Where's My Coolant?

Hello, Readers.

This week's article is inspired by a long-distance friend of ours. She contacted me via Facebook regarding a possible coolant leak on her car. She decribed her situation as "a leak in the radiator system" of her 2000 Saturn. Clearly desiring to be proactive, she asked what she should start replacing... and even offered to start with the hose going to her coolant tank, since it was so easy to reach.

TIME-OUT!

Okay, Readers. Before I go any further, can you tell me what it wrong with this offered "solution"? When I read her message, all sorts of red-alert claxons were going off in my head. Warning! Warning! Danger! Danger! Do you hear them also?

Here's what we know, between the above and some follow-up dialogue:
1. She knows she's loosing coolant "somewhere" because she is refilling the tank more often now than she normally has been doing.
2. She has yet to find an obvious exernal leak, since she sees no pooling overnight on the ground.
3. When she took it for an overdue oil change the other day, what oil remained (and it was "very low") was black, without any "milky" discoloration.

Of course, I told her to hold off on replacing random parts until we knew more about her Saturn's needs. Since she could not see any coolant on the ground in the morning, that told me she was either leaking internally (like with bad head gasket, highly typical of GM products - generally speaking), or had a pressure-induced leak.

To check for the pressure issue, I advised her to have a pressure test done on her cooling system. I believe she has a few neighbors with tools like that, or at least has befriended one or two garage techs that might offer to do that service for a "friendly price". Heck, I'm not sure how much a service like that runs anymore, but I'd be surprised if it was much more than about 30 bucks. Having this test done will quickly reveal (through geyser-like leaks) which parts have failed. To be informed is to be empowered to invest wisely with the right repair!

I had tried to convince her to check the oil level and color herself before going for the oil change, but I'm guessing she didn't get my message in time. Since the service shop showed her that the oil was not milky, then at least we can safely deduce that there isn't any issue with the head gasket leaking, yet. Since her oil level was quite low - and well overdue for a change - at least *some* of the coolant was probably "burned off" due to excessive heat and friction in the engine.Our friend has yet to get the pressure test done, so we won't know the full answer to this repair situation until that happens.

If*you* find yourself in a situation like this - regardless of what kind of car you drive - remember to follow these steps:

1. Look closely for obvious signs of external leaks. Leave a scrap piece of cardboard (or a flattened box) under your car overnight to make minor pooling easier to spot.
2. Check the level and color of your engine oil and transmission fluid. Oil should be brown; tranny fluid should be red. If either are "milky", coolant is likely mixing into that fluid system.
3. Pressure-test your coolant system to reveal hard-to-find leaks.

A Final Word of Caution

Do *not* replace parts willy-nilly. Follow the above steps to correctly determine what is actually needing replaced. Then consider replacing related parts "while you're in there".

Examples include:
1. If the lower radiator hose is failed, consider replacing the upper one also since the coolant will all be drained out anyway.
2. Replacing the water pump? Be sure to also change the thermostat (and gasket/seal, if used), and any belt that drives the pump. Oh, and you'll probably want to snag a new by-pass hose, too.
3. Do you have a leaking/faulty radiator? Related items include the radiator cap (on it, or the coolant tank), upper and lower radiator hoses, coolant level sensor (if in the radiator, like a lot of Cadillacs), and maybe even the radiator fan, fan motor, or fan & motor assembly.

And whatever you do, *always* get fresh clamps for any new hose! Depending on size, they are only about $1-2 a piece, and will give you an abundance of peace-of-mind knowing that the age of your hoses and clamps are well-matched.

And that takes care of this installment of Shop Talk with the Parts Pro Mom. So until next time, remember...

The Golden Rule: Applies to people, all creatures... and your vehicle, too!

~PPM