of the engine.
Anyway here's the problem. My son has a 2000 Ranger 3.0L V6 he left me when he had to move back up to Las Vegas. I was out checking it out today and pulled the radiator cap, man what a mess. It looks like reddish mud in there and the overflow tank. It's not milky like oil in there it's more like mud. It's caked up on the bottom of the cap and inside the filler neck and the coolant looks the same.
So the questions are, what's the best way to clean it all out and what would cause it?
I have a 03 250 gas 5.4 trying to find out the cooling system problem. I've found what I've read to be common oil leaking from back of passenger head. I had never noticed this before but it started very slight now overflow started bubbling over.
There is no coolant in oil no white smoke. My cooling system leak is just head gasket and gasket change could solve the problem or should I did deeper?
Pulled up to a red light yesterday evening and saw some smoke near the right side of the hood. I immediately checked out the temperature gauge and it was fine. Car didn't appear to be overheating. I make it home--2 more blocks--pull into the garage, leave the engine running and pop open the hood.
THE COOLANT IN THE RESERVOIR TANK IS BUBBLING LIKE HOT SOUP AND A NICE PUDDLE HAS ACCUMULATED NEAR MY FRONT RIGHT TIRE--NOT TO MENTION THE TRAIL OF COOLANT LEFT DOWN THE STREET AND UP MY DRIVEWAY.
After some minor research it appears that it can be a few factors (ie, thermostat, fans????) I assumed it was a cracked reservoir (which would explain the leak) but the bubbling it the real issue.
So I noticed one day when I was standing outside of my car right after I had turned it off that I could hear the coolant bubbling some. I had just recently flushed the coolant, put on a new water pump, thermostat, and put in a new reservoir with a new cap so I figured it was just some air in the system because there was air in the top radiator hose. So I just worked the air out and thought that was it. The next time I drove my car it did it again and there was no pressure release when I took off the cap either. I ended up getting the head worked on (valve job and check the head for warping). Even after all of this my reservoir doesn't seem to build pressure and every time there also seems to be air in the top radiator hose. After the car is warm I can work coolant back in the hose and 5 minutes later theres air back in it. I've pretty much replaced everything with the cooling system besides the hoses within the last year so I don't know what it could possibly be.
View 2 RepliesI have 2001 Nissan Xterra SE 3.3L V6. A few weeks ago my car started to overheat while going through the grapevine (mountain pass in SoCal). After filling it up with coolant, I took it to the shop. They couldn't figure out what exactly was the problem. It passed the block test and such. They said the top hose was swelling up as if something was blocking it. They also said my car was going through about a gallon of coolant. They replaced the water pump, thermostat, and the top hose. they also replaced the timing belt.
After driving the car for an hour, it started to overheat again. This time, I took it to the Nissan dealership. They said the timing belt was off by 2 teeth and they think that's why it overheated, so they fixed that problem. They also did a cooling system test and found no leaks.
I got the car back and it still overheats. After the turn off the car, I see coolant being bubbling back into the reservoir almost to the top. Also, my radiator was replaced about a year ago.
I drive a 2006 Accent. A few days ago the code 0496 popped up for evap system issues. The fuel tank is pressurized quite a bit and with the filler cap off you can hear air bubbling up through the fuel. Sounds like blowing air through a straw into a drink. It is constant and putting the cap back on it re-pressurizes quickly. I have never seen this before in any vehicle.
View 1 RepliesTwo weeks ago I was driving home from work and my heat stopped working. I pulled over and saw coolant dripping badly out of the bottom of my truck. I popped the hood and sure enough, coolant was bubbling out of the front passenger side of the intake. I took it to a shop to do the work (quoted at 500-550 out the door with a dorman intake). A week goes by and I get a call from the shop, "After two Dorman Intakes, the truck is not running right", what it could be.
The truck has 367k on it (not sure if original motor). Yesterday I get a call from the owner, " we put the original intake back on and fixed the leak with jb weld. The truck still runs bad. They claim they didnt do anything wrong and will not take any blame for ruining my engine. (Keep in mind the truck ran PERFECT when I took it in there). The truck doesnt throw any codes and they are at a loss of what could have happened. They put in 8 new plugs and 2 coils that they broke while in the process of removing the intake. F150 5.4 ...
Today, the air conditioning stopped working in my 2003 Elantra. Just stopped blowing cold air. Then the engine thermometer kept on climbing. When I pulled over home, I lifted the hood and heard a lot of bubbling and gurgling sounds, and coolant fluid leaked out underneath the car.
