Where Is My Antifreeze Going?!?!?!?

[Jdaniel]

Im STILL losing coolant and I cant figure out where its going. There is nothing on the ground, no smells while driving and nothing in the oil at all.

I just got my car back from Murillo Motorsports. I had some stretched head bolts (thats what they supposed because the gaskets looked good) so I had the motor removed and the heads completly overhauled before reinstallation. I used stock head gaskets cause everyone said they were the best. I used ARP 2000 studs to hold the heads down, along with some other work that really wouldnt have caused a problem like this. I put over 1000 miles on the car before it started acting up. Ive changed the oil cooler just a while ago cause it went bad.

Im using a 50/50 mix. Could it be so hot here in Texas that the antufreeze is burning off inside the system? Where can it be going?

Any help or responses would be greatly appreciated. Im seriously about to dump this car and get a dam Z06!!!



Also... does anyone know the exact burping instructions for the car? Ive searched and found nothing really helpful.

 

[Jdaniel]

Wow... 26 views and no one has any clues?

 

[grnenvy]

Hmm

I would do a pressure check on the cooling system. The car has to be burped properly after 1,000 miles of driving or it would of over heated a long time ago. Also the heat in Texas would not have anything to do with the car loosing coolant unless your over heating. If it's not losing coolant on the ground then it sounds like the car may be burning it off do to a blown head gasket or crack some where. You could have a problem that doesn't mean that it would be getting into the oil. Also I have a new 06 Silver ZO6 for sale if you want it only has 1,000 miles on it.

 

[Iceman II]

My son had a problem like this. Every so often he had to add coolant, thought that there was a pin-hole somewhere. Turns out they did some kind of check with the exhaust and found coolant. I looked at the head and gasket. The gasket had a very small opening that lead to the piston chamber. This was where the coolant was going and burning up. $1,300.00 later it was fixed.

 

[Jdaniel]

Well the motor was just tore apart and they said it was okay. The heads was completly overhauled by a machine shop and that cost me almost $800! They said they heads were okay also. I dont know what to do. Murillos shop wont call me back either. If I dont initiate the call... then I wont hear anything from them. Really pisses me off.

 

[cobra23]

Burping

To burp the system, wait until it is cold. Then remove the radiator (overflow reservoir) cap and the cap on the black coolant crossover pipe on the driver side towards the front of the supercharger. You will need a male 1/4" npt socket or less preferred, a 1/4" extension. After both caps are off, add coolant to the CROSSOVER TUBE only until the front reservoir fills up. Then put the radiator cap on and continue to add fluid until the crossover pipe is full, Then put crossover cap back on but do not overtighten

Start engine with heater on max until thermostat opens (bottom radiator hose will be hot). Then let cool down, open crossover and add fluid if necessary. Repeat until when you open crossover it is full cold

 

[VirtualSVT]

coolant doesn't burn off.

Has it overheated at all? Ever? If no then rent a pressure tester and put 16 or more pounds on the system and wait.

Also new antifreeze has a tracing agent in it that will show up under UV light.

 

[grnenvy]

hmm

I bet the shop never magnafluxed the heads to see if they had any cracks. Know matter what before you spend any money on heads they should always be magnafluxed first. I'll tell you this there aren't to many shops out there that do things right. Even the big name guys mess up and actually they usually only do there cars perfect. Thats why I alway stay local with motors and stuff so if there's a problem I can ring there neck. Plus I always stay right on top of them to make sure theres no short cuts. Good luck

 

[Jimmysidecarr]

I bet the shop never magnafluxed the heads to see if they had any cracks. Know matter what before you spend any money on heads they should always be magnafluxed first. I'll tell you this there aren't to many shops out there that do things right. Even the big name guys mess up and actually they usually only do there cars perfect. Thats why I alway stay local with motors and stuff so if there's a problem I can ring there neck. Plus I always stay right on top of them to make sure theres no short cuts. Good luck

Aluminum heads can not be magnafluxed...(hopefully no one has billed you for the magnafluxing of any Aluminum heads)

If after the engine work there was an air pocket, then it is possible that coolant isn't going anywhere. It is air that is escaping from the system, and when it does the coolant level will drop.

