My friend's 91 Gran Prix is loosing coolant but there's no signs of smoke out of the exhaust, no water beads on the oil dipstick. Radiator was flushed with a garden hose a month ago and thermostat removed (for checking). Coolant is lost daily and the car overheats when sitting at lights. Any clue where else to look? Thanks.
gran prix loosing coolant, no smoke
- Thread starter gavinl
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On my '90 Cutlass, 3.3 V6, check the return line, bottom radiator hose, connection to the engine. Those hose clamps do work their way loose and can let fluid seep out, especially if it's running hot and under more pressure than nominal. Don't use a screwdriver, use a ratchet.
If the things related to flushing the radiator (that Schmoe mentioned) are not working....
You might suspect the head-gasket. Classic headgasket symptoms are overheating with loss of coolant, or overflowing the coolant overflow bottle without an overheat condition. A bad head-gasket can be verified at a decent radiator shop. They have a little device that they hold over your hot open radiator and it "sniffs" your coolant. If the chemical in the sniffer turns blue, then you have hyrdocarbons in your coolant, which indicates a bad head gasket. This is how I diagnosed a head gasket problem on my '69 Bronco project.
Next time you dump the oil, see if it's milky looking. Some GM's suffered from intake manifold leaks. (I had this problem on my '98 Chev K1500.)
When I have a problem with one of my vehicles, I usually do an internet search and find out what the common problems are for that car.
As my dad used to say..."common things are common". There's some fancy philosophy term for this expression and it sounds more egg-head (I think it's called Ockham's Razor..I digress). Anyhow, if you can find out the problems people are usually having with this car with the same symptoms, then in my experience you've got a pretty good chance of having the same issue.
Good luck with this problem and let us know what the problem turns out to be!
You might suspect the head-gasket. Classic headgasket symptoms are overheating with loss of coolant, or overflowing the coolant overflow bottle without an overheat condition. A bad head-gasket can be verified at a decent radiator shop. They have a little device that they hold over your hot open radiator and it "sniffs" your coolant. If the chemical in the sniffer turns blue, then you have hyrdocarbons in your coolant, which indicates a bad head gasket. This is how I diagnosed a head gasket problem on my '69 Bronco project.
Next time you dump the oil, see if it's milky looking. Some GM's suffered from intake manifold leaks. (I had this problem on my '98 Chev K1500.)
When I have a problem with one of my vehicles, I usually do an internet search and find out what the common problems are for that car.
As my dad used to say..."common things are common". There's some fancy philosophy term for this expression and it sounds more egg-head (I think it's called Ockham's Razor..I digress). Anyhow, if you can find out the problems people are usually having with this car with the same symptoms, then in my experience you've got a pretty good chance of having the same issue.
Good luck with this problem and let us know what the problem turns out to be!
engine and mileage might be helpful in getting an answer.
What size engine do you have?
You still can be losing coolant out the exhaust. It is turned to vapor by the intense heat, and can't be seen.
Only when large amounts are in the exhaust can you see the white cloud behind you.
Pressure test the system.
Only when large amounts are in the exhaust can you see the white cloud behind you.
Pressure test the system.
$20 says it's your lower intake.
GM engines are known for that...
GM engines are known for that...
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