Coolant consumption

[Josh P]

Why is it so often the left one that is wagered???

Because about 90% of people are right handed. I'm not sure of the actual reason.

 

[hunterwolf]

i had a '93 and there was a problem with head gaskets in various ford models back then,,, many people went back to the dealers and paid for the head gaskets to be replaced,, i used a powder brass colored stop leak, one tea spoon at a time,, after 325,000 miles, it still worked..
it's how much money you want to spend..

 

[Chirko]

Hi, when I bought my truck, I noticed that the radiator cap needs a seal. I added a suitable size rubber ring. Another case with another car. I couldn't find a coolant leak. The leak came through a small crack in the radiator only at operating temperature and quickly evaporated. So it was hard to see.

 

[fabianoliver]

Thanks Chirco, i think may be here i have the same case.
Yesterday my hope returned.
When I bought the truck, it had a red fluid leak, a little, but I saw a few drops of red fluid on the floor one of the two times I went to see it.
Since the steering pump was in very bad condition and noisy, I thought it was red steering fluid...
When buying it, I changed the steering pump, and used green cooling, and I didn't see any more losses.
Looking at the bottom of the radiator yesterday, I saw that there was a dried residue of red fluid near one of the support legs.
I called the previous owner and asked him what color was the cooling he used and he told me: red.
i guess that loss remains.
At night I look with a flashlight with the engine warm, and i came back

 

[Chirko]

Thanks Chirco, i think may be here i have the same case.
Yesterday my hope returned.
When I bought the truck, it had a red fluid leak, a little, but I saw a few drops of red fluid on the floor one of the two times I went to see it.
Since the steering pump was in very bad condition and noisy, I thought it was red steering fluid...
When buying it, I changed the steering pump, and used green cooling, and I didn't see any more losses.
Looking at the bottom of the radiator yesterday, I saw that there was a dried residue of red fluid near one of the support legs.
I called the previous owner and asked him what color was the cooling he used and he told me: red.
i guess that loss remains.
At night I look with a flashlight with the engine warm, and i came back

I ran into this on an Opel Vectra. I didn't see any problems. Couldn't find a leak. But I pressed one of the flanges and antifreeze flowed out from under it. The crack was right under the flange. When pressed, heated, vibration, the crack became wider. Antifreeze gradually flowed out and immediately evaporated. i marked it in red.

 

[410Fortune]

A coolant pressure tester would find that leak

 

[jnhalvo]

Hello all !!
My 94 xlt manual transmission 140K miles, consumes coolant since i bought it 4 months ago.
Now is summer here, and the other day i needed to refill the radiator and expansion tank with half gallon ( 1,7 lts) after 280 miles mixed driving.
The fuel tank cap seems in good shape ( not too old), and cames with the truck. I don't know the bar specs of it ..
I don't see coolant speeled in the floor, or in the engine compartment, and i've never noticed a vapor pressure coming from the engine.....
The engine is running fine, and the truck is in very good condition now.
When i changed the plugs, the old ones seemed fine, at least at my eyes.
What can be the cause?, and how can i test to try to figure it out?
The temp gauge is fonctioning ok, and the needle stays always just befor the "N" letter.
Any advice is welcome
Thanks!!!

CHECK THE OIL!!!
Change the oil and see if it is becoming "mocha" colored - Looks like coffee with cream in it. If that's the case, one of two things to check:
- Is the water pump "internal"? When these leak, they leak in to the oil pan, not the ground
- Your head gasket may have failed and it's turning to steam inside the cylinder
Check for this ASAP. Both will lead to premature engine failure.

 

[410Fortune]

Well he has one spark plug that is steam cleaned soo….

 

[Chirko]

CHECK THE OIL!!!
Change the oil and see if it is becoming "mocha" colored - Looks like coffee with cream in it. If that's the case, one of two things to check:
- Is the water pump "internal"? When these leak, they leak in to the oil pan, not the ground
- Your head gasket may have failed and it's turning to steam inside the cylinder
Check for this ASAP. Both will lead to premature engine failure.

Also in such cases, white smoke from the exhaust pipe is possible.

 

[Winter Hawk]

For several years my '89 Ranger had this problem. Did a leak down pressure test which showed nothing abnormal. Took the truck in to get the oil changed several months ago and the shop guy told me the coolant weep hole in the water pump was dripping. I didn't ever find any coolant on the concrete driveway, but there it was. Replaced the water pump and all is well.

Just another thing to look at, especially if you are hearing a tinkling sound at the front of the engine.

 

[steve l]

Hello all !!
My 94 xlt manual transmission 140K miles, consumes coolant since i bought it 4 months ago.
Now is summer here, and the other day i needed to refill the radiator and expansion tank with half gallon ( 1,7 lts) after 280 miles mixed driving.
The fuel tank cap seems in good shape ( not too old), and cames with the truck. I don't know the bar specs of it ..
I don't see coolant speeled in the floor, or in the engine compartment, and i've never noticed a vapor pressure coming from the engine.....
The engine is running fine, and the truck is in very good condition now.
When i changed the plugs, the old ones seemed fine, at least at my eyes.
What can be the cause?, and how can i test to try to figure it out?
The temp gauge is fonctioning ok, and the needle stays always just befor the "N" letter.
Any advice is welcome
Thanks!!!

i had the same... $20 part was broken and leaking. Valve/Switch around the heater/cooling line near where the heater line goes into firewall ... plastic part that probably was old and brittle. No probs after replacing.

 

[fabianoliver]

For several years my '89 Ranger had this problem. Did a leak down pressure test which showed nothing abnormal. Took the truck in to get the oil changed several months ago and the shop guy told me the coolant weep hole in the water pump was dripping. I didn't ever find any coolant on the concrete driveway, but there it was. Replaced the water pump and all is well.

Just another thing to look at, especially if you are hearing a tinkling sound at the front of the engine.

Hi Winter, thanks for your reply
I hear a ticking sound, just when i start the engine, like for the first 10 seconds, then it disapears....what can it be?

 

[fabianoliver]

i had the same... $20 part was broken and leaking. Valve/Switch around the heater/cooling line near where the heater line goes into firewall ... plastic part that probably was old and brittle. No probs after replacing.

Hi! Steve, txs. I've replaced the heater, and the valve, so i assume it's fine, i'll check anyway.

 

[donalds]

Did anybody suggest $40 pressure testing tool for the cooling system

 

[C420sailor]

I’m with donalds. Pressurize the system, check for leaks. Could be as easy as a radiator end cap weeping—they do that when they get old and the rubber seal shrinks.

If it’s leaking into a cyl, an inspection camera will help. All the i cylinders will have normal carbon deposits and the leaky one will look steam cleaned.

 

[fabianoliver]

Hi, thanks Donald and C420, as you and 410 said, with a pressure will be easier and the way to go, but the cheaper is at 150$...
Well yesterday I was looking at the radiator support, when the engine reached the working temp, and it seems that it has leaks, which go down on both support legs, from there it drips.
I am going to calculate how much an average radiator repair costs here, and if it is worth it to buy a new one in the USA, and bring the water pipes, and also bring an air conditioning one (I bought the truck without an AC compressor because they had it pulled out for repair and that never happened).
After replacing the radiator I will continue thinking about everything that has been said in this thread, about the engine, and maybe I can start preparing something preventative for later.
Here is a video of the area in question, at the end there's a piece of charcoal foam, maybe the previous owner put it there to avoid a leack in the floor.....
Here the link