What could be the cause of this? When I let the car stay for a while, the AC did kick back on, but only for a few moments and the thermometer kept on climbing again until I turned the car off. The fan is blowing, I can hear it, but it is obviously not cooling the engine off appropriately.
I went to emissions test my 2002 Accent, 1.5L 5spd, and failed because of a faulty engine coolant sensor. Problem is, I can't find it anywhere! Worse, I can't find anything online either. I have my second child on the way and need to sell the car and this is the only thing preventing me to sell. Is it worth it to replace myself or to take to a shop and have them do it.
View 6 RepliesI know my car has a leak. Blok check test confirmed. Symptoms:
Car overheats after driving for awhile but only intermittently
Overflow is filled almost to top after driving and has wet sides.
Coolant fails to return to engine.
Here is the interesting part. I removed the lid for over flow and took out the hose and exposed it to air. Then I took off rad cap. Instant suction and collapse of both lower and upper hoses. Why did this occur? Bad rad cap and or/ blockage?
Experiencing a hairline crack on the coolant overflow reservoir?
I noticed a bunch of dried coolant during my last oil change, ended up tracking it to where the upper radiator hose meets the reservoir. It's leaking a few drops per week, but it's enough to be irritating. I was only able to catch it by feeling the underside of the hose.
My 2000 Accent with 164,000km is not overheating but is dumping coolant into the reservoir so that the radiator is about a quart low. I did have a few problems with it overheating in the past month, but that was solved by thermostat removal (always above 80F here). I stopped before the overheats reached the redline and allowed the engine to cool before continuing, no known adverse performance during the overheats. No water in oil.
Failed troubleshooting:
Drained and replaced coolant x3
New radiator cap
* No thermostat.
Just finished a timing belt job on my 93 celica 5sfe. Filled the coolant up and burped engine. All seems to be well. My question is related to the coolant overflow tank. The cap has a hose attached on one end coming from the radiator and another coming out the other side that is short and L shaped. The L shaped hose isn't attached to anything and is open allowing air to either vent out or vent in to the overflow tank. There isn't any place nearby where the hose might attach to. Is this hose supposed to be "unattached" as it is now or should it be closed to create vacuum for the overflow tank to allow coolant back in to the radiator?
View 4 RepliesI have a 2007 Toyota Corolla that my kids drive, it has 171k miles. Recently it began overheating and blowing coolant out of the overflow causing it to appear it is leaking due to having to keep adding coolant. The car does not overheat every time but is pretty consistent on overheating. When overheating, the heater starts to blow cold air but if not overheating it blows hot air as normal.
View 14 RepliesHave a 2007 Isuzu I290 four cylinder with 5 speed manual transmission with 116000 miles on it. have used Mobile One oil from day one and replace it and the filter about every 8000 miles. Twice in the last 20,000 miles the coolant overflow tank has been empty and an antifreeze puddle on the ground. Both times it was just before an oil change so the truck had gone roughly 8K and the engine oil was down about a half quart to a quart. Engine temperature gauge stayed normal, midway on the gauge, or very slightly above normal, never got hot. Can’t find a leak in the coolant overflow tank or hoses. thought it might be tied to the low oil so was going to check it on a more regular basis and keep it topped up. other than the coolant puddle twice, nothing leaks on it and thus far has been a nice, reliable, maintenance free truck.
View 12 RepliesDoing the 48,000 km service yesterday, and when checking everything noticed the engine coolant overflow bottle was almost empty. MAJOR PROBLEM!
There is no sign of leaking, so I presume it evaporated or it was never filled to the full mark from the factory. Man, that level is hard to check. It's dark down there! I may mark the passenger side end of the overflow bottle. Much easier to see the level there.
Coolant loss, presumably from evaporation? This was after 3 years of operation/48,000 km or 30,000 mi.
'90 Maxima...I've noticed coolant reservoir has been running low/dry and I also notice coolant dripping from the overflow hose. Why would it keep pushing more coolant out if there isn't an excess in the reservoir? Engine runs fine., no other issues.
View 13 RepliesI noticed a bunch of dried coolant during my last oil change, ended up tracking it to where the upper radiator hose meets the reservoir. It's leaking a few drops per week, but it's enough to be irritating. I was only able to catch it by feeling the underside of the hose.
View 14 Replies