- This topic has 16 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 2 months ago by
.
-
Topic
-
I currently drive a 2001 Chevy Empala with 220,000 miles. 3.8 liter engine.
I am having issues with the coolant system. The coolant wont stay filled when I fill it up. It started overheating a week or so ago and I had to add water to it since I was out by the lake and not at a store to get coolant. I added coolant to the system and it still does not stay filled. When I changed my oil it still looked very black and dark like normal. There was a slow but constant drip under the car. The drip was happening under the passenger floorboard (somewhere under the glove compartment area). The coolant resorvore is also in that location.
Does this seem to be just a common leak somewhere in the coolant system? How likely is it that there is a leak in the system that is putting water into the engine? I really hope it isn’t leaking into the engine, but how do I tell?
Any ideas how to go about this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
-
Replies
-
On cars like yours there are several places common for coolant leaks but the way you describe the leak it appears your heater core is leaking.
To pinpoint the leak you would have get under the car and pressurize the cooling system and look for the leak. It’s possible that coolant from the leak is travelling from a different spot and dripping from the area mentioned.
+++++1 on the above.I deleted your general discussion post
after I saw you posted in the wrong spot. 🙂http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/what-to-do-when-your-engine-overheats
If the coolant reservoir is full at all times it may just be a bad radiator cap allowing the coolant to flow into the reservoir. A bad radiator cap can cause an engine to over heat or boil over because it lowers the boiling temp of the water. In short, try replacing the radiator cap. It’s cheap and (with that many miles) it probably would be a good idea to get one anyway.
I agree. It does sound like you have a leak at the heater core at the very least. You could also have other leaks but you won’t know until you fix the heater core and pressure test the system. Information on pressure testing can be found in the link that College man posted.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/what-to-do-when-your-engine-overheats
I have a 2001 Chevy Empala with about 225,000 miles on it. There seems to be a coolant leak and I have to keep checking it to make sure it is topped off or the car will overheat. I haven’t had any overheating issues now, but there is a leak some place. Lately there has been a noise coming from under the hood. I am trying to figure out where the problem may be, and need some advice.
I checked the coolant every time before I drove the car and made sure there was water in the coolant reservoir. This seemed to keep the car in proper temperature and I was able to drive my car without any problems. It did leak some and I just kept filling it up. But a problem I am seeing more and more is there is a sound coming from under the hood. It sounds sort of like a hissing, slurpping sound. When I check under the hood it is coming from where the serpentine belt is. I would say it is coming from a little lower, like under the generator. My brother thinks it may be close to where the water pump is, but I am not certain.
A sound like this and the approx location, can this help any with knowing what may be wrong with my car? I would like some suggestions before I go out and start buying parts, which I plan on doing later today or tomorrow.
Again, why might the heater core be going bad/causing the leak of coolant compared to what I described above?
Thanks for the help, everyone.
TyPS
I tried to reply to an older thread from a week or so ago, but it didn’t load when I replied to it. Hope that isn’t a problem.[quote=”Tykimeister” post=71873]PS
I tried to reply to an older thread from a week or so ago, but it didn’t load when I replied to it. Hope that isn’t a problem.[/quote]I found your post and consolidated you. 🙂
Here is some advice. Make sure you use the coolant that is recommended by the manufacturer because if you don’t you risk damaging your system.
I have an update about this little problem I have. Yesterday I replaced the water pump and serpentine belt on my car. After test driving the car I noticed a huge improvement with no noise coming from under the hood and the temperature gauge didn’t go higher than normal. Before replacing the water pump I looked for the cause of the noise and I believe there was a small leak by the water pump. But I don’t think it was the cause of the leak described earlier in the post. There wasn’t enough water coming out of it to form the puddles produced before.
So after the repair I noticed yesterday that there was still coolant coming from under the car. The water drips right under the passenger floorboard, under where the glove compartment box is. It has the color of coolant, and it drips enough to form a small puddle after 30 minutes.
There is no leak coming from the water pump, hoses, radiator, head gasket, or any place visible from up top. It has to be coming from some place where I cant see it. Does anyone have any suggestions where to check next? Heater core? Intake manifold?
Thanks[quote=”ToyotaKarl” post=72077]From the location you described it sounds like a heater core leak…
Karl[/quote]
I think I will have to look around there and see if there is any moisture. But the car doesn’t smell of anitfreeze or humid water or anything.
There was a video on youtube saying the elbow o-rings that go from your intake gasket to the belt tentioner can break and cause leaking. Wouldn’t I have been able to see that when I replaced the water pump tho?
Run the car to operating temp and put the defrost on high heat and the fan on high. see if your windshield fogs/steams up… also note for smell….
Karl
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.