timricard Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 So I have a 91 Loyale 4wd (actually my girlfriends) I have been getting it ready ot go on a long road trip and recently flushed the radiator. THe car is just flying throught coolant, I cannot find a leak anywhere (I let the car run for 45 minutes and could not find a drop on the ground) THe car is running great and does not overheat but the boil over resivoir is empty after about 50 miles. I would love any suggestions as to what to do thanks..... Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganM Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 Get it upto full running temp and smell the exhuast. Can you smell burnt coolant? If you dont know what it smeels like drip a few drops onto a hot part of your engine (like the block or heads) and smell it as it cooks off. It's a very distinct nasty oder. See any white smoke out the tail pipe? Sure you had the coolant system 'burped' so there was no air left? A lot of times when you drain the coolant system air gets trapped when you refill it. Once the air works out you have to add more coolant. Best to try and purge all air as you fill it up. Then top it off after you get it upto temp next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 Was it using any coolant before you flushed the radiator? GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vegablade Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 Anybody can correct me if im wrong but you can fill it up then run the car without the radiator cap and add fluid as it begans to run the air out. thats what i did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 Yep - that's usually how I do it. Just make sure not to leave the cap off very long as the system won't be able to build pressure. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmCeeBee Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 If the coolant is disappearing without a trace, and only on long drives..... It's your radiator cap. It's gotta seal tight up to 13 psi. As they get old and lose their seal, it will open at a lower pressure and let the coolant out into the overflow tank, enough to overflow onto the road. Then when it cools, the overflow tank will look low (or empty), as it's pulled back into the radiator. On a long drive (high speeds, climbing), more heat goes into the radiator, so that's when this will happen -- not at idle. If it's the original cap, it's due a new one anyway. Either that, or a leaky head gasket. But you can check for this like the other guys said -- white exhaust, bubbles in the radiator, or a carbohydron test. But a bad head gasket should be evident even at idle, I'd think. -- Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 It's not that simple I'm afraid. It could be a number of things, but check to make sure you have all the air from the system before you suspect other problems. There are three places that the coolant can leak and not make a puddle on the ground. 1. Intake manifold gaskets. 2. throttle body base gaskets. 3. head gaskets. It's a closed system, and if the radiator is full (of coolant - not air), the level in the overflow tank should only go up, not down. It will go up when the system over pressurizes, and it will go down when the system returns to normal. It should not drop below the level indicated on the side of the tank. This indicates a leak. However - the fact that you bring this problem to us after having recently worked on your cooling system exposes the possibility that there is either a lack of understand about the system's operating principles, or that you did something incorrectly. It's difficult to say from afar if this is the case, but I suspect it strongly. I would not jump to the conclusion that you have a blown head gasket - that's just silly. Especially since it's still running. I would buy a new cap as well - that is a good idea for one place to start. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadwick Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 So I have a 91 Loyale 4wd (actually my girlfriends) I have been getting it ready ot go on a long road trip and recently flushed the radiator. THe car is just flying throught coolant, I cannot find a leak anywhere (I let the car run for 45 minutes and could not find a drop on the ground) THe car is running great and does not overheat but the boil over resivoir is empty after about 50 miles. I would love any suggestions as to what to do thanks..... WOW COULD YOU HAVE A INTERNAL LEAK POSSIBLE WATER JACKET PROBLEM OR A CRACK SOMEWHERE I HAVE HAD LOYALES BEFORE AND THEY HAVE HAD HEADGASKET PROBLEMS ALSO I HAD ONE THAT WAS PRETTY BAD I HAD IT REPLACED COSTED ME ABOUT $600 THROUGH MY OWN MECHANIC THEY WERE GOOD ENGINES IF YOU KEPT THEM UP TO SNUFF WELL GOOD LUCK HOPE YOU FIND THE PROBLEM CHADWICK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajavwnsoobnut Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 another check is to check the oil for the "Chocolate milkshake" effect but it sounds to me that it wasn't "burped" properly so hope that all these guys info helps in any way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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