Malibu :: 2002 3100 V6 Losing Coolant Over A Gallon A Week But With NO Visible Leak
Apr 20, 2013
My 2002 has had a slow coolant leak for quite a while (maybe a quart a month). Now, however, I am losing over a gallon a week, but with NO visible leak!
The oil is clear, with no signs of antifreeze in it, so I am guessing the head gaskets are ok. But I am perplexed as to where my coolant is going!
After reading more threads in the forum, (which I should have done more thoroughly before posting,) it seems that I may indeed have a head gasket leak. From what I've learned, that would cause me to lose coolant through the exhaust while driving, and would explain why I don't see a visible leak anywhere. Am I on the right track? Before I replace the head gaskets, are there any other causes that may have a simpler fix??
View 7 Replies
Advertisement
A friend of mine has a 2002 Century with a 3100 engine, 65,000 miles. The car has been well cared for, with all regular maintenance performed on time.
The car is losing coolant, the low coolant sensor comes on every few hundred miles. The local garage has added coolant, replaced the coolant sensor , and flushed the entire system. At this point my friend asked me to have a look.
1) Slimey "milkshake" on oil cap. Cleaned & dried it 4 days ago. 100 miles later, it's all slimey again.
2) Rad cap also has slimey gunk on it.
3) Coolant recovery tank is CRUDDY. The walls are all darkened with what I'd assume is oil residue.
Now, before anyone starts saying this is normal with Dexcool, I'll mention that I have a '98 and an '02 Grand Prix with Dexcool, they have 218,000 and 158,000 miles, respectively. My oil caps are bone dry. My coolant caps have only Dexcool on them. And my coolant recovery tanks are so clean they look new.
In seems to me that there is some kind of internal issue, e.g. intake manifold gasket, where the fluids are mixing. FWIW, I don't see any sign of external coolant leakage. Do the 3100s have any known issues in this area? I suggested my friend have the Buick dealer pressure test it (when it's cold), and go from there.
View 14 Replies
I'm pretty new but we have an '02 Passat (68K miles) that has been pretty trouble free until lately. I'm losing about a 1/2 quart of coolant every week to 10 days; just enough for the coolant light to come on. The car never overheats and the oil looks clean (not milky). But I can't find the leak . I do see some dirt and grime build up on the front of the engine as well at the rear of the engine near the tranny, but nothing definite..
View 19 Replies
I started loosing a bunch of coolant on my tdi which is still under 36k and there is no visible leaks anywhere
Took the car to the dealer last night to get it checked out and they were ready to send me back home telling me there is no issue since they don't see any leaks under the car
Either way after telling them that I have already gone through 2 gallons of coolant they decided to top off the coolant and ask me to drive 200 miles.
I drove 156 miles last night since I need to get this issue resolved and now the coolant tank is empty again... sitting at the dealer while I'm typing this.
View 19 Replies
i have a 03 gti vr6. 24v 6 speed. it started losing coolant the other day. but the thing is the radiator all the hoses and the water pump(s) are all dry. its fine when its cold, holds coolant just fine. but when it warms up its only fine at idle, so im guessing its some sort of pressure related leak. the car goes through half a gallon every mile or so. only the inner fender on the left side is soaked and the suspension components on that side as well.
View 13 Replies
I've had to replace my radiator twice due to it overheating. I am noticing coolant level going down but I'm not seeing any signs of an external leak. My garage is saying it is probably internal and going into the engine. Says I probably have to replace the head gasket but that will be very expensive.
Could I get some further feedback on what it could be and what else I could do? I am also getting a check engine light on a "lean mixture" issue. Not sure if they are related.
View 6 Replies
I have a 2006 Jeep Liberty (2WD), 149k miles, that has been using a lot of antifreeze lately. I am using a full 50/50 gallon mix about once a week. I do not have any visible leaks. My heater no longer works and I was not sure if that may be a cause. The check engine light is on, but has been since I purchased the vehicle in 2012. I thought it may be a gasket, but do not see any white smoke from the exhaust. I am not hearing any strange sounds, so I am perplexed.
View 5 Replies
My 1999 mercury mountaineer 4.0 smells like coolant there r no visible leaks overflow is at the normal the temp gauge didn't go high and the cap is cold IM kinda confused...........
View 9 Replies
Our '03 Infiniti I35 lost large amounts of coolant each time on 2 long trips but when we did a pressure check, we couldn't get it to leak anywhere we could see and no visible signs of where it may have leaked while driving (no drip lines, puddles, etc.). We're not sure where the water pump is located, but have been told it's internal to the engine, so how can we tell if it's gone bad? Would the coolant burn off with no visible signs? We changed the radiator cap but no change. We use a trusted shade tree mechanic, but he's stumped.
View 7 Replies
Just noticed my level is about an inch below the full mark, it was fine at the last oil change, no leaks that I can see....nothing on the ground.
View 8 Replies
I have a '98 Honda Civic with 230K miles on it. Last month, I suddenly saw few drops of coolant on my garage floor. I opened the hood and saw coolant splashed over the engine. I opened the coolant reservoir and it was empty. Surprisingly, the car never overheated and neither did the temp needle go up. I took the car to the mechanic (Honda shop) and they said that the radiator is leaking. I replaced the radiator and after driving for couple of weeks, the same issue re-occurred.
