Radiator losing water (no leaking) but overflow keeps gaining water

ANSWER : Based on the information you provided, It sounds like you may have a blown head gasket. What happens is that the high pressure in the combustion chamber squeezes its way through a break in the head gasket into the coolant passages. The result is pressure build up within the cooling system that could push coolant out into the overflow tank. Be sure to check your oil to see if coolant has contaminated it. If so, it will look milky.

I suggest getting help from a certified technician, such as one from YourMechanic, who can diagnose the possible leak and perform a quick test to determine if combustion gasses are getting into the coolant. Best of luck.

ANSWER : First off, I would say it would be best to pressure test the cooling system to verify where the coolant is coming from. With the complexity of repairs to the cooling system on this vehicle, it may be worth the time spent to pressure test the system before tackling the replacement. Now then, as far as replacing the o-ring seal on the water pump inlet tube, it should really only require the removal of the bypass hose, lower radiator hose, and the two (or three, depending on manufacturing changes) mounting bolts that hold the inlet tube to the block. I personally would go ahead and replace the tube while I was there, instead of just the o-ring. Granted, this doesn’t mention what it will take to get down to the inlet pipe, but this is all it should take once you have access to it. If this is something that you feel you could use a hand with, consult with a certified mechanic, like those available at YourMechanic.com.

ANSWER : Hello, thank you for writing in. Air conditioning systems do condensate and drip water. This is totally normal, and likely unrelated to the cooling system problems. If the coolant is full, and it was not the source of the leak, then the coolant is not being circulated, or it is not being cooled by the radiator fast enough. With the water pump and the thermostat being two of the top components to inspect, you will want to also consider the cooling fans and the radiator need be. Clogs can cause a lack of circulation, but so can bad pressure regulation. Leaks in the system or a bad radiator cap can cause pressure differences. Only further testing will tell. For more help with testing, contact our service department to schedule an appointment.

ANSWER : If your radiator and water pump are both leaking, my best recommendation would be to enlist the assistance of a qualfied professional to have them replaced. Allowing these parts to leak for an extended period of time can cause the engine to overheat. If the engine overheats, this can cause damage to the head gasket, cylinder heads, or engine block. Some of this damage may be perminant. In order to avoid serious engine damage, I would recommend having these issues resolved as soon as possible. Once these parts have been replaced, have the cooling system pressure tested to ensure that no more leaks exist.

ANSWER : Hi There,
Yes, we can fix coolant and oil leaks. Generally, if you are noticing a water leak, this would be coming from the radiator, water pump or any of the radiator hoses around the motor that may be going to or from the radiator. Generally, when a water pump is going bad, you may hear a bit of a whining sound combined with the pump leaking. The most common place for the water pump to leak from is the pulley shaft seal which is in the front of the pump where the shaft comes out of the pump housing. When the pump is leaking, it will typically cause the engine to overheat as well. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and replace your water pump.

ANSWER : If you have not done a job like this before you might want to consider watching a professional from YourMechanic do it for you, especially as the labor time is less than 1.5 hours so it’s pretty economical. The first order of business, of course, is to make sure that the upper hose is actually leaking and you don’t have a different issue such as a crack is the radiator itself where the hose attaches. Also, if that hose is leaking due to a break in aged rubber, the other "old" hoses should be inspected as well. A radiator hose replacement entails removing any plastic shields that prevent access to the hose(s). Then, you have to drain the coolant to a level below the lowest point that you will be working at. The hose clamps are removed and then you have to carefully "debond" the hose from the point it is attached to the tank. Over time, the rubber will bond really tightly to the radiator and you have to break the seal with damaging or severely scratching the radiator "nipple" (the part the hose slides over). Then you slip the new hose on (with clamps already loosely applied), apply the clamps and you are ready to refill. When refilling, you have to open the cooling system bleeder screws (if equipped) to ensure that air does not get trapped. Trapped air could cause the car to overheat as trapped air can block coolant flow.

ANSWER : When you overheated the engine you most likely blew a head gasket and now have low compression in one or more cylinders. Replacing the radiator after overheating the engine that lost power will not fix the fact that the overheating warped the cylinder heads and coolant leaks past the cylinder head gaskets. If you need help with this, a technician from certified mechanic from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to diagnose your car’s starting problem and conduct any needed repairs.

ANSWER : Hi there – I suspect your radiator is clogged or otherwise corroded so that it is not shedding heat as efficiently as it should. Idling with the heater on was getting rid of heat without loading the radiator. When you’re driving, the engine is generating more heat than both the heater and radiator can get rid of. Checking the difference between hot coolant going to the radiator (top hose), and going back into the engine (bottom hose) may show that there is very little temperature difference. This means the radiator is not doing it’s job, and need to be professionally cleaned or replaced. Good diagnostic effort on your part to avoid the obvious "it’s another Northstar head gasket" diagnosis! For confirmation, I would recommend an overheating inspection by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who will come to your location, diagnose this problem, give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs.