[jj93egt]

I started some long commutes with my EGT (130 miles per day)...and every morning I have to add coolant to the overflow bottle. The radiator stays in the same place.

There is no sign of leaking coolant.

I am afraid that the car has a bad head gasket but it runs great and there is never any white smoke or smell of coolant under any circumstances.

The water pump is failing, but I do not see any water coming out of the weep hole nor do I smell it.

I certainly don't want to put the time and money into the water pump and timing belt if it is still going to be guzzling coolant every day!

Any ideas as to what is going on?

Thanks

 

[LariRudi]

I started some long commutes with my EGT (130 miles per day)...and every morning I have to add coolant to the overflow bottle. The radiator stays in the same place.

There is no sign of leaking coolant.

I am afraid that the car has a bad head gasket but it runs great and there is never any white smoke or smell of coolant under any circumstances.

The water pump is failing, but I do not see any water coming out of the weep hole nor do I smell it.

I certainly don't want to put the time and money into the water pump and timing belt if it is still going to be guzzling coolant every day!

Any ideas as to what is going on?

Thanks

It's been a long long time, but had a BRAND NEW CAR in 1969 that did the same thing. There's alot of intermediate steps the experienced folks can suggest, but the END of MY story was a leaking head gasket, just keep sucking a cup a day, right into the exhaust. Service Dept couldn't find it. An old friend of mine asked me why my exhaust looked odd? he knelt down, smelled it, and said my car is drinking in the antifreeze; took it to Service Dept, they fixed it. Praises to the home town local garage, 600 miles away.

Of course the same thing can happen with a cracked head, but these are the LAST POSSIBILITIES that we wish on ANYONE. See what else the other guys say.

I'm giving you MY story, because in my place there was no evidence, except I had to keep ADDING; in my case, once a week.

Good Luck,

LarryR : )

 

[LOWETGT]

I started some long commutes with my EGT (130 miles per day)...and every morning I have to add coolant to the overflow bottle. The radiator stays in the same place.

There is no sign of leaking coolant.

I am afraid that the car has a bad head gasket but it runs great and there is never any white smoke or smell of coolant under any circumstances.

The water pump is failing, but I do not see any water coming out of the weep hole nor do I smell it.

I certainly don't want to put the time and money into the water pump and timing belt if it is still going to be guzzling coolant every day!

Any ideas as to what is going on?

Thanks

Unless you take the timing cover off, you wouldn't be able to see the weep hole. If the water pump or connections are leaking, coolant usually appears at the front main seal and it leaks around it. There are small bypass hoses and oil cooler hoses that could be leaking under pressure. It is a closed system and f it is truly not leaking it, it is using it. HG is always a possibility, but other things can cause coolant consumption. Like cracked head, intake or IAC leak; I believe coolant flows through both. I would pressure up the system had have a detailed look. Park on some cardboard over night and see if any fluids appear. If no leaks are present, then have a "block test" done to ensure no exhaust gases are making it into the coolant. Exhaust gas in the coolant would suggest a head problem.

 

[jj93egt]

I started some long commutes with my EGT (130 miles per day)...and every morning I have to add coolant to the overflow bottle. The radiator stays in the same place.

There is no sign of leaking coolant.

I am afraid that the car has a bad head gasket but it runs great and there is never any white smoke or smell of coolant under any circumstances.

The water pump is failing, but I do not see any water coming out of the weep hole nor do I smell it.

I certainly don't want to put the time and money into the water pump and timing belt if it is still going to be guzzling coolant every day!

Any ideas as to what is going on?

Thanks

Unless you take the timing cover off, you wouldn't be able to see the weep hole. If the water pump or connections are leaking, coolant usually appears at the front main seal and it leaks around it. There are small bypass hoses and oil cooler hoses that could be leaking under pressure. It is a closed system and f it is truly not leaking it, it is using it. HG is always a possibility, but other things can cause coolant consumption. Like cracked head, intake or IAC leak; I believe coolant flows through both. I would pressure up the system had have a detailed look. Park on some cardboard over night and see if any fluids appear. If no leaks are present, then have a "block test" done to ensure no exhaust gases are making it into the coolant. Exhaust gas in the coolant would suggest a head problem.

Thanks for your thoughts guys.

 

[bisjoe]

A cracked head usually gets really bad fast, a head gasket can leak a little for a long time but eventually will put out big clouds of steam and you'll have to stop. I'd put my money on a small leak such as a hose clamp, water pump as mentioned before, even radiator cap not holding pressure or a leaky heater core. Whatever it is it will eventually get worse and help you find it, but at the price of coolant you'll spend a lot replacing it.

 

[Onegimp]

Heater core leaking? See if the carpet is wet on the passenger floor next the ECU.

 

[jj93egt]

Ended up being a bad water pump and a really difficult to see crack on the hose to the overflow right next to the radiator cap.

 

[LOWETGT]

Wow thread revival. Glad you got it!