Cooling system issue!

speedracer · Post by **speedracer** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:04 pm

I have suspect a cooling issue based on the following symptoms. My heater does not blow hot air until the engine is really hot. I've noticed abnormal sounds from the passenger side of engine aroung belts. It takes my car an abnormally long time to warm up on cold starts.

I used the search and came up with possible diagnosis for the above stuff. But to add to it, my drivebelt feels looser than I think it should. There is noise coming from the belt area. My upper radiator hose doesn't seem to have an obvious leak but looks like it's sweating coolant. I tried checking my coolant level on a cold engine and it's very difficult to see with even a flashlight.

The worst part is I took off my pressure cap and found no coolant but milkshake under the cap and in the filler neck. I checked the oil but found no coolant in it. How screwed am I?

r/tguy02 · Post by **r/tguy02** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:08 pm

speedracer wrote: The worst part is I took off my pressure cap and found no coolant but milkshake under the cap and in the filler neck. I checked the oil but found no coolant in it. How screwed am I?

did it have the consistency of a milkshake, or just the appearance? when was the last time you flushed out the cooling system and replaced the fluid? i'd flush it and put new fluid in and see what it does then.

speedracer · Post by **speedracer** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:18 pm

Oh yeah, I had a flush and fill about 1 to 2 months ago.

r/tguy02 · Post by **r/tguy02** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:25 pm

how many miles are on it. have you replaced the water pump ever?

Post by **occasional demons** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:30 pm

My guess is if you have an ATX, you are fucked. Check the tranny fluid. If it is also milky, and you have been driving it, chances are the ATX won't last long. Hopefully you have an MTX, and it is something else....

Edit: Well I see MTX in your sig, so if that's true, it could be foam from low coolant. Check down by the water pump for seeping.

r/tguy02 · Post by **r/tguy02** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:31 pm

it says in his sig its an mtx, i was thinkin the same thing OD

Post by **occasional demons** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:33 pm

TMFS!

speedracer · Post by **speedracer** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 4:10 pm

yep mtx, it has approx 56,000 and no I have never changed the water pump.

r/tguy02 · Post by **r/tguy02** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 4:13 pm

check your tstat to see if its opening at the correct temp

Post by **racer12306** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 4:18 pm

How about oil level and condition?

speedracer · Post by **speedracer** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 8:08 pm

On inspection of the oil dipstick the oil was two thirds full and normal looking blackish oil. There was no milkshake or anything I wouldn't expect to see under the oil cap.

OB · Post by OB » Thu Jan 07, 2010 10:02 pm

The most common ways for engine oil to get into the coolant would be via the cylinder head. Either a cracked jacket or a blown head gasket. Have an oil analysis done on your motor oil to confirm. You'll see high sodium and potassium readings if coolant has made its way into the oil. Sometimes, depending on the location of the issue, oil gets into the coolant but not vice versa. I've never seen it in the field, but I do know people who have. It is causes by the difference in pressure between the two systems. Oil pressure is much higher than cooling system pressure in many parts of the engine.

Donkeypuncher · Post by **Donkeypuncher** » Fri Jan 08, 2010 1:45 am

Check all the hoses at the clamps as well. Sometimes they can leak under pressure at higher rpms, then seal back up when the rpms are closer to idle conditions.

I've seen it happen a few times on cars with older hoses that like to swell up under pressure.

2GN.ORG

Cooling system issue!

Cooling system issue!

Re: Cooling system issue!