You fill coolant through your AST?

 

i had the same exact symptoms when i bought my car from frits flynn. then it got harder to start. started smokin smelled sweet. then i when i started to pull da motor coolant started coming out when i pulled the exhaust manifold. total miles driven after i bought the car less than 1000 miles all highway miles too. tell me that aint bull ****.

 

Yep. Fill AST first, then fill at filler neck.

 

Damn, i been filling it through the filler neck all along.

Not that i had to do it often but when i changed my AST to aftermarket, i filled it. Then after i ran the car, the coolant was still low (looking at the filler neck) so i filled it there. I havent opened my AST cap since i installed it which was 3 years ago. lol

I assumed to fill coolant at the filler neck since its the highest point.

Am i wrong?

 

I wouldn't say you're doing it wrong, but it is a lot more effecient to fill the lower point first so you don' t have to waste time letting the water in the higher point (filler neck) trickle down and swap air with the lower point (AST). If you kept the AST cap on while filling the filler neck, that must take a very long time; not to mention you are very likely leaving air in the system.

 

I've gone through that! Sorry!!!! If I was you, I'd just order a rebuild kit. I'd just wait till it got warm again...

If youre loosing coolant and the buzzer comes on every couple of days, youre screwed ; If you pull up to get gas and when you start it back up it takes an extra sec or 2 to crank, youre screwed ; its kinda hard to pick up the coolant smell over the unburned fuel but open a coolant bottle and take a wiff, you'll pick it up...and yet again, youre screwed.

Good luck! let me know what you end up doing, if i'm running i'll head out there and give you a hand!

 

That makes sense but isnt that the job of the AST? To get rid of the air?

Cause i figure after a couple of times the system has been pressurized, then letting the car depressurize, then you fill at the filler neck til it doesnt go down anymore (assuming there are no leaks).

Idk thats how i have done it. I just fill through the filler, then run the car, then let it cool down, check and fill if necessary. I never had a problem ever, no coolant light, no buzzer.

 

I *think* I may have found the culprit to my problems... at least some of them. I've been smelling coolant in the engine bay, but not the exhaust. No matter how hard I searched for a leak, I couldn't find one. I moved my hands all along the engine, and everything always felt dry. I drove it today for about 6 miles, and came back home to check again. First thing I notice is a decent amount of coolant coming out of the area near the water pump. It was coming out at a decent rate immediately after I shut the vehicle off, and slowed down drastically after a few seconds. So at least I know why I am leaking so much, leaving possibility that my coolant seals are ok. However, I do not know exactly where this leak is coming from; it looks as if it is leaking ON the water pump, not out of it. I didn't look for very long, as I just snapped a picture and came inside to eat and post up that I have some hope.

Could this leak be a possible reason that my vehicle is a little more difficult to start when it is warm, rather than bad seals?

 

Maddslow I hope its a $3 WP gasket thats your problem.

 

some times if the wp leaks it just means the time has come time for a new 1

-Ron

 

I don't see how a WP gasket leak could have any effect on start-up, hot or cold. That is probably a separate issue.

 

Or a possible cause to his current problem.

 

True, but it may of led to the engines failure? Coolant pressure loss caused by the faulty water pump/gasket?

 

Coolant pressure loss w/o overheating would not cause the coolant seals to fail.

Now, if the coolant loss led to overheating, that's a different story.

 

True. I thought his car overheated.

 

I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit ... only way to be sure.

OH, I mean he should change the WP gastket, maybe WP too and if it still has a hard time starting ... only way to be sure

 

That leak could also be coming from the o ring around the thermostat. Since its much easier to take that off versus the water pump, maybe you should check that first.


Oh, and.....

maybe we could build a fire, sing a couple of songs, huh? Why don't we try that?

 

Well, this is rather embarassing, but there was a hard-to-identify leak that should have been my first assumption. After posting that picture, I went back outside and made sure all of the bolts were tight. Then I made sure the hose was on nice and snug, and started up the car. I let it run for a little while, and only occasionally saw a short rush of water coming from the spot in the picture. So I let it run a little longer. I come back, and it is flowing somewhat constantly. So I look around attempting to find the leak, and it just doesn't look like the w/p. I inspect the radiator hose closely, and notice VERY tiny bubbles around the back of the filler neck. It turns out that the hose clamp I was using (not sure what it is called, it is the kind you hold together with pliers, then release, and tighten by pulling the pliers apart) did not keep enough pressure on the hose after the system was charged. Somehow defying gravity, the coolant would go UP the filler neck (even though the water was a trickle, not a pressurized spray) and over, all the way down to the spot in the picture. I put a different clamp on, and tightened it as much as possible. Drove it for about 40 miles, then let it sit overnight. When I checked it today, the coolan't was almost completely full. I'm guessing now it just needs to be burped. I'm very relieved that this is the reason I was losing so much coolant. But I'm still unsure if it is burping itself now or eating coolant.

The car is still difficult to start when it is warm, which is still leading me to think my coolant seals are done. I guess I will figure out next year, as the car is going into storage in 10 days...

 

I've had that same leak from the upper rad hose where it meets the t-stat housing. You want to use a spring clamp like you described and not a worm-gear clamp - don't be tempted into using one of those because it will tear up the hose. Get a new factory clamp.