Radiator/Coolant help

[colleyvillesooner]

Noticed my car's coolant temp light came on. Checked the fluid level and it was out. Guess the oil change people missed that last time :mad: I was close to home so I filled the reserve tank (by the wiper fluid) back up with the 50/50 ready to use coolant.

Question: Do I need to add some to the actual radiator? I know very little about cars and want to know what's the proper way to remedy the situation. I do know not to take the radiator cap off while the engine is hot or running.

TIA

[royalfan5]

You are probably going to want to get that refilled, and checked out, because there is likely a reason that you were out of coolant. How much fluid did you add? Just one jug of 50/50?

[colleyvillesooner]

You are probably going to want to get that refilled, and checked out, because there is likely a reason that you were out of coolant. How much fluid did you add? Just one jug of 50/50?

Yeah one jug.

I never check t he level (dumb, I know) so it could have been running low for a while. I'm thinking my last oil change guy didn't notice. I park in the garage every night and there is no signs ofa leak.

[royalfan5]

Has your car been running hot before the light came on? What kind of car do you have?

[colleyvillesooner]

No. I just noticed the light come on right before I stopped to get my haircut. Got back in after 30 mins, drove home and it didn't come back on or get to the hot line until right before i got home.

[royalfan5]

No. I just noticed the light come on right before I stopped to get my haircut. Got back in after 30 mins, drove home and it didn't come back on or get to the hot line until right before i got home.
Had your temp gauge been showing higher than usual? You do watch you gauges to make sure they are normal right?

[olevetonahill]

What kinda car ? what yr ?
Did you add Green or that pink **** ?

[Okieflyer]

Lights stink!

Gauges are better.

Probably a thermostat.

If it's just not low.

[colleyvillesooner]

Had your temp gauge been showing higher than usual? You do watch you gauges to make sure they are normal right?

Yeah, I watch those and it was normal until today. I always glance to make sure they are in the middle. I don't wait for the check gauge light to tell me when somethings wrong, it just confirms it. :D

It's a 1998 ford explorer sport with 140,000.

Added the green.

[royalfan5]

Now the next step is to listen to Olevet since he is a lot more knowledgeable about this than me.

[colleyvillesooner]

sounds good.

She's been running good lately, and I try to watch for any obvious signs of any kinds of leaks and such, just forgot to check the levels on my own. :(

Everything I've read online said if your reserve was out, add to the radiator when the engine is cooled and watch the reserve level for signs of a leak.

[sanantoniosooner]

Mine overheated last week. I changed the thermostat and was trying to fill it up. It wouldn't fill up. So I started searching for a leak. there was a small corrosion hole in a freeze plug. Fortunately I only had to pull the starter to get to that particular freeze plug.

$2.50

Thermostat, gasket and freeze plug totaled less than $10. I can't think of any cheaper parts that could cause more damage if they fail and you don't catch it quick enough.

[colleyvillesooner]

Man, I really wish I knew what all that meant.

Seriously, what's my next step. It's always ran fine and never overheated, and the one time the lgith comes on and the gauge is hot, it's out of fluid. Could it just be as simple as adding fluid and I'm good to go? Or does the actual radiator need some too?

[OUHOMER]

Sicem is that you?

[Scott D]

it means time for you, your explorer and a 24 of natty light to pay a visit to olevet.

[colleyvillesooner]

Sicem is that you?

No, just never been around anyone that knew about cars to teach me. Dad has no clue either.

Same reason I'm behind in my knowledge of classic rock.

[OUHOMER]

If it was a rapid loss and you see no leaks , check your oil, see if it looks milky. possible blown head gasket

[colleyvillesooner]

If it was a rapid loss and you see no leaks , check your oil, see if it looks milky. possible blown head gasket

I don't think it was rapid loss. I haven't checked it in forever, just figured it was covered when I got my oil changes and they said "Your fluids looked good." But my last oil change was a while ago.

[OzarkSooner]

The overflow is just for that....overflow. There should be a fill line on it to show how much to have in there. When the engine is cooled down, you can take the actual radiator cap off and look in to see if there's fluid in there. If not, you need to add some to the radiator. If you can't see down in there, get a stick (paint stirrer may work) and stick it down there to see if it has any fluid.