I suspect that this engine had or still has air in it and needs to be properly burped(filled). :thumbsup:

BTW which cooling system is the level dropping in?
The intercooler system? or The engine cooling system?

 

[Jdaniel]

The engine cooling system. I went ahead and serviced the car the right way. Took a couple hours, but im sure I did it right. However, I was on the way home about 20 minutes ago and I got on the gas in third gear as I looked in the rearview mirror and seen a dusty cloud behind me. I was driving into the sun and it made it easier to see. After I turned out of the sun, I got on it again and didnt see anything. Was that gas or antifreeze you think?

I love this car to death and I really want to get it fixed right.

Another question... should I be running a stock thermostat. Im pretty sure there is a 160 in it. If not, then what should it be?

 

[shaker]

hey jd if the head gasket is leaking into the cylinder it will leak either when the engine is cold or after it heats up if not constantly. is there a sweet smell coming from the tail pipe on start up or after operating temp is reached and you goose it. as for the heads being done , did the shop charge you for a pressure test. i know axe machines have a plate to do them so you might want to inquire about that. NO HEAD SHOULD BE WORKED ON WITHOUT PRIOR CHECK PRESSURE OR MAGNAFLUX BEFORE IT IS WORKED ON FOR ANY REASON!!!! if this is your problem you may even want to get a scope and look through the spark plug hole at the tops of the piston. if there is water burning in a given cylinder the piston top will be clean due to the fact that the water cristalizing the carbon deposits and cleaning the piston. the plug will also be clean. i hope this was a bit of help to you and you find your prob soon. later

 

[Jdaniel]

Thanks a lot for the info. I told Murillos shop to have the heads checked for any cracks and such. They called me and said that they were fine but they needed some work. I had all the work done and they said it was basically brand new heads. Im gonna pull the plugs tomorrow night and see what I see. This is really killing me!

 

[Jimmysidecarr]

Thanks a lot for the info. I told Murillos shop to have the heads checked for any cracks and such. They called me and said that they were fine but they needed some work. I had all the work done and they said it was basically brand new heads. Im gonna pull the plugs tomorrow night and see what I see. This is really killing me!

Excellent idea!
Spark plugs can tell you a lot!
I use a lighted hand held magnifier, that way you can get a good idea if coolant is going in the cylinder.(also good for detecting past detonation events--silver specs)
There will be coloring on the insulator from the dye in the coolant.

Is this a Gold or Green coolant car??

Most of the 160 T-stats I have seen are the wrong design type, and they have no block off valving for the bypass.
So even though they open sooner at a lower temp, they allow hot bypassed coolant to continue to mix in with the cooled coolant from the rad.

Which is why I did not change mine. I just drilled three 3/16" holes in the stocker and called it a day.
That coupled with a fans on early tune did help.

But I am ready to start upgrading to the more serious cooling mods because of my open tracking adventures.

 

[Jdaniel]

The car has green 50/50 mix. The plugs are coming out tomorrow morning and I will let you all know what I find. Thanks a lot for all the suggestions.

Jimmy, what all cooling mods do you have now? Im looking into a 7 quart oil pan and a larger radiator and I will be through with them all unless there is something im missing.

 

[Jdaniel]

UPDATE:

I got the plugs pulled and they looked ok. A couple were a little white instead of the reddish tent... but thats cool. Im running really lean at idle and cruise... lean like a 14.0. So no biggie. No sign of antifreeze or anything. Im a little aggrivated because the plugs were TR6s and isnt the best for 18 lbs of KB boost. They were gapped at .34 to .36 and one was like a .20. Anyhoo... I went with what I have always ran which are NGK BR7EF's. A great plug for my car. Idles smoothly and kicks into power with out ANY hesitation. I havent lost any coolant since I serviced it the way you guys recommended, so maybe it was just an air pocket.

If there is anything else any of you can think of them please let me know. Thanks for all the advice!

 

[grnenvy]

Lol

LOL, Listen smarty pants I messed up with the magnaflux. I forgot I don't need a lesson from you. Been building motors since 1989. Thats why I know alot about bad machine shops. If I read the post right he said he drove it for more then 1,000 miles before the problem. I highly dout it's air the motor would have burn't up if it wasn't cooling right after 1,000 miles.




