Need a little help buddies!

I changed out my thermostat for a Spoon thermo. and also changed out my radiator cap to a Spoon cap. Im running a dual core full metal radiator along with that.

I have two problems. But only one that Im very concerned about.
#1. It running very cold. Not up to normal operational temp. when driving on the fwy.
#2. My coolant reservoir keeps going empty. But I find no physical fluid leaks anywhere. So where could it be going?

Obviously #2 is my biggest concert! Would anyone have a clue on where I should start my search?

 

Is white smoke coming out of the exhaust?

 

no, not realy Reid! I get white smoke on the initial start up, but besides that, Im getting a bit of the black spew on my bumper. Thats it!

 

for a start u should put the stock thermostat on, car should run at the normal operating temperature.
For how long has the car been consuming coolant?

 

The SPOON/Mugen thermostats and fan switches are the biggest waist of money ever. I did extensive testing last summer and had better driving results with the OEM parts. Put that stuff back in

 

Alright, stock thermo. is goinb back in ASAP. But as for the coolant! where could it be going? Evaporating? And why is the water temp. so low? If I reason properly....Low/ No coolant = overheat...????

 

How cool is it running? Hopefully you're not depending on the stock idiot gauge to tell the temp. Have you checked your hoses for leaks etc?

 

When I put on my Spoon 1.3Bar radiator cap, I started smelling burning coolant after driving... so I put the OEM back on. I know its only masking a real problem of a not perfectly sealed system, but I have no problems with the OEM cap anymore. Switch that out and check your results.

 

Check your reservoir cap. Mine was cracked where the rubber hose from the radiator meets, and it was leaking fluid out. I changed it, and all is good now.

 

I would be worried about it running too cool just as much as your overflow tank going empty. Running your engine too cool can cause a lot of wear and lead to problems in the future.

2nd is your overflow going dry while the engine is running? or after the engine is cut off and cools down a little bit.

 

Have you checked your oil?

 

have u pressure tested the system? u might have a small leak, if there isnt any, bleed the system again until there are no bubbles. Start with the simple things before even considering it could be a blown hg or something.
For how long have u been driving the car since its doing that?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dr Pooface &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How cool is it running? Hopefully you're not depending on the stock idiot gauge to tell the temp. Have you checked your hoses for leaks etc?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I have PowerFC along with the FC Commander. The commander reads the water temp. durring operation between 65C to 75C while driving on the fwy.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by walker111 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Have you checked your oil?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I have checked my oil every other day since I've noticed the incident about 1 month ago. And I see no signs of coolant in my oil.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Justin3 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">2nd is your overflow going dry while the engine is running? or after the engine is cut off and cools down a little bit. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I take that its going dry while its running. I've filled up my reservoir this morning to the MAX line and when I got to work, I checked again and it went down half way!

 

It is running that cool because the thermostat is allowing coolant to circulant through your system too early. That thermostat is meant for the track and not for the street. Either go back to stock or go for a mugen one.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B2FiNiTY &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It is running that cool because the thermostat is allowing coolant to circulant through your system too early. That thermostat is meant for the track and not for the street. Either go back to stock or go for a mugen one. </TD></TR></TABLE>

OK, OK! You've told me so many times......I GOT IT!
But you're still not answering my question about where the coolant is going!

Could it be driping out while I'm driving possibly? but not driping when the car is parked?

 

Is your oil milky?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Haleiwa-Brando &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The SPOON/Mugen thermostats and fan switches are the biggest waist of money ever.</TD></TR></TABLE>

On a street car, sure. I don't think they were designed as an OEM replacement.

 

Do you smell coolant at all?

 

have you pulled your plugs? if not, pull them and check them. See if there are signs of coolant being burnt. How many kms do you have on your motor? Leak down test would be good idea. I'm thinking you have a bad headgasket.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mugen Mike &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">On a street car, sure. I don't think they were designed as an OEM replacement.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Who needs fans to begin with?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Reid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Is your oil milky?</TD></TR></TABLE>

No, my oil is not milky at all.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mugen Mike &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Do you smell coolant at all?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I dont smell anything while driving. And I have my fans on full blast inside when I drive.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Chillinit &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">have you pulled your plugs? if not, pull them and check them. See if there are signs of coolant being burnt. How many kms do you have on your motor? Leak down test would be good idea. I'm thinking you have a bad headgasket. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I havent checked my plugs yet. But I did change them out last month and did not find any major deposits on it. I've changed them because I had just tuned the car at Church.
My motor has been rebuilt not too long ago (about 3 1/2 months ago).
I plan on doing a leakdown test again very soon to find out whats behind all this!