Crouching wagon, missing coolant......

[Brandon94sc2]

Alright. So i just got a 97 SW2 as a DD. Everything was fine til yesterday when the low coolant light came on for about 2 minutes then turned off. I stopped at the first gas station to check it out. With the temp guage at 1/4, i started slowly unscrewing the cap to the resevour. I heard a little "psss" and that was it. Checked the fluid level and it was maybe an 1/8th inch under the fill line. So i filled it up and went on my merry way. Well it did it to me again tonight on the way home. Except this time the water level was down quite a bit. There is a white resedue under the resevour and down the side of the frame well but its never wet. The coolant is brand new and bright green, but there is a very small amount of a greenish, almost gel substance, at the top of the resevour. Im thinking its the resevour cap, and im really hoping its not the damn HG. What do you guys think?

[slowion2]

sounds like the cap dude, if it was teh hg I think you would have noticed the other symptoms

[Brandon94sc2]

Alright well im gonna go grab a new cap and see what happens. Ill keep y'all informed.

[project92SC2]

Either the cap or one of the lines. Check your lines........ those can be a bitch.

[Satizzle]

did you look at the end caps on the radiator, one of em probably split open

[Jeremy]

If its not the radiator or cap, then your overflow tank is leaking. Ive seen that happen.

FYI: You should have orange coolant, not green if its a 97.

[S.Bretz]

Green works better...I have seen fewer water pumps leak with the green stuff. Maybe is a conicendence...or maybe not.

[sl2fast]

what about the whole dex cool shit whats up with that, in the manual it says use only taht or is taht just a scare tactic thingy bitch

[Robert]

dexcool is GM "brand" with silicone I believe. just like dexron and mercon ATF shit. actually, if you got a new Ford, don't put Dexron in your auto tranny. We've seen the disaster here at Nellis AFB so we have to use Mercon from ford itself.

[S.Bretz]

what about the whole dex cool shit whats up with that, in the manual it says use only taht or is taht just a scare tactic thingy bitch

You can switch between the 2, BUT YOU AVE TO FLUCH ALL THE OTHER COLOR OUT. Mixing the red and green turns your coolant into a corrosive mixture...that's not good for the block, heater core, radiator, or the blades on the pump.

[therealm0rh0us]

If its not the radiator or cap, then your overflow tank is leaking. Ive seen that happen.

FYI: You should have orange coolant, not green if its a 97.

terrible things happen to dex cars when green shit is put in em

[PurdueGuy]

If its not the radiator or cap, then your overflow tank is leaking. Ive seen that happen.

FYI: You should have orange coolant, not green if its a 97.

terrible things happen to dex cars when green shit is put in em

Some of the stories about the bad things have been proven to be made up... some of them, not so much, so yeah - don't mix 'em, but don't believe every story you hear, either. [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/smile.gif[/img]

[Brandon94sc2]

If its not the radiator or cap, then your overflow tank is leaking. Ive seen that happen.

FYI: You should have orange coolant, not green if its a 97.

Well i replaced the cap and it helped a bit but didnt stop it. Im thinking its either the hose coming out of the hardline, or the the overflow itself is cracked. The coolant isnt looking very pretty either. I dont think they flushed the whole system cuz it does look like the green and orange mixed together. That or rust colored, but i dont think its from the oil and coolant mixing. The oil is full and doesnt have any weird colors to it and it doesnt smell like coolant and vise versa. I guess ill have to drain the overflow and check it out, or maybe just drain the whole system and flush it real good.

[project92SC2]

what about the whole dex cool shit whats up with that, in the manual it says use only taht or is taht just a scare tactic thingy bitch

You can switch between the 2, BUT YOU AVE TO FLUCH ALL THE OTHER COLOR OUT. Mixing the red and green turns your coolant into a corrosive mixture...that's not good for the block, heater core, radiator, or the blades on the pump.

Also leaves a gummy residue that sticks and clogs as well. I've seen that happen too. Flush your sytem out, get some prestone superflush, and toss some green shit in there......... you'll thank us. If you really want to help it out, add water wetter too. (redline)

[Brandon94sc2]

what about the whole dex cool shit whats up with that, in the manual it says use only taht or is taht just a scare tactic thingy bitch

You can switch between the 2, BUT YOU AVE TO FLUCH ALL THE OTHER COLOR OUT. Mixing the red and green turns your coolant into a corrosive mixture...that's not good for the block, heater core, radiator, or the blades on the pump.

Also leaves a gummy residue that sticks and clogs as well. I've seen that happen too. Flush your sytem out, get some prestone superflush, and toss some green shit in there......... you'll thank us. If you really want to help it out, add water wetter too. (redline)

Sounds like a plan. I think im just gonna drain the thing completely tomorrow and check out the overflow for cracks or leaks, then check all my hoses and seals. Hopefully i can find the leak. Then ill flush the whole system and get some pre mixed 50/50 coolant and some water wetter.