Why am i losing so much coolant?

95

Asked by David Aug 26, 2009 at 04:21 PM about the 1998 Ford Mustang

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 1998 Mustang v6 and i realized last weekend i was very low on coolant, so i