You may just need to turn on the heater full blast and run it for a while to get the reservoir/system to circulate. It sounds like you may have a "stuck" thermostat though.

Good thing it's been as cold as it has. That's probably why it hasn't overheated on you before this.

[colleyvillesooner]

I'll go check the radiator itself and report back.

[olevetonahill]

If you added Green **** then you need to flush the system out completely . Get rid of the Pink crap that will **** you faster than a 2 bit hooker .
Really that pink **** and the green are not compatible .
You shouldnt have to add any to the radiator . the system works on expansion/ contraction just keep an eye on the reservoir
That many miles if you think you can do it you should flush it anyway change the thermostate , hoses and Cap Refill with the Green . that pink**** eats your gaskets up .

[OUHOMER]

easy way to fix it. Go get your oil changed and have them flush the radidtor and reinstall green ****

[OUHOMER]

Olevet, does it matter on chevy/ ford/ dodge???? I have a 03 chevy z71

[colleyvillesooner]

I am due for an oil change. I'll take it up there after the OU game and see if they'll flush it. How much does that cost.

[olevetonahill]

Olevet, does it matter on chevy/ ford/ dodge???? I have a 03 chevy z71
Nope .
You need to get that pink **** outta there !
I have friends that are service managers at all three dealerships and they say the same thing .
the sooner you get it flushed out the better off your car is

[olevetonahill]

I am due for an oil change. I'll take it up there after the OU game and see if they'll flush it. How much does that cost.
50 or so on the low end . 100 on the way high end

[Scott D]

I am due for an oil change. I'll take it up there after the OU game and see if they'll flush it. How much does that cost.

I'm tellin ya, for a case of natty light olevet coulda done took care of this for you....ya cheap bastage.

[colleyvillesooner]

and we're flushed..

When I said I added coolant, that was to the overflow. He opened it up and there was radiator was real low on fluid. now I just gotta watch the gauge and make sure it's not a busted thermostat.

I looked through my paperwork and I had the hoses changed out about 10,000 miles ago so those should be good.

Also found where I had the thermostat and gasket changed 40,000 miles ago (2+ years)


I'm tellin ya, for a case of natty light olevet coulda done took care of this for you....ya cheap bastage.

Put in the cost of gas to get me there and back and it'd be even. :D

[Scott D]

compare it to what it'd cost to replace that radiator :D

[colleyvillesooner]

That is true.

Thanks for eveyone's help, and Scott :D

I'll keep ya posted. Now to go change out the busted fog light.

(cue countdown to my "How do you fix a busted fog light thing" thread) ;)

[olevetonahill]

and we're flushed..

When I said I added coolant, that was to the overflow. He opened it up and there was radiator was real low on fluid. now I just gotta watch the gauge and make sure it's not a busted thermostat.

I looked through my paperwork and I had the hoses changed out about 10,000 miles ago so those should be good.



Put in the cost of gas to get me there and back and it'd be even. :D
Ya but you coulda throwed back a natty or 2 with Olevet :D
How much they charge you ?
I may be to cheap at a case of natty .
Yea with that many miles just keep an eye on your oil and look at the res.
you should be ok .

[colleyvillesooner]

it was $45. Guy was real nice and showed me where the thermostat was if that ended up being the problem.

I watch the oil pretty well. She just need to last me a little while longer till I get my debt paid off.

[olevetonahill]

That was cheap enough . glad we help .
Did you go back with the green ?

[colleyvillesooner]

Yeah, all the paperwork and past paperwork said green.

Don't think I ever had pink.

That sounds weird.

[olevetonahill]

Did you buy it new ?
a 98 should have came out with that dexcool crap . Maybe it had been flushed out befor

[colleyvillesooner]

Did you buy it new ?
a 98 should have came out with that dexcool crap . Maybe it had been flushed out befor

It was used. it got flushed in November of 04 when I had some engine work done, paperwork says "Green"

[Tulsa_Fireman]

Also, for engine preservation's sake, keep an eye on the actual fluid level, not just your temperature gauge. (Not so) funny story...

