Fixing 1 coolant leak started a 2nd?

[Josh]

hi all,
i have a 1998 Olds Cutlass with 122 000 miles, not been the greatest maintained and she needs some tlc

So for the past while ive had issues with keeping liquid into the cooling system, the car would get hotter than normal (1/4 to 1/3rd the way past the half hot mark) and would hiss and spew steam.

To me it looked like the steam was coming out of the coolant reservoir cap so i got a new one rated for 15 psi (this is what the car quest guy sold me after looking up my make and model, the old cap was too warn to read.) For a day or two this worked great until i got home from shopping and the coolant light was back on and i could hear a really bad leak, the reservoir had a 2 inch split i assume from age and plastic breakdown (it looked like plastic that sat in the sun for a decade)

Now i change out the tank for a brand new one, this one i quickly installed and filled to the now readable fill line and it worked great for a day.. today everywhere i park my car she seems to be leaving a steady drip of coolant. the tank is on the right and the leak is on the left so im doubtful i disturbed anything.

Could it be that this new reservoir cap(says its 18psi) be keeping to much pressure in the system and the pressure relief is just on the left side of the car?
Would reinstalling the new 15 psi cap on this new reservoir risk hurting anything? and then seeing if the leaks continue?

i have not as of yet gone under the car as i will need to buy jackstands or find a “creative” way to park

I want to take the car in and have the ac pressure checked and filled (dosent make cold air) but it dosent seem worth the money until the car runs dependably and its already getting to 100f here in Cali

thank you for any and all help it is very much appreciated
Josh

Topic

[college man]

It sounds like your cooling system needs some tlc. Does the cooling fan run?
Thermostat changed? more in this link.

http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/what-to-do-when-your-engine-overheats

[Tom]

Might not be a bad idea to go over all of your hoses and make sure they are in good condition, replacing anything that is suspect. Might also be a good idea to borrow a cooling system pressure tester, and see if you can’t hunt down your leaks with it. If you continue to lose coolant after repairing all visible leaks, it might be a good idea to move on to compression, and / or leak down tests to be certain that you don’t have a failed head gasket.

[Josh]

ive watched the video on finding leaks witch what gave me the notion that an 18psi cap might be to much pressure for the coolant system. both fans do kick on and stay on when the car warms up but i do not know about the thermostat ill look into that. im about to run to the store so ill see if i can afford/borrow some stands and a pressure tester and maybe put the 15psi cap on and see if less pressure in the system makes the leak go away

EDIT- i installed the 15psi cap (checked the owners manual and it said the cap should be 15 not 18 psi) but in the shop parking lot more leaking.
im trying to get everything in order to go under the car and look for the leak but that will take some time.

[Tom]

In all honesty, 3 PSI one way or another isn’t going to make any difference as far as leaks go. As long as the cap you have is releasing at the proper pressure, you should be ok. Does the leak seem to be from the front of the engine compartment (like where the radiator is) or further back?

[Josh]

it always seems to be a few inches in front of the driver side tire so pretty close to the radiator area, i cannot see anything looking down trough theres just too much in the way to see anything useful.

Im not sure if this will be of any use but the leak dose not seem to be super hot? as in the liquid dripping out didint burn me when i touched it

[Josh]

So since i dont own my own stands and pressure tester and for some reason california is anti-lending of tools the car is going to a local garage for a cooling system pressure test. Ill let you know what the findings are.

I have an odd question, is it normal for the ac to be routed trough the same radiator as the cars coolant? in my car to me atleast it looks like this is the case and makes me very fearful of having to mess with the ac system to fix the cooling system if it comes to that.

[zero]

It’s not an unheard of situation. A cap that has weakened and doesn’t allow the system to build pressure won’t expose leaks that are about to happen. Once you replace the cap and the system builds pressure, any weak spot will show itself in due time.

[Tom]

Agreed that often there are multiple weak spots in the cooling system at the same time, patching up one increases the pressure in the system enough to cause the next one to fail quickly.

As for the A/C and coolant, I’ve never seen them actually built into the same unit. In my experience, the A/C Condenser is a thinner, separate unit that is mounted directly in front of the radiator. Often, it’s location, and the way it is mounted, may make it appear as if it is part of a thicker assembly that includes the radiator, but in my experience, they are always two separate units.

[Author]

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