Image Unavailable, Please Login So major engine out 10 months ago, Indy shop. New alternator/battery about 3 months back at the dealer. 3-4 weeks ago blew some antifreeze out during a 10-15 minute warm up (overflow tube) thought no big deal and went for a drive. Checked it later that day dry garage floor. Couple days later looked at the level while cold, it was about 1” below the bottom of the filler tube. Couple more drives, dripped some more during the first drive during warm up. (Overflow tube) So thought I would check it today. Unscrewing the top maybe a 1/4 cup of coolant leaks out while unscrewing the top ? Cap off and it is up to the very top........ How do you gain fluid in the tank. Baffling to me. So remove some and get it down to the proper level or is something going on that I should be aware of ?
Could be several scary things like failed water pump not circulating properly and the coolant is expanding, bad thermostat or bad head gasket pressurizing the system. Or it could be something simple like bad overflow cap not allowing system to pressurize or an air pocket that needs to be purged. What is your temp gauge showing?
All the gauges are normal and at operating temps, maybe a bit on the cool side. I think in the past they have been a tad bit low in the winter time, when it is in the 30-40 degrees outside temp. Does not seem to be any foreign (oil) substances in the coolant. Thinking I will siphon enough out to get it 1” below the filler, take it for a drive and see what happens. Water pump was replaced during the major last year. After lowering the level I will start it and watch the level of the fluid while it warms up, that might get the air out of the system if that’s the issue.
A rough test for any cylinder head gasket leak is, as what you said, start a cold engine with the cap open and watch the coolant level (you have to put the cap back some time before the engine reaches operating temperature to prevent the coolant from boiling over). During the warm-up running, rev the engine very briefly to, say, 4,000 rpm and watch for any gas bubbles coming out of the coolant after that. Also, when you rev the engine, the coolant level should be pulled down somewhat, not pushed up. A better way to diagnose any gasket leaks is to use a Combustion Leak Tester (they cost about $40-50).
Interesting, 355 that makes coolant. That is a new for me. Maybe something from the heat exchanger for the trans? Or it is just odd. I would suck it out to reset the level and see what happens. If it keeps getting high, then I would try and find out what is going on. You may have one of the bleed hoses collapsed and it has an air pocket trapped somewhere too. Just shooting out ideas.
The caps are garbage and 1 in 5 or fewer shops have spent the $20 to get an adapter to test them. On average they last less that 2 years. Test and replace the cap and until it has a symptom don't worry about it. Fluid level is a moving target and human intervention and misunderstanding of it are cause of 99% of the questions. It the reservoir has visible coolant the coolant level will have no negative impact on operation.
Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Lowered the level, and started it. Within a few seconds.........white foam ? Seemed to settle down after 5 minutes, and it is all green again ?
There should only be about an inch of fluid in the bottom when cold. Lower to that level, then take it for a drive.
If it goes up in fluid you likely have a leak in the heat exchanger but then it should show signs of oil in the coolant. This is atleast one probable reason. There are others
Does the white foam feel oily? If so, then Taz355's suggestion of the leaking heat exchanger could be the cause of the increase in level.
So I removed 2 cups of coolant from the tank yesterday, poured it into a clear class container this morning. I will check it later to see if anything other than antifreeze separates from it. No noticeable oil, just the regular slippery antifreeze feeling. Started it yesterday after removing the 2 cups of antifreeze. 25 mile drive, all temps at normal or a bit below. Came home let it sit for 15 minutes, no leaks/overflow. Another 25 mile spirited drive same results. This morning I have 1” of antifreeze measured from the bottom of the tank. I replaced the two small bleeder hoses a year or two back, when I upgraded the power steering reservoir. One was blocked completely. The foam/bubbles, I will start it later today and watch it with the cap off .......and report back on that. After the two drives Yesterday (50 miles) i feel more comfortable with it. I am now questioning my own sanity, thinking it may have been overfilled ? I drive the car every 5-10 days depending on the weather, putting 10-50 miles on it. Seems strange that it suddenly starts pumping out antifreeze twice within ten days and only during a 10-15 minute warm up ? Thanks for the tips and suggestions.
The first picture the coolant looked clean but not the latter ones. Do be sure it isn't oil. Cars will determine their correct level despite what we think. On my own cars I pressure test the system and the cap, fill it and ignore it until the next service is due. I see all the time people trying to second guess physics and trying to establish a fluid level they want and it is a waste of time. If you have not tested the cap and determined it will hold 14-15 lbs for as long as you care to leave it on the tester this is all a waste of time.
Image Unavailable, Please Login Thanks Brian, I will get the cap tested ASAP. Here is the drained fluid, doesn’t seem to have any oil in it......I will check it later. Lol .....very good point, after 5 plus years you figure out the car determines the antifreeze level, not the owner. If you overfill it , the car will blow it out.
You would be surprised to know how many people don't change those hoses at the service interval. They are about $5 each, if that.
As a side note, it couldn't hurt to look at the gearbox oil for coolant contamination. That would solve the guesswork about the cooler at least.
When I first got my (neglected) car it had a similar issue and I was pretty concerned I had a blown head gasket. No oil, but overflow of the fluid. It was not the case at all. As Brian stated, the caps are **** and should be replaced every other year. I also made a dipstick out of balsa wood (so I wouldn't drop it in the tank) to measure the coolant level. While pretty crude, the red lines are my estimates on low and high levels. The black line is the top of the tank cap. If you can't measure it, you can't manage it Image Unavailable, Please Login
hahahaha Your levels are way different than mine. My levels are much higher. Yuuugely higher. Higher than any other 355 out there.
True, I lowered it to 1” from the bottom of the tank. Didn’t start it today, hopefully in a day or two. Thinking between 1”-2” from the bottom is the sweet spot. Wait til I get my “new” stick It will have min/max markings on it, super high tech with multiple color markings on it.