Had a 97 Ford Escort. Had a known pinhole leak in the lower radiator pan. Very small, so in my infinite wisdom, I top off the radiator and overflow, refill my jug, and hit I-44, from OKC to Tulsa. I made it to just past the Bristow exit when clank, clank, loss of power, and boom. Thrown rod. Apparently the pinhole leak became more than a pinhole leak and I lost every ounce of coolant I had in it. Knowing I had a problem before I even set sail, I had my eyes on that temperature gauge like a hawk, expecting a run up of engine temperature as a warning to refill. I never got that warning. The temperature gauge hardly moved. After droppin' a new block in it and replacing the instrument cluster (after testing the gauge itself, not finding a problem), I learned a hard lesson, one a family member and Ford mechanic told me after the fact...

The temperature sensor? What tells your temp gauge what to say? It doesn't measure block temperature. It only measures the temperature of the coolant flowing across it. No coolant, no heads up. No coolant, you got a siezed block.

I learned the hard and expensive way, man. Screw that temp gauge. If your engine is running hot and the coolant system is full and sealed, then yeah, maybe. But if you have low coolant issues, don't waste your time with that gauge. Put your eyes in that radiator at regular intervals until you can discover where it's leaking. Save yourself a few grand.

[olevetonahill]

You spent Money on a fixing an Escort ?
man thats like trying to refill a Bic lighter

[Tulsa_Fireman]

You spent Money on a fixing an Escort ?
man thats like trying to refill a Bic lighter

Lessons learned, Vet. Give me that Escort now and I wouldn't trade that piece of **** for a baloney sandwich. Then, it was A) fix it and hope for the best, or B) spend money I ain't got.

Shoulda went with B. ;)

[BajaOklahoma]

Shhhhh! My younger son has a 2001 Escort. He got a very good deal on it - a good deal on the service contract/warranty. Over Christmas, he had some transmission work done - all under the service contract/warranty. :)
We rarely buy the warranties.

[soonerboomer93]

Also, for engine preservation's sake, keep an eye on the actual fluid level, not just your temperature gauge. (Not so) funny story...

Had a 97 Ford Escort. Had a known pinhole leak in the lower radiator pan. Very small, so in my infinite wisdom, I top off the radiator and overflow, refill my jug, and hit I-44, from OKC to Tulsa. I made it to just past the Bristow exit when clank, clank, loss of power, and boom. Thrown rod. Apparently the pinhole leak became more than a pinhole leak and I lost every ounce of coolant I had in it. Knowing I had a problem before I even set sail, I had my eyes on that temperature gauge like a hawk, expecting a run up of engine temperature as a warning to refill. I never got that warning. The temperature gauge hardly moved. After droppin' a new block in it and replacing the instrument cluster (after testing the gauge itself, not finding a problem), I learned a hard lesson, one a family member and Ford mechanic told me after the fact...

The temperature sensor? What tells your temp gauge what to say? It doesn't measure block temperature. It only measures the temperature of the coolant flowing across it. No coolant, no heads up. No coolant, you got a siezed block.

I learned the hard and expensive way, man. Screw that temp gauge. If your engine is running hot and the coolant system is full and sealed, then yeah, maybe. But if you have low coolant issues, don't waste your time with that gauge. Put your eyes in that radiator at regular intervals until you can discover where it's leaking. Save yourself a few grand.

I don't think this is the case on my Civic. Last spring I noticed I was running hot and pulled up, my coolant was out, completely even from the radiator. Turns out my radiator had a leak in it and had to be replaced, but it was empy when it was showing me the high temps.

[SoonerBorn68]

Man, I really wish I knew what all that meant.

Seriously, what's my next step. It's always ran fine and never overheated, and the one time the lgith comes on and the gauge is hot, it's out of fluid. Could it just be as simple as adding fluid and I'm good to go? Or does the actual radiator need some too?

Colley, the coolant system in you Essploder is a closed system. If you lost fluid it had to go somewhere & if there's no visible leak it could be serious. I'm guilty being a bit lazy with my F-250. I went home the other night & when it was time to come back it was about 15 degrees. I'm guessing my thermostat froze because the heater never warmed up & the gauge shot up really high. I boiled out whatever was left of my antifreeze through the reservoir, so I too had no coolant.