OTE=Jimmysidecarr]Aluminum heads can not be magnafluxed...(hopefully no one has billed you for the magnafluxing of any Aluminum heads)

If after the engine work there was an air pocket, then it is possible that coolant isn't going anywhere. It is air that is escaping from the system, and when it does the coolant level will drop.

I suspect that this engine had or still has air in it and needs to be properly burped(filled). :thumbsup:

BTW which cooling system is the level dropping in?
The intercooler system? or The engine cooling system?[/QUOTE]

 

[Jimmysidecarr]

LOL, Listen smarty pants I messed up with the magnaflux. I forgot I don't need a lesson from you. Been building motors since 1989. Thats why I know alot about bad machine shops. If I read the post right he said he drove it for more then 1,000 miles before the problem. I highly dout it's air the motor would have burn't up if it wasn't cooling right after 1,000 miles.




OTE=Jimmysidecarr]Aluminum heads can not be magnafluxed...(hopefully no one has billed you for the magnafluxing of any Aluminum heads)

If after the engine work there was an air pocket, then it is possible that coolant isn't going anywhere. It is air that is escaping from the system, and when it does the coolant level will drop.

I suspect that this engine had or still has air in it and needs to be properly burped(filled). :thumbsup:

BTW which cooling system is the level dropping in?
The intercooler system? or The engine cooling system?

[/QUOTE]

A lesson from me??
I'm sorry you took it that way. :shrug:

I didn't mean that as an attack in any way...
It's just that we have a lot of new people on here everyday... and... well... That's why I posted that clarification... It was meant for general consumption, certainly nothing personal.
Heck you've been on here way longer than me> :thumbsup:

Depending on the length of the drives(IE: short duration)... it's possible(though it does seem odd) that 1k miles could go by with some air pockets still present.

Each time it burped and dropped fluid level and had to be refilled it would become progressively less and less likely to boil over--->which is USUALLY what happens when we get air pockets.

But it appears to have stopped after the burp/fill procedure so hopefully for his sake, this little ordeal is over.


:beer:

 

[Steeda30]

Was searching and saw this thread, figured I'd bump it.

I've got the same problem - coolant is going somewhere and #7 and #8 plug look like they could be burning some coolant, not sure - they just don't look as clean as the others - looks like there's very light brownish ash deposit on them.

I've got Felpro gaskets and ARP head studs. #7 cylinder has been pressurized and no signs of bubbles in the overfill reservoir, so I'm not sure if it's a head gasket problem or if it's going somewhere else. I notice that the coolant level drops the most when I check it after a few days of hard driving. Leads me to believe that it is getting into a cylinder or two :shrug:

 

[ShelbyGuy]

use a cooling system pressure tester and pressurize the system. if it doesn't hold pressure, then you have a leak somewhere.

 

[shinerunner]

1999 Cobra Over Heating - Now Fixed

[QUOTE=Jdaniel;3715348]Im STILL losing coolant and I cant figure out where its going. There is nothing on the ground, no smells while driving and nothing in the oil at all.

I just got my car back from Murillo Motorsports. I had some stretched head bolts (thats what they supposed because the gaskets looked good) so I had the motor removed and the heads completly overhauled before reinstallation. I used stock head gaskets cause everyone said they were the best. I used ARP 2000 studs to hold the heads down, along with some other work that really wouldnt have caused a problem like this. I put over 1000 miles on the car before it started acting up. Ive changed the oil cooler just a while ago cause it went bad.

Also... does anyone know the exact burping instructions for the car? Ive searched and found nothing really helpful.[/QUOTE]

My 99 Cobra was overheating, so I burped the vehicle repeatedly over a period of 30 days with no cure . Then I drilled two 1/8" holes in my stock 192 degree thermostat, one on the top and one on the bottom and I have had no cooling problem since. I got the fix from reading these threads on SVTPerformance. Burping may be over rated and then, maybe not.

I'm also losing coolant. I park the car and it slowly drips off my exhaust in the middle of the underside of the vehicle. I guess I'll pressure test next.