TexAg
Well-known member
Before I start, I'd like to state that I have scoured the forums and searched for every possible answer. Unfortunately, I haven't found the specific answers that I'm looking for, so here goes.. I did find one very close (forgot who wrote it) that involved a small tear in the head gasket, but I'm not yet ready to start a tear down.
My car consistently pushes coolant out the overflow. Having several Mustangs in the past, I'm familiar with this concept and wasn't overly concerned at first. I've always assumed that it would equalize at the proper level. Never ran hot, and didn't give me any reason to be concerned, other than the constant.. "excuse me sir, but your car is leaking."
That said, last weekend it did run hot. When I pulled in the driveway it was at about 260. I let it cool and topped off the coolant. It was very low. I didn't assume enough coolant would push out to cause a problem, so I wasn't as good as I should have been about checking it.... BAD CAR OWNER!!
Anyway, all seems to be ok and it runs normal and has returned to normal temp. It's amazing what ample coolant will do. I did notice bubbles (frothing) in the coolant when I was refilling it, but I'm assuming that was caused by the low coolant level and air mixture.
What I know so far:
1) No antifreeze in the oil
2) Thermostat appears to be working as it after running for a few minutes I can see coolant start to circulate. Not a great indicator, but something...
3) Other than the bubbles, antifreeze doesn't look "milky", at least not compared to pictures that I've seen. Also, there is no evidence of an oil residue and the coolant dumped on the drive evaporated without leaving a brown film.
4) I haven't checked timing yet, but it runs great and the guy who built it has a pretty good reputation around this site. :icon_wink So, I'm gonna guess that it's at least close to what it should be.
Questions:
1) Did running it at that temp for an unknown amount of time cause damage that I haven't yet discovered?
2) Why is it pushing coolant so bad?
3) Lastly, I've seen some discussion on radiator caps. Mine is a 13lbs, would a 16lbs correct the problem? Is there a disadvantage?
4) Should I just resign myself to a catch can and keep a better eye on the coolant level?
This weekend I'm going to flush and refill the coolant to see if I find anything more, and to make sure that the mix is right, but if I need to be checking anything else, I'm open to suggestions.
Thanks in advance!
My car consistently pushes coolant out the overflow. Having several Mustangs in the past, I'm familiar with this concept and wasn't overly concerned at first. I've always assumed that it would equalize at the proper level. Never ran hot, and didn't give me any reason to be concerned, other than the constant.. "excuse me sir, but your car is leaking."
That said, last weekend it did run hot. When I pulled in the driveway it was at about 260. I let it cool and topped off the coolant. It was very low. I didn't assume enough coolant would push out to cause a problem, so I wasn't as good as I should have been about checking it.... BAD CAR OWNER!!
Anyway, all seems to be ok and it runs normal and has returned to normal temp. It's amazing what ample coolant will do. I did notice bubbles (frothing) in the coolant when I was refilling it, but I'm assuming that was caused by the low coolant level and air mixture.
What I know so far:
1) No antifreeze in the oil
2) Thermostat appears to be working as it after running for a few minutes I can see coolant start to circulate. Not a great indicator, but something...
3) Other than the bubbles, antifreeze doesn't look "milky", at least not compared to pictures that I've seen. Also, there is no evidence of an oil residue and the coolant dumped on the drive evaporated without leaving a brown film.
4) I haven't checked timing yet, but it runs great and the guy who built it has a pretty good reputation around this site. :icon_wink So, I'm gonna guess that it's at least close to what it should be.
Questions:
1) Did running it at that temp for an unknown amount of time cause damage that I haven't yet discovered?
2) Why is it pushing coolant so bad?
3) Lastly, I've seen some discussion on radiator caps. Mine is a 13lbs, would a 16lbs correct the problem? Is there a disadvantage?
4) Should I just resign myself to a catch can and keep a better eye on the coolant level?
This weekend I'm going to flush and refill the coolant to see if I find anything more, and to make sure that the mix is right, but if I need to be checking anything else, I'm open to suggestions.
Thanks in advance!