I guess what I'm trying to say is if your antifreeze was weak it prolly boiled out a little at a time, your thermostat isn't operating correctly & needs to be replaced, or you might be burning it through a leaky head gasket.

[Rogue]

I think my Tacoma only takes the pink (like me). Can I just flush it and switch to green? What about the animals?

[colleyvillesooner]

Colley, the coolant system in you Essploder is a closed system. If you lost fluid it had to go somewhere & if there's no visible leak it could be serious. I'm guilty being a bit lazy with my F-250. I went home the other night & when it was time to come back it was about 15 degrees. I'm guessing my thermostat froze because the heater never warmed up & the gauge shot up really high. I boiled out whatever was left of my antifreeze through the reservoir, so I too had no coolant.

I guess what I'm trying to say is if your antifreeze was weak it prolly boiled out a little at a time, your thermostat isn't operating correctly & needs to be replaced, or you might be burning it through a leaky head gasket.

Yeah, I'm thinking about changing the thermostat and keeping an eye on it.

[olevetonahill]

I think my Tacoma only takes the pink (like me). Can I just flush it and switch to green? What about the animals?
Yes , you can .
the animals have lived and died whit the green for years .
Thats the only thing good about dexcool is that its enviro safe . . you can take your old green to a recycle place if you need to .

[colleyvillesooner]

UPDATE:

Flushing the radiator made it way worse. :(

My guess it I had a small leak somewhere and flushing it "unplugged" the hole and made it worse. Is that possible? I don't know what all is involved in flushing. COuld it have made something else loose?

From Saturday evening to This morning it had leaked a fair amount. So I checked the fluid last night (still full) and decided to take it in at my lunch break. Still good in the morning, but driving it to work did something, cause it was leaking pretty bad at work this morning.

I'll let you know what happens. Thanks again for all those that helped and suggested the leak worsening flush. ;)

Just kidding, it helped expose a problem I needed to get fixed. Glad it didn't happen on a road trip.

[olevetonahill]

Ok so its gonna be a Gasket , Hose or freeze plug . Maybe the radiator but I dont think so
Oh I have a 97 aszploder Im selling parts Off of .

[colleyvillesooner]

Ok so its gonna be a Gasket , Hose or freeze plug . Maybe the radiator but I dont think so
Oh I have a 97 aszploder Im selling parts Off of .

If it's the hoses, it's gonna be free, cause I got them from these guys in August. :D

[BajaOklahoma]

Colley, I asked my son about this last night at dinner. He said you have a leak that you have to get repaired (duh!) and that the thermostat should have been registering hot even if there wasn't fluid in the radiator.
I can tell you where not to take it for repair. ;)

[colleyvillesooner]

Yeah it registered hot for sure. Getting fixed as we speak!

[olevetonahill]

So what is gettin fixed ?

[Scott D]

colley is.

[colleyvillesooner]

Don't know yet. I didn't get it there early enough for them to look at it yesterday. Should hear something today.

[C&CDean]

Judas H. Priest ditching out at auto shop people. How in the hell do y'all get through life? Yes, I know we all have our strengths and weaknesses, but damn.

Where is it leaking? Do you have any anti-freeze on the passenger side floor? If so, it's a heater core. Is it leaking up front? Maybe a water pump? And just so you know, a thermostat is about a 10-minute job to replace. Freeze plugs? Doubtful, but if so, on that vehicle you're looking at a pretty tough job.

And here's my advice to everybody out there. Never, NEVER flush your transmission or anti-freeze systems. Did you hear me? NEVER. Do not let the dweebs up at the Firestone or wherever talk you into any of that bull****. If you keep your fluid levels up, and use modern fluids, your car should be good for hundreds of thousands of miles. Do not buy that 50-50 crap either.

I could go on and on, but I don't think it'll do any good.

[colleyvillesooner]

They just called and said it's the "lower intake gasket". The tested the whole system and that's the only place it's leaking from. Before I tell the quoted price, let's play a game:

How much should it cost to replace that? I realize the thermostat and gasket themselves aren't that expensive. Their labor quote is for 5 hours. Is that normal for a job like this on a 98 ford explorer?

[C&CDean]

"Lower intake gasket?" You're kidding me, right? Go pick your ride up now. You're getting reamed. Seriously.

