I'm loosing coolant but I can't figure out where it is going. I lose about a quart every 150 miles. No coolant makes it's way to the ground and I don't see any signs of leakeage under the hood, although it is extremely hard to see through all that crap. I pressure tested the radiator and it's ok. There is no white smoke out the exhaust. Where is it going? Any guesses?


Car is 97 SS, fully forged, P1SC @ 14PSI, Ported heads, MSD, Flowmaster TD's, etc.

 

You could have a small head gasket leak causing you to consume coolant; it happened to a friend's 94 TA. Car ran great and didn't blow any white exhaust either.

 

Yeah what head gaskets are you using... sounds like you sprung a leak. This is especially true with copper head gaskets.

LT1s always have coolant problems... For instance I never lose coolant but I always smell it.

 

Ditto. That is where it is going...out the exhaust pipe via head gasket leak.

 

I chased a mysterious coolant leak for several weeks a couple of years ago. Pumped the radiator up, checked for head gasket leak with a leak detector, checked hoses and clamps. Couldn't find any leak. Nothing on driveway, but coolant was disappearing. Then, one hot summer day, I came out from the doctor's office to see a puddle of liquid under the car. It turns out it was the plastic tank on the radiator. Apparently the coolant had to reach a temp that was hot enough to cause the crack in the tank to expand. Since I never let the car get that hot sitting in the driveway, no wonder I never saw the leak. Apparently, on that day, after several weeks of contraction and expansion, the tank finally had had enough, and let go. So, check for leaks around the radiator before jumping into the head gasket replacemant.

 

Thanks for the replies...I'll look into those. I've never chased down a head gasket leak before, how do you spot it without inspecting the plugs? We know how fun those are to remove! Also, is there a way to test the exhaust gasses to see if it is burning coolant?

 

I have been chasing a leak for about a year now. When I had the car up in the air, I noticed signs of a coolant leak around the petcock of the radiator and on up going towards the top. Turns out I had a pin hole in the plastic of the radiator just below the cap. After playing with the hole for just a little bit, the hole got a wee bit bigger . Replaced the radiator and have not had a problem since.

 

Yes, you can check the exhaust gases for coolant. You need a combustion chamber leak detection kit. It will also test for exhaust gases coming out of the radiator. Something like this: http://store.autotoolexpress.com/colete.html If you have a neighborhood auto parts store, you might ask if they can obtain a kit for you.