car running hot overflow bottle emptying weekly

[cmz829]

i have a 1995 atx and i have a coolant leak that i have been trying to diagnose for some time now. i have some smoke or steam? coming from under the passenger headlight (i also think im burning oil so it may be oil smoke) my overflow bottle in empty (literally) weekly. when this happens the car runs at N O but the low coolant light nover comes on. also when pulling into a wal-mart parking lot (a few days after putting stop leak in.) my check engine light came on so i parked turned it off and then restarted it and it was gone. a few days later my check engine light came on as city driving and a minute later went off. my car easily gets up to The O R range.

I also tried pulling codes but couldnt correctly count the CEL even after reading the shotimes faq

 

[St Louis SHO]

Mine has a mystery leak over there too.. comes and goes. I believe mine is from the t-stat housing or the hose below it. (refusing to spend any money on this thing until I finish my 3.2) I just keep adding coolant...

 

[cmz829]

does you car run hot also? also i have no puddles or sign of coolant leaking could it leak somewhere and evaporate?

 

[St Louis SHO]

Mine doesn't run hot. I'd get a pressure tester and see where the leak is coming from. Have you checked your oil? Does it look like chocolate milk?

 

[cmz829]

i can also hear a ticking from under my intake (i think there mau be a possibilaty that my car has no shims at all could this cause any problems like this?

 

[cmz829]

after just checking my car out a little bit with a 85 percent full coolant overfill i warmed my engine up and after it started exceeding its range it inflated the amount in the tank and made it leak out from under the ect sensor what could cause this i can wiggle the sensor and it has some room it doesnt look like enough to presurise the coolant though could this be why i am running hot? and also why would this do this?

 

[MADDOG11]

Radiator cap?!?

 

[cmz829]

that would also explain the steam from the area i suspected. it seems to be coming from the area of the pullys which would come from the coolant leaking outa the oveflow down some metal and onto the exhaust below the pullys causing the steam.

My oil looks to be good also. the only bad thing that i see is some residue by the far left spark plug near the alternator it is not getting into the wells as it is a gritty residue. could this be the coolant leaking and splashing onto it? if this is the reason for my problem this would also explain why the low coolant light would not come on during this problem also correct?

the radiator cap clicks on but it has a little wabble to it most of the coolant that i could see was coming from under the sensor ontop of the tank

im sorry i mistated some information the coolant was leaking from under the coolant level sensor ontop of the radiator coolant recovery reservoir

 

[MADDOG11]

Well, if the cap is more than a couple years old I would replace it just for good measure!

 

[cmz829]

i just changed the cap i didnt get a chance to take it for a drive yet to see if it helped at all but the cap that was there was a motorcraft part so im assuming it was oem and over 10 years old. what about the coolant level sensor seal or the overflow cap could they have any affect?

after driving it with the cap changed it still caused the same problem could there be air in my system now causing this?

does anyone know if the overflow tank contains presure?

 

[cmz829]

does anyone got any ideas do you think it could be my fan? because when going above 50 or so it cools the engine down right to M A from the R M range? what about my radiator what do you think the chance of that being the problem is?

 

[Call_Me_crazy]

Blown head gasket maybe!

http://www.arrowheadradiator.com/head_gasket_or_combustion_leak_test.htm

 

[cmz829]

hmmm is there anything i can do to test it that is free of charge? i checked my coolant and my oil and there are both normal colors i had a little water coming from my exhaust maybe 1 oz after running for 15 min. it was one of those days though that moisture was more prominent

 

[cmz829]

my AC compressor went bad and was skipped could this stop the fan from coming on? and cause this

how about having the radiator cover off for a few months could it clog the radiator with dirt?

 

[Call_Me_crazy]

If your to cheap to run down to the auto parts store, spend a few bucks on something to check the coolant that could possibly save the life of your engine. You don’t deserve to drive that car! You obviously don’t understand the magnitude of your cheap skate attitude toward the diagnosis of your problem and the repercussions that problems may cause for example a damaged cylinder and or collapsed piston. For free you could pull the plugs after letting the engine run for a while with a full radiator and over flow bottle if any of those plugs look like they have been steam cleaned if could also be an indication of a blown gasket. But I f I were you I would just get a test kit!