The coolant ran low in the reservoir and there was coolant splash over the engine. I took the car back to the shop and they said that the hose was not properly installed. They fixed it and said there is no sign of leak. I have been driving for a week now and check the coolant routinely. I have noticed that the coolant level has again dropped significantly. But, after the last fix, I do not see any visible sign of leak. There is no evidence of coolant anywhere under the hood. I am not sure if there is something else going on now. Is there something else I should check?
View 13 Replies
My 4.2 l f150 has been losing a lot of oil.7quarts in a week.the truck runs great and it does not smoke.i have been under the truck looking for any significant leaks.I left it parked on concrete overnight no oil drips. I've had my wife rev it up while I was under the truck cannot find anything
View 5 Replies
1989 3.0 shorty - 135K on her - and at 21 years old, the original radiator finally failed with a hair line crack, and so I bought a plastic on, from on of the part stores, put it in, and now it takes on like a gallon a month of antifreeze.
BUT I see no leak at all... the engine runs fine, and not head gasket or crack head (been there done that with the explorer I have). I don't smell it either really -heater core is dry... as is floor underneath. Need replacing the Radiator?
View 14 Replies
89 3.0L - I seem to loose a little bit of coolant every time I drive maybe like 1/2 a pint?
I checked every connection - engine running, and even waited to make sure the t-stat was opening, and closed, etc (maybe it was the top hose, nope)
I did replace the radiator a couple of years ago, and had the problem ever since I did that, but at the same time, I also replaced the T-Stat with a 165 degree, since she was starting to run a bit on the hot side, even with the new water pump and radiator I did... on a cool day, it would run at the middle of the gauge with a 190 degree... and with AC on, hills and 95 degree days, it would be pushing upwards of 3/4 of the way on the gauge...
Could the 165 degree therm stat be somehow causing a 13 lb cap to not function properly? I replaced the original with a Stant... but Im thinking I should get a new Motorcraft OEM cap, since the other one lasted 20 years!
I kept the old radiator - love it - "wow real brass/copper in there!" it was still fine when I pulled it, but had a hairline crack right below the top hose area...
Anyways, pressure tests revel nothing, I see no bubbles or anything with the engine idling, cap off
View 9 Replies
A few weeks ago my car over heated and stopped. I had it towed and the mechanic changed the water pump, timing belt, gasket cover and more. About two weeks ago I noticed antifreeze on my drive way. Took it back in and the mechanic changed a clamp on the radiator. it continued to leak antifreeze. I took it to Pep Boys for a pressurized test, they couldn't find a leak, but did say my radiator hoses needed changing and they suspect the radiator cap is the problem. That was a week ago. I just got back from vacation and the reservoir keeps getting low every day, but not at the minimum line since the first mechanic filled it to the top. There is not apparent leak under neath the car. No smell when I start. Oil is not milky. Called first mechanic he said sounds like a blown head gasket....
Car is Honda Accord 1999, 138K miles.
View 19 Replies
I have had a Jeep Grand Cherokee for about 4 years. Over the last year or so, I have been having coolant loss. At first, it was very little over the course of a month. Now it is about a half a gallon over a few days. We can't find any leaks. The oil does not appear milky. There is a bit of moisture under the valve cover. What could be the problem?
View 3 Replies
I noticed when I shut off the truck about 30-40 minutes later I'll open the degas bottle cap and notice there is no pressure.
I used a coolant pressure tester kit and pumped in 16PSI but couldn't hear or find the leak.
I'm going to buy a smoke machine in a month or two but until then, can I still drive the truck ?
I'm guessing it is a pin hole leak somewhere as once I shut the truck off... there is a lot of coolant pressure.
View 7 Replies
I have a 2002 Honda Odyssey with 260,000 miles on it. It started randomly overheating this hot summer we have been having. We change the thermostat and flushed the coolant/radiator and still overheats. I do not see any leaking on the garage floor but am loosing coolant and need to put more in about every 14 days. I do a lot of highway driving. What should I look at next?
View 3 Replies
Have a 2002 V6 in the family that's losing coolant at a rate of about an expansion tank every 3 -4 weeks.
I have searched all around with a flashlight, don't see any signs of coolant residue near the radiator, expansion tank or cap, water pump, or heater core connections. Heater core does not smell like coolant. Exhaust does not smell sweet or does not steam once the car is warmed up.
I pressure tested the cooling system on up to 18-20 PSI and still can't find any evidence of anything leaking out anywhere.
I'm going to change the upper and lower radiator hoses this weekend in the thought that maybe it's a pinhole leak once hot and under pressure (I pressure tested cold). Any common things I'm missing where it may leak?
View 7 Replies
Reman engine (8plug, 4cylinder) loses a quart of coolant each week. Dealer who installed the engine replaced radiator, fan+clutch also. They can't find a leak and neither can I. Gauge reads cold, but it did that before the old motor blew out. Where the heck is coolant going to?! I don't want to blow out the motor, what is the cause?
View 2 Replies
Had my oil changed on my 2011 F350, and the tech said that I lost one gallon of antifreeze coolant. Where could the coolant have gone? We could not find a radiator or hose leak. I am afraid that the coolant somehow got into the engine oil, and may have damaged the engine. I have 46000 miles on the truck.
View 14 Replies
