Who stole my coolant?????

[excobraguy]

I gotta be brief, cause I'm at work but here is the problem:

I've owned the car 2 months. About a month ago it developed a lifter tick. I didn't think much of it and kept driving it, about 1300 miles in total. The tick got louder and I took off the passenger side header and put on a new gasket, still ticking. Now the interesting part, all of a sudden last night I noticed my coolant in the overflow tank, which used to be on the full line, is now gone MIA. I refilled it, took the car out for about a 3 mile drive, came back home and it was empty again! Now I know the coolant level was fine prior to this as I checked it before and all was well. I refilled it and same thing happened. This time I checked the radiator and it was still low as well. I checked inside the car and felt the carpets, dry as a bone, nothing wet there. I checked the exhaust and revved it up, no white smoke or water coming out of it at all. I checked and changed the engine oil last night, 6 qts in, 6 qts out, nothing in the oil.............where in the hell is my coolant going???? This has me baffled!!!!! Can a head gasket blow without getting coolant in the oil??????


Dean

 

[GSX-PKV]

"Can a head gasket blow without getting coolant in the oil??????"

it could blow into a combustion chamber but I would think you would see white smoke. Try putting in some GM stop leak coolant system pills and see if that helps. Paul

 

[graza002]

I had the same problem. It was the head gasket. I replaced them and now, no problems. Good luck.

 

[excobraguy]

I had the same problem. It was the head gasket. I replaced them and now, no problems. Good luck.

Just curious if yours was also making the ticking noise and did replacing the head gasket cause the noise to go away as well...........

 

[JayC]

Another vote for head gasket

 

[Red Regal T]

the ticking sound you're hearing is probably exhaust noise out the blown head gasket. That also may be where your coolant is going ... leaking out between the head and block as you drive.

 

[TurboDave]

I had one blow directly into the coolant passage so the oil wasn't affected, but under boost, air got into the coolant, and under vacuum, coolant got sucked in and flashed to steam and lost coolant that way.

 

[Pronto]

You could throw some coolant dye in there to see if it's squeezing out like Red suggested. Either way sounds like you've got a bad head gasket. You might as well check to the valve train while you got everything apart to see if the tick was comming from there.

 

[excobraguy]

the ticking sound you're hearing is probably exhaust noise out the blown head gasket. That also may be where your coolant is going ... leaking out between the head and block as you drive.

This is what I was suspecting as well. Man this sucks! I just got my Alky kit and now I have to deal with this. The noice does sound more like air being pushed (exhaust) than it does a lifter...........thanks for the input.

 

[excobraguy]

I had one blow directly into the coolant passage so the oil wasn't affected, but under boost, air got into the coolant, and under vacuum, coolant got sucked in and flashed to steam and lost coolant that way.

This sounds like what is happening with mine as well. My vacuum level dropped from about 20 to 14, did yours drop as well? Also, what are some highly recommended head gaskets to use??????

 

[Red Regal T]

Most of the guys around here use felpro. You can get them through Autozone. Someone will chime in the number. I don't know if GM headgaskets are still available. They're very good.

 

[86 TR]

Im pretty sure the Fel-Pro number is #9441. This is the stock graphite headgasket. Actually someone told me victor actually makes this headgasket and felpro sells them.

HTH

 

[graza002]

Just curious if yours was also making the ticking noise and did replacing the head gasket cause the noise to go away as well...........

My car was not making the ticking noise. I replaced my HG with the stock ones. They work just fine, I have not found anything too much better.

As far as the ticking...maybe an exhaust leak. Try sealing the headers, down pipe and any other exhaust related components with permatex (the red stuff). Once I did that on my car I could not believe how quiet the engine became.

 

[RUQWKNF]

My buddy Don, just went through a very similar issue with his car. He kept hearing a ticking sound and couldn't figure it out. I mentioned to him to get under the car and look up at the head to see if he could see signs of the gasket being pushed out, or signs of carbon tracking between his aluminum heads and block. Sure enough he saw the carbon tracking and proceeded to tear it down. Head gasket was blown, as well as discovering his block was split down the middle.
My guess is, you have a blown head gasket. Have you been running the car hard lately without using a scan tool to check for detonation or a lean condition? How much boost have you been running and what gas and whose chip?
Hope this helps.

 

[excobraguy]

My buddy Don, just went through a very similar issue with his car. He kept hearing a ticking sound and couldn't figure it out. I mentioned to him to get under the car and look up at the head to see if he could see signs of the gasket being pushed out, or signs of carbon tracking between his aluminum heads and block. Sure enough he saw the carbon tracking and proceeded to tear it down. Head gasket was blown, as well as discovering his block was split down the middle.
My guess is, you have a blown head gasket. Have you been running the car hard lately without using a scan tool to check for detonation or a lean condition? How much boost have you been running and what gas and whose chip?
Hope this helps.

Yes, ran it hard a few times. I have the Powerlogger and it logged KR sometimes and sometimes it didn't. Normally between the 1-2 shift, I never really ran it hard for long periods of times, just up through the 1-2 shift. I have the extender chip and the o2's were always high enough to be safe, in the mid 850's.......now that you mention it, one day when it was cold and I just started it, I swear I felt air being pushed out the side of the head, probably was blown then and still is now........I will probably tear into it this weekend, hopefully the block is ok!!!!!

 

[excobraguy]

Im pretty sure the Fel-Pro number is #9441. This is the stock graphite headgasket. Actually someone told me victor actually makes this headgasket and felpro sells them.

HTH

You are correct sir, just called the parts store.........do you install the gasket dry or put any kind of sealant on with it????

 

[86 TR]

Install the gasket dry.. Make sure the surface of the block and the heads is perfectly clean with no oily residue at all!!! I like to use brake cleaner because it dries fast and doesn't leave any residue.

Good luck. Changing headgaskets sucks!!!!!!!!

HTH

 

[excobraguy]

I gotta be brief, cause I'm at work but here is the problem:

I've owned the car 2 months. About a month ago it developed a lifter tick. I didn't think much of it and kept driving it, about 1300 miles in total. The tick got louder and I took off the passenger side header and put on a new gasket, still ticking. Now the interesting part, all of a sudden last night I noticed my coolant in the overflow tank, which used to be on the full line, is now gone MIA. I refilled it, took the car out for about a 3 mile drive, came back home and it was empty again! Now I know the coolant level was fine prior to this as I checked it before and all was well. I refilled it and same thing happened. This time I checked the radiator and it was still low as well. I checked inside the car and felt the carpets, dry as a bone, nothing wet there. I checked the exhaust and revved it up, no white smoke or water coming out of it at all. I checked and changed the engine oil last night, 6 qts in, 6 qts out, nothing in the oil.............where in the hell is my coolant going???? This has me baffled!!!!! Can a head gasket blow without getting coolant in the oil??????


Dean

Here are some pics, not that bad I dont think. The block looks to be OK, any input???? I don't have the driver side off yet.......

 

[graza002]

That right there is enough to leak coolant, without seeing any smoke. I will post pics of my HG that were leaking coolant, they are far worse, and never smoked.

 

[BASS]

Does a bad head gasket always lead to any kind of coolant leak?

I also have a VERY slight ticking noise, but my coolant stays full. If its not lifter tick or an exhaust leak somewhere, what else can it be??