[Mjcpr]

You'd best let your husband deal with this, colley.

[colleyvillesooner]

Pretty sure that's what he said I know he said gasket. I've taken my car there since I've gotten it and everytime they've fixed something, I've asked around and people have said yeah that's about right.

well, crap.

[C&CDean]

Pretty sure that's what he said I know he said gasket. I've taken my car there since I've gotten it and everytime they've fixed something, I've asked around and people have said yeah that's about right.

well, crap.
Call them and ask them specifically what the problem is. Write down the actual words they say. Then post them here.

[Mjcpr]

And if you can't do it yourself, you can take those words and speak them to other repair shops about town and get some ballpark estimates. That'll help you figure out if'n you're getting hosed or not.

[colleyvillesooner]

He said it was the lower intake gaskets, where the intake manifold meets the cylinder heads. Most of the cost is for the 4-5 hours labor.

From what I've found googling, that does seem to be a real problem, and not a "blinker fluid" kind of thing.

[C&CDean]

He said it was the lower intake gaskets, where the intake manifold meets the cylinder heads. Most of the cost is for the 4-5 hours labor.

I'm pretty sure that your intake manifold doesn't bolt anywhere close to the water jacket on your engine block. If he said "blown head gasket" or "freeze plugs" I'd buy it. "Lower intake gaskets? No ****ing way. I'm serious here. What motor do you have?

[colleyvillesooner]

4.0L 6 Cylinders

[Scott D]

I think the moral if this story is don't buy a used car from colleyville.

[colleyvillesooner]

heh.

I just wanted this thing to last me a few more years till I can pay down some debt and get a new ride. Really bad timing right before the wedding.

[SoonerBorn68]

I'm pretty sure that your intake manifold doesn't bolt anywhere close to the water jacket on your engine block. If he said "blown head gasket" or "freeze plugs" I'd buy it. "Lower intake gaskets? No ****ing way. I'm serious here. What motor do you have?

On the 4.0L SOHC engine, leaky lower intake gaskets were common when I worked in the dealerships.

[OzarkSooner]

FIVE HOURS!!!! I can NOT believe it would take FIVE HOURS for that!

:eek: :eek:

So, what is labor per hour nowadays? 80-120 dollars per hour I'd guess...

Around $500.00 just for labor? UGH.

[C&CDean]

On the 4.0L SOHC engine, leaky lower intake gaskets were common when I worked in the dealerships.

The intake manifold bolts up somewhere where there's water?

[colleyvillesooner]

FIVE HOURS!!!! I can NOT believe it would take FIVE HOURS for that!

:eek: :eek:

So, what is labor per hour nowadays? 80-120 dollars per hour I'd guess...

Around $500.00 just for labor? UGH.

Labor would be $396.

[colleyvillesooner]

The intake manifold bolts up somewhere where there's water?

Keep in mind I have no idea what I'm talking about...How does water play into it? I know it was leaking green coolant.

[C&CDean]

Keep in mind I have no idea what I'm talking about...How does water play into it? I know it was leaking green coolant.

coolant/water

Engines have what's called a "water jacket." Basically, it's the path the coolant takes after being cooled by the radiator and then pumped through the jacket by the water pump. As the coolant passes by the heat-generating sections of the engine, it takes the heat back to the radiator to be cooled again. If the 4.0 liter engine intake manifold bolts up to the head somewhere where there's a portion of the water jacket then it's conceivable that there could be a leak there. Is the water leaking up on top of the engine?

[SoonerBorn68]

The intake manifold bolts up somewhere where there's water?

Yeah, I'm trying to find an exploded view, but I think on the SOHC engine there's water that goes up into the upper intake. I could be wrong but I know we sold a crapload of the lower sets for water leaks.

[colleyvillesooner]

Yeah, I'm trying to find an exploded view, but I think on the SOHC engine there's water that goes up into the upper intake. I could be wrong but I know we sold a crapload of the lower sets for water leaks.

That would agree with complaints about that engine I've found while googling.

[olevetonahill]

Yes water is around the Intake .
Thats why I said to flush that dexcool crap out and go with the green . There have been numerious problems with all makes of cars that came out with dexcool , It seems to destroy the Intake gaskets .