What do you mean your AC had been skipped? you mean bypassed? If so, How was it bypassed?

hmmm is there anything i can do to test it that is free of charge? i checked my coolant and my oil and there are both normal colors i had a little water coming from my exhaust maybe 1 oz after running for 15 min. it was one of those days though that moisture was more prominent

 

[cmz829]

it has been bypassed by using a smaller belt i believe it is a 5.0 mustang belt ( it was done by the previous owner) when i checked my coolant it looked to be a bright green color and the oil was okay looking also i also think replacing my radiator cap fixed the steam problem.or it could have been fixed from the overflow bottle not being so full because i lost coolant when i changed the cap. i also think that is what caused the spilling near the alternator. but whatever fixed the problem it didnt fix the overheating issue. i would rather **** two birds with one stone and pressurise the coolant system. that would loose pressure if the headgasket was bad also correct? I dont know why you had to speak in the mannor you did as that is not what these forums are for but if you think i should get the test for the headgasket first that is what i will do as you know more then me. thanks

i also think that maybe the overflow was playing tricks on me and the raising and lowering combined with the overspilling made me to believe that there is a leak that maybe doesnt exist but i still have the cooling problem the power steering seems to tense up when it is running above normal temperature also. do you think it could be the belt that is on there slowing down the waterpump making it run warmer?

 

[sdpatt]

Passenger side leaks can only be from a few sources. From front to rear.

1. Radiator end tank seal - chronic problem with the available radiators
2. Radiator cap - poor seal
3. Expansion bottle - cracked
4. Lower radiator hose or loose hose clamps
5. Water pump shaft seals (check the weep hole for flow and the pump shaft for play in the bearings, also check the bottom of the lower timing belt cover under the crank damper for coolant drips)
6. Water pump O-ring seal between pump and block
7. Water pump crossover tube O-ring seal

I had a tough coolant system leak to track down and repair, but it was over the transaxle on the driver's side. Here is the topic I launched on that story (with one picture of the repaired water manifold).

The serpentine belt bypassing the A/C compressor will not affect the water pump unless the belt is slipping. Since you mentioned that the power steering boost is also lacking that is something you need to investigate.

 

[cmz829]

wow thanks for such a informative post its stunning to see a car with over 300k on it in such good shape expecially on a track. i wonder if i have the same leak as you as lately my check engine light comes on for a minute or so after 20 minutes of running and i learned today that if i put it in park when the light is on or just after it went off my rpms go up to about 1600 and if i give it gas at all it likes to hang where i left the throttle at and slowly drop to maybe 2k and hang there till i take it out of park. im thinking the only thing that could cause that is my VSS correct? could it be leaking onto the sensor and causing this? i wish i could properly count the CEL flashes for my EEC test im thinking about today going to get a pressure tester and something to help me read the codes

 

[dpsutphin]

You will always get accurate and informative information from anything sdpatt posts. He may be the best overall SHO expert here.

You must get a cooling system pressure tester. It is simple to use. You attach it in place of the radiator cap (be sure to use the correct adapter so you don't overpressurize the system). Then just pump it up, and you can find almost any leak without dealing with hot fluids.

If you have an Autozone in your area, they will loan you a pressure tester. Basically the way it works is you buy it, then return it as soon as you are done with it.

As for your codes, there are many posts on here about how to get them with a paper clip. But if you don't mind spending $25 or so, you can get a code reader that will beep for you, instead of the flashing lights. They are a bit easier to figure out and read.

Good luck.

 

[cmz829]

i got a chance to pick up the pressure tester but didnt get a chance to use it today but i will get to it tommorow. i tried getting a code scanner but the only one i saw had a flashing light which is practically the same as the CEL i found one on amazon for the same price with a digital reader that i will be recieving in the next few days. i will post the results after i test it tommorow but i dont believe i have a leak im thinking weak fan or radiator because above 50 it sits Right at M A. i believe the leak i had was the overflow tank getting to full and overspilling from the sensor on top. thanks for all the help guys