OK, my car has been getting a low coolant light for a while now and I just thought that the sensor was going out. Today the car started to heat up a bit. I took it to the shop and took off the radiator cap and it was very low, but when I take off the cap the resevoir starts to spill over. I topped it off and came to a friends house. When I got here I took the cap off again and it was low and the resevoir started to spill over again.

I am going to go try to bleed the system but what is going on with the car? Why is the resevoir spilling over??? Shouldnt it suck coolant out of their when it starts going low???

 

Spend 1/2 hour labor at pro rad shop and get the skinny. JMHO

 

The reservoir can only replace missing coolant when the radiator cools down and creates a vacuum. The radiator is boiling over because either the coolant is getting too hot, or the cap is not holding the rated pressure.

Sounds like several possibilities:
-air is in the system, its boiling and overflowing
-cap is bad and its not holding the pressure, allowing the coolant to dump into the reservoir.
-serious overheating or head gasket problem.

 

Is the reservoir or the radiator spilling over? If the reservoir is spilling over...you do have problems.

 

It is the reservoir spilling over.

Heres the skinny on what's going on. After posting the first post I went outside and did this:

1. I uncapped the radiator and opened the bleed screw on the water neck going into the thermostat housing. I filled up the radiator and waited until antifreeze started to come out of the bleed screw, once it did I tightened it back down and topped off the radiator.
2. I started the car and let it run for at LEAST 20-25 min waiting for it to get up to operating temperature. It NEVER went past the mark between 160-210 so I estimate it never went past 185.
3. I turned off the car and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes and then opened up the bleed screw on the thermostat housing and left it open until a steady stream of fluid was coming out for a few seconds. Then I did the same with the other screw.
4. I opened the radiator cap and I could hear the fluid in the reservoir start to bubble like it was dumping anitfreeze back into the reservoir. I took the cap off and the radiator was full.
5. Drove the car around for a while (it was about 90-95 outside) and it once again never went over abotu 185-190 and I never got a low coolant light.

I'm hoping that there was just air in the lines and I finally got it out. Like I said in the first post, I was getting a low coolant light intermittingly and now it doesn't come on. The car never heated to 210 so it was never overheating. If anything it maybe got as high as 200 but now it doesn't get higher than 185.

Should I go ahead and replace the cap (I can get one from Napa for 10 bucks) or could it have just been air in the lines, which is now gone!?

 

happened to me i had to replace the head gasket

 

Um.......I'm really hoping thats not what it is. Cuz then I would have to just go ahead and get the heads ported and put a cam in it . If it would be the head gasket, wouldn't I be losing anitfreeze from between the heads and block??

You know now that I think of it, I do smell antifreeze burning from time to time while driving the car.

How can I tell if it is the head gasket or not??

 

hey man i had the same problem as u. almost exactly. it was the head gaskets.

 

So are the head gaskets just leaking and letting air in or what??? I just got done spending about 800 dollars getting a new clutch, shifter, and other stuff and I really didn't want to hear that my head gasket is going out. I guess it won't be that expensive because all I will need will be the gaskets since I would do all the work myself.

Any other input would be appreciated.

 

OK guys, its acting up again. I drove it for about a week after I "thought" I got it fixed and it never went above the mid mark inbetween the 210 and 160 mark. Today, my dad and I were driving it since I just got the cluch install done and my low coolant light came on followed by a steady heating. It NEVER got to 210 but it slowly would climb up there. I took it home and let it sit and took the radiator cap off. Sure enough, fluid started to dumb back into the reservoir and started spilling out the bottom of my car. So we took out the battery and there is a crack in my reservoir.

Now I know where the anitfreeze is leaking from, BUT, would a crack in the reservoir cause it to suck air into the radiator?? When I took the cap off it was indeed low on antifreeze.

Do you guys think that maybe by replacing my reservoir that would solve my problem??

 

anyone?

 

ttt, anyone have any suggestions?

 

If the radiator is still hot, its under pressure. When you crack the cap open on a hot radiator, its normal for the coolant to escape, since it expands when the pressure is released, and any hot spots will start to boil because of the lower pressure. That's why you only open the radiator cap when its cold.

A crack in the coolant reservoir above the liquid level will not cause any problems. The reservoir is not under pressure and never sees vacuum. As long as the tube from the radiator is immersed, and the tube is not cracked. Check the hose from the radiator to the reservoir to make sure its not cracked.

Did you ever try bleeding the air using the guideline on Shoebox's Tech Pages?

 

The hose from the reservoir to the radiator is old and very fragile looking. I am going to go ahead and replace the reservoir and get a new hose. I think while I'm at it I am going to go ahead and get a new radiator cap also.

No I haven't done it according to Shoebox's Tech pages. As soon as I get the new stuff installed I will make sure and do it to his specifications.

Thanks alot for the help Injuneer.