caitb

About two weeks ago I replaced my upper radiator hose and my car stopped overheating. Today it started again. I top off the radiator and reservoir, drive two miles and it has disappeared! No leak that I can find. No white smoke, no coolant in my oil so I don't think it's the head gasket. I've put cardboard under my car and nothing. I'm at a loss as to where it's going. I'm think coolant temp sensor, water pump, thermostat? I can do all of those things tomorrow, but would like to avoid it if it's not necessary. Any ideas?
Thanks.

SpeedoKing

i know you said there were no leaks but i had the same issue with my ek, it turned out to be a loose clamp on the bottom rad hose and it would leak out when i was driving till the pressure dropped to the point here it would hold. I never saw liquid under the hood or on my driveway, and the car never overheated bc it would hold some pressure. if i were you I would top off your coolant and let the car run and get to temp in your driveway then rev it a little and see if there is a small leak that you are missing. That is where I would start then dive into more complex issues if that is a dead end.

SpokaneSpeed

Yeah I agree, get system pressurized and look for leaks. If you have access to tools to pressure test the coolant system I would recommend that. I would also recommend doing a combustion gas test as well. You can buy the block test kits at napa or oreillys and it will test for combustion gases in the coolant.

Neth

super simple thing to check would be the radiator cap. if it's bad it could be letting coolant escape when under pressure but once the car was off and the pressure was relieved you wouldn't get anything coming out.

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

No coolant/oil mix is not definitive enough to rule out a damaged head gasket. Buy/borrow/rent a block tester, as well as a compression tester, and use both. Tell us what the results are.

kngcrx

I agree with NotARaCist. Get a cylinder leakdown tester and perform the test. That's the most accurate. Another cheaper way is leave open the radiator cap and run the car. See if coolant is bubbling up and out of the radiator. If it is, then you have exhaust gas coming back up. Stating head gasket problem.

caitb

Coolant wasn't bubbling yesterday, today it is. It is almost overflowing out of the radiator. Bottom hose looks and feels fine. Will do a pressure test in the next couple of days. The reservoir is now staying full. Car is not wanting to start, which I suspect is the fuel filter (I hope).

SpokaneSpeed

The no start could be related to a H/G failure. Have you done a compression test?