Another Coolant Problem

[BaddAssGst]

I'm having a problem losing coolant all the time. It doesn't leak at idle or after the car is off, it's like it is getting burned, while I drive. I added my front mount and had to get rid of the overflow tube so I just stuck a hose off the thermo housing and basically vented it. I knew this leaked so I just threw the overflow tube back in but I have no place to put it except just beneath the battery.

If I'm at a stop light, I see the coolant burning and coming from under the hood. The car never gets hot until most of the coolant burns out (overheats from lack of coolant). Any idea what's making it do that?

Only think I can think of is that the "stock" place of the overflow tube, the line that goes to it from the thermo housing, is pointed downward. The place where I have it now, the line goes up.

 

[Old Mitsu Tech]

Hopefully I read this right.

If you are venting your radiator to atmosphere, you will eventually run out of anti freeze. This is a closed type of system as when the engine is shut off, it will overpressure the radiator cap as it is no longer dispersing heat through the radiator. This is ok as it sends it to the overflow bottle. When the engine cools, it creates a vacuum which pulls the anti freeze back into the cooling system.

The recovery bottle has to be there for the cooling system to operate properly.

Hope this answered your question. Good Luck

 

[BaddAssGst]

The overflow tube is now in place just not normally where it sits. I knew I was losing coolant with not having an overflow so I put it back. I'm still burning the coolant somewhere which I believe is around the overflow tank. I'm just not exactly sure why.

Does the position of the overflow tube make any difference? Especially since the hose doesn't flow down from the thermostat housing but currently, it flows up.

 

[BaddAssGst]

It seems as if the smoke isn't coming from the overflow bottle but its coming from somewhere around the thermostat housing. I've tightened all the bolts and they are all tight. I can not see any leakage/drippage from any of the lines at all. Is it possible that it's not creating a good seal around it and I'll have to get another gasket for it? Would that be the reason it is smoking?

 

[rice_rocket]

If I were you, I would let the car idle for a LONG time and watch where the burning is coming from. It was a stupid idea to let the hose hang free, you'd have to be spewing out coolant after you park, I don't know how you wouldn't notice it.

So, if it doesn't do that, adjust the BISS screw or put a brick on your gas pedal to get the rpm's up to maybe 3K and watch it again. There are a million hoses and gaskets, if you're seeing burning under your hood after driving, it must be burning off of something... figure it out, or you're burning it through your head gasket, check your oil for coolant.

 

[Defiant]

The overflow tank has to be able to draw coolant, not air, back in when the system cools down.

 

[BaddAssGst]

The overflow tank has to be able to draw coolant, not air, back in when the system cools down.

It is drawing coolant back in. I have the hose running back into the overflow. All the bolts are tight and I'm not leaking ANY coolant. There are no puddles anywhere I park and there is never coolant in the engine bay. From inside the car, I can see the smoke coming from under the hood at a stop light. The car isnt running hot (195-200*). I'm going to pull off the whole thermo housing and add some new gaskets/sealant and see if that fixes the problem.

 

[aadperformance]

you said you have the overflow coolant line running up instead of down, if you need to go to a parts store and get some coolant line long enough to run it down in another location.

 

[Defiant]

The return line has to reach down below the fluid level in the overflow tank, and it must not have any air leak at the cap.