coolant overflow

Hi,

When you notice the bubbling, does the temperature gauge indicate it is overheating?

Do me a favor and try this. When the engine is cold, remove the radiator cap and start the engine. Does coolant begin flowing out from the radiator?

My concern is the bubbling you mentioned. If the car isn't overheating, that usually indicates a bad head gasket. Take a look through this link.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test

Let me know.

Joe

No, there is no overheating happening at all, which concerns me. I even did a leak test with that liquid two times and it was fine. I noticed the bubbles when I turned off the car, but only in the reservoir, not the radiator. Then when I had the car idling, I pressed the gas and saw it bubble again.

What I would do is get your hands on an infrared thermometer and see what the temperature is in the overflow. Do the same at the radiator. I'm questioning if the vehicle may be overheating, and the gauge may be inaccurate.

It's a theory.

Let me know.

Joe

I will do that. But what I think it was is that, when I changed the coolant. I didn’t bleed it correctly. So, I topped off the radiator again, blasted the heat and pumped the hose. Those 2 coolant sensors are fairly new. Let the car run until the fans kicked on, so now I got to drive and see if it happens again.

Hi,

Absolutely that could cause what you experienced. Let me know if that takes care of the problem.

If I can help in any way, let me know.

Take care,

Joe

update: I see it starting to rise again. when i checked hoses, they read in the 160-170s (i bought the thermometer). Clog in the system? Thank you for everything.

Hi,

Most vehicles come with a thermostat that fully opens at 195 F. Your readings, which should be cooler when coolant returns to the engine, should be cooler, so what you indicated seems normal. If you check the radiator tanks themselves, what is the temperature? Also, how high did the gauge go again?

I have a funny question. Is the heater still working?

Let me know. Also, let me know if you are seeing bubbling in the reservoir again.

Take care,

Joe

Gauge is always reading normal temperatures, maybe one or two ticks under the half mark. I bought an actual coolant bleeder kit, so I’ll be able to bleed it correctly again. Regarding the heat, it works phenomenal, haha. There’s no obvious sign of something which is the hard part, that’s why I’m really banking that there’s a lot of air in the system.

As you can see temperatures are normal, I caught the overflow rising back up again and a slightly bubbly when I pulled the throttle.

Hi,

The temperature at the top hose is perfect. The thermostat fully opens at 195F. I can't see what the temperature is on the bottom hose. Can you let me know what it is?

Also, when the engine is cold, if you remove the radiator cap, are there any bubbles when the vehicle is started?

Let me know.

Joe

It was at 180-190. I did a cold start this morning; no bubbles came up the radiator, but the coolant came up which I know that’s normal. Also, I noticed the coolant went down in the overflow. So maybe it’s bled correctly now? Thank you.

Never mind, I went for a long drive and it went even higher and the temperatures for the hoses and gauge were okay.

Edit

Hi,

You indicate the temperature went higher than ever, but the gauge and hoses were okay. How did you determine the temperature went higher?

Let me know.

No, the temperatures for everything was fine. I meant to say the coolant in the reservoir was higher again. I don’t know if you saw it in the video well.

Hi,

I'm sorry but I couldn't really tell what it was doing in the video. When you say the coolant in the reservoir was higher, how high was it?

Joe

I would say about 3/4 full. It was pretty close to the top. Then as it cools down, it goes back down.

Is it possibly overfilled?

Joe

Thank you so much for all your help. Is it possible the radiator can burn coolant? it doesn't stay topped off and there's no leak. Small hole possible?

Hi,

Coolant can evaporate, but it is an extremely slow process to happen. How fast are you noticing it getting low? And just to reconfirm, you aren't noticing any of the symptoms I listed in the head gasket tests, correct? I ask because when there is coolant loss and no evidence of a leak, which is the first suspect.

Let me know.

Joe

No symptoms. Oil is fine, there's no bubbles on cold starts, or bubbles when the engine is running. I don't see anything leaking around the block, or on the floor in that case. Never one overheated on me. Hose temperatures look normal, just a weird issue. I notice it gets low maybe after 2 or 3 drives?

Is there any white smoke from the exhaust? If it drops that fast, it is going somewhere and not evaporating.

Let me know.

Joe

Nope, no white smoke on startup and no smoke while driving. It’s odd.

Hi,

If there are no odors and nothing on the ground, check to make sure the carpet on the passenger side isn't wet. There could be a leak at the heater core.

Let me know.

Joe

Nothing. No visible dampness or wetness on the passenger side. I mentioned before, the heat works very well. I feel like I'm chasing a ghost, haha. It does smell a little damp on some mornings but that's because I'm waiting for my new weatherstrips to get in.

Hi,

I have a thought and would like you to check something. Engine coolant performs best under pressure. That is why the system is pressurized. If you have a faulty radiator cap or there is corrosion around the filler that prevents the rubber gasket on the cap from properly sealing, two things will happen. First, you will see coolant go into the overflow under much less pressure and the coolant will have a much higher rate of evaporation.

So, and don't laugh, when the engine is at operating temperature, squeeze the upper radiator hose. It should be solid due to pressure. Let me know what you find with that first.

Next, remove the radiator cap and inspect the filler location for corrosion built up that would prevent the cap from fully seating.

If there is nothing causing a poor seal and the hose is somewhat soft at operating temperature, I recommend either having your cap pressure tested or just replace it.

It's a theory at this point, but in my mind, it makes sense because there is no evidence of a leak or a head gasket issue.

Let me know what you find or if you have questions.

Take care,

Joe

I had already done that, and the hose is solid at operating temperature. I’ll take up on getting the system pressure checked to see if I can see something. Thank you so much for your time and all your work.

Hi,

First, you are very welcome, but we need to figure this out. Has the radiator cap been replaced, or pressure tested?

Let me know.

Joe

Well, unfortunately I think the inevitable happened out of nowhere. You might’ve called the head gasket from the beginning. This morning I decided to check my coolant and it was slightly filmy. Check my oil and there was a line of milk going down (try to see in the picture). Still no smoke from exhaust or anything, I’m assuming we just caught it very early.

Hi,

It's a bit difficult to tell from the pic, but if there is coolant mixing with the oil, in most cases it is a head gasket.

I don't know when you are due for an oil change, but when you drain it, pay attention to see if there is more evidence.

Let me know what I can do to help.

Joe