Coolant too low

[coolbrze]

If my coolant level is too low, will it have any affect on heat output?

 

[MAKG]

It can, but that's the least of your worries.

 

[coolbrze]

The reason I was aksing is b/c I thought my tstat was stuck, but when I went to check the coolant level, it was low. I added coolant and thought what the heck, I'll give it another day before replacing the tstat, who knows... Well, low and behold, that was last week and the heats been real hot and the temp gauge steady now, not fluctuating all over like it was and blowing cold air...

 

[krugford]

Well, that's some good news. The bad news is that you really need to find out where that coolant went. Could be anything from a bad head gasket to a leaking hose, radiator, overflow tank, etc. Is there any noticeable signs of coolant anywhere? Any white smoke lately with a sweet smell to it? Easiest is to do a visual check. I would start with checking the hoses, heater core lines, bypass hose, t-stat gasket, radiator tanks for seepage, overflow tank for cracks or a bad hose, etc. If you can't find any visible external leaks, then it's time to start looking for internal leaks.

Has the cooling system been flushed recently? An improper fill could also pose some of the same symptoms if there was air trapped in the system.

 

[skippy]

i had to replace lower hose clamp on work truck recently due to breakage.i have the only ford in the company,i'm assured this is a temporary situation.when i turned in the 50 cent reciept for reimbursement they asked what's wrong with the truck now?told em some asshole put a chevy clamp on the truck before i got it.

 

[coolbrze]

Well, that's some good news. The bad news is that you really need to find out where that coolant went. Could be anything from a bad head gasket to a leaking hose, radiator, overflow tank, etc. Is there any noticeable signs of coolant anywhere? Any white smoke lately with a sweet smell to it? Easiest is to do a visual check. I would start with checking the hoses, heater core lines, bypass hose, t-stat gasket, radiator tanks for seepage, overflow tank for cracks or a bad hose, etc. If you can't find any visible external leaks, then it's time to start looking for internal leaks.

Has the cooling system been flushed recently? An improper fill could also pose some of the same symptoms if there was air trapped in the system.

That's what I thought also. There was a leak earlier this summer but we never could find it and it just quit leaking. Never did see any white sweet smelling smoke (thank god) and it hasn't been flushed lately. I'll pull it into the shop again and check it out but I think it must have leaked out enough then and not any more. Weird thing is it was maybe a gallon low, I wouldn't think that was low enough to cause the heat to work intermittently.

 

[DanVB1]

Mine was mysteriously loosing coolant too. Never found a spot on the ground though. Eventually I traced it to the heater control valve. Apparently the drips from the valve stem fell on the exhaust manifold and burned-off before leaving any tell-tale.

 

[coolbrze]

Thanks, I meant to repost, but forgot. I found the leak, it was coming from the black plastic part on the right side of the radiator. It started leaking again, not a lot, but enough that it was very noticeable on the ground. I put some Stop Leak in it and all is "good" for now.

 

[MAKG]

Backflush that crap out of your radiator unless you really want to kill your engine.

Take a GOOD look at a head gasket if you want to see why.

And replace that radiator.

 

[coolbrze]

Backflush that crap out of your radiator unless you really want to kill your engine.

Take a GOOD look at a head gasket if you want to see why.

And replace that radiator.

Why backflush and what's wrong w/ my head gasket?

 

[WingsOfSaturn]

Why backflush and what's wrong w/ my head gasket?

Stop Leak will plug small leaks in radiators and also small water passages in your engine. Thus stopping proper coolant flow.

Not your head gasket, at any head gasket. You will see the small holes where coolant flows from the block to the head. Stop Leak will plug or restrict these passages. Less coolant flow = hotter head = CRACKed or WARPed head.

Flush it and replace that bad radiator.

 

[Evan]

Stop Leak will plug small leaks in radiators and also small water passages in your engine. Thus stopping proper coolant flow.

Not your head gasket, at any head gasket. You will see the small holes where coolant flows from the block to the head. Stop Leak will plug or restrict these passages. Less coolant flow = hotter head = CRACKed or WARPed head.

Flush it and replace that bad radiator.

Aren't those small holes for oil, and the larger ones for coolant? The coolant holes are a fairly good size from what I remember of my 4.0 rebuild...I can't see those getting blocked off by a small amount of stop leak mixed into the coolant, unless stop leak expands to 50 times it's volume or something...

I have had two good experiences with stop leak products. Over a year ago my radiator started leaking from the sides, where those plastic ends are pressed onto the core. I added half a tube of stop leak, and it's been bone dry for well over a year. Last year I had a horrible leak from the bottom sector shaft seal of my power steering box. It was leaking an entire reservoir-full every week. I added a bottle of PS fluid with power steering stop leak pre-added, and the system has been tight as a drum for about a year.

 

[krugford]

Some, not all, engines have very small (~1/8" to 3/16") coolant holes in the head gasket for the express purpose of restricting the flow of coolant into that head. It has to do with one cylinder heads location with respect to the water pump outlet than the other head. By restricting flow into one head, you raise the flow in the other so that both heads recieve adequate cooling. Sometimes both head gaskets will have small coolant holes to increase the flow through the block as well. Either way stop leak will tend to see that little hole as a leak and plug it up. It's not a solution, it's a patch that "could" lead to more expensive problems than a proper repair. If you are willing to take the risk of having to replace the engine later instead of a radiator now, then use it.

My advice would be to replace the radiator now. They're not that expensive and your cooling system will thank you.

 

[MAKG]

You MUST restrict coolant flow in the water-pump end between the head and engine block if the thermostat is on the same side of the engine (and it almost always is for RWD and 4WD engines). If you don't, the other side won't see any flow. This is often done in the head gasket. I've seen restrictions as small as 1/16 inch.

 

[Evan]

My advice would be to replace the radiator now. They're not that expensive and your cooling system will thank you.

I agree that's the best solution. My days of stop leak occured in college. With my lack of funds, a $1.99 tube of dust looked pretty good over a $100 radiator.