Coolant Issues
Posted: Sun May 31, 2015 11:36 pm
4 recent experiences suggested I take a look at things. All of these within the last two weeks... in this order:
1. Coolant was low, but hadn't checked it in months. Filled. Two weeks later, low again (by low, I mean below the minimum line in the overflow coolant container with a cold engine)
2. In the AM when I take off, I drive for about 30 seconds and then hit a stoplight. Several times recently have been able to smell coolant while at that light.
3. Engine heating/cooling dynamic has changed substantially. This engine usually is slow to fully heat up, and quick to cool down when driving. Now heats up quickly, doesn't significantly cool when driving. Stays at/near center mark once hot (this is unusual. Unless its 100 degrees, driving around town will keep the coolant marker between cold and the red light in the middle of the coolant gauge.) There did not seem to be any overheating.
4. A quick look under the rear showed me a whitish spot on the exhaust pipe, under the driver's side head.
********************
Since the coolant is disappearing, and I have yet to see oil mixed with coolant, or white clouds from the exhaust, I went looking for a leak, expecting to see something from the area on the driver's side. Here are my pictures:
The little coolant reflow (I can't remember exactly what it's called) line is apparently leaking at both ends:
and
I thought this might account for this little bit of coolant on top of the driver's side head:
Here's the exhaust with coolant actually dripping off. First time I've seen that. It's been sitting for 24hours plus at this point.
Here's where I think the coolant is coming from; this is the front corner of the driver's side head, looking towards the back of the engine/van (not you can see the oil filter which is at the rear of the van in the background):
This is the side of the head just above that corner with the drop. Looks dry up here:
Some corrosion down here ~ I think that plug with all the white around it is the temperature sensor for the coolant. That may explain the odd temperature readings. Not wet enough to account for my leak, but needs to be dealt with nonetheless:
Here's the other side of that same corroded area; it's harder to tell here, but there is more corrosion at the end of this pipe where the plug is; also, the difference in darkness of the coolant pipe (darker towards the bottom of the picture) makes me think it's leaking there too, or will be soon:
***********************
Well, after getting all these pix, I put the AC back in place, so I could idle the engine and see how much coolant was coming out and where. I started the engine up, and took a couple of videos (see the "unusual sound" thread) and then got under the car. At that point, I realized I was in deeper than I wanted to be. There was a steady stream of fuel coming off the driver's side rail and dropping onto the rapidly heating exhaust pipe.
I hopped up and turned off the engine. I suspect that in wrangling the AC compressor off, I must have knocked the fuel rail about a bit, and caused old fuel line to crack. I reason this, because in the minute or so of idling, there was a pool of fuel about the size of a dollar bill on the ground. Were it leaking that much before, I would long since have been conflagrated. So; until I can replace all the fuel lines (might as well do them all at this point) I can't go further on the coolant leak.
Once I've resolved the fuel line issue, I'll see what happens while idling the engine. In the meantime I'll also replace that top line ~ easy to get at, and doesn't require draining the coolant if I recall correctly. All in all though, I think that head is coming off when Colin comes to visit. Let us see what happens.
1. Coolant was low, but hadn't checked it in months. Filled. Two weeks later, low again (by low, I mean below the minimum line in the overflow coolant container with a cold engine)
2. In the AM when I take off, I drive for about 30 seconds and then hit a stoplight. Several times recently have been able to smell coolant while at that light.
3. Engine heating/cooling dynamic has changed substantially. This engine usually is slow to fully heat up, and quick to cool down when driving. Now heats up quickly, doesn't significantly cool when driving. Stays at/near center mark once hot (this is unusual. Unless its 100 degrees, driving around town will keep the coolant marker between cold and the red light in the middle of the coolant gauge.) There did not seem to be any overheating.
4. A quick look under the rear showed me a whitish spot on the exhaust pipe, under the driver's side head.
********************
Since the coolant is disappearing, and I have yet to see oil mixed with coolant, or white clouds from the exhaust, I went looking for a leak, expecting to see something from the area on the driver's side. Here are my pictures:
The little coolant reflow (I can't remember exactly what it's called) line is apparently leaking at both ends:
and
I thought this might account for this little bit of coolant on top of the driver's side head:
Here's the exhaust with coolant actually dripping off. First time I've seen that. It's been sitting for 24hours plus at this point.
Here's where I think the coolant is coming from; this is the front corner of the driver's side head, looking towards the back of the engine/van (not you can see the oil filter which is at the rear of the van in the background):
This is the side of the head just above that corner with the drop. Looks dry up here:
Some corrosion down here ~ I think that plug with all the white around it is the temperature sensor for the coolant. That may explain the odd temperature readings. Not wet enough to account for my leak, but needs to be dealt with nonetheless:
Here's the other side of that same corroded area; it's harder to tell here, but there is more corrosion at the end of this pipe where the plug is; also, the difference in darkness of the coolant pipe (darker towards the bottom of the picture) makes me think it's leaking there too, or will be soon:
***********************
Well, after getting all these pix, I put the AC back in place, so I could idle the engine and see how much coolant was coming out and where. I started the engine up, and took a couple of videos (see the "unusual sound" thread) and then got under the car. At that point, I realized I was in deeper than I wanted to be. There was a steady stream of fuel coming off the driver's side rail and dropping onto the rapidly heating exhaust pipe.
I hopped up and turned off the engine. I suspect that in wrangling the AC compressor off, I must have knocked the fuel rail about a bit, and caused old fuel line to crack. I reason this, because in the minute or so of idling, there was a pool of fuel about the size of a dollar bill on the ground. Were it leaking that much before, I would long since have been conflagrated. So; until I can replace all the fuel lines (might as well do them all at this point) I can't go further on the coolant leak.
Once I've resolved the fuel line issue, I'll see what happens while idling the engine. In the meantime I'll also replace that top line ~ easy to get at, and doesn't require draining the coolant if I recall correctly. All in all though, I think that head is coming off when Colin comes to visit. Let us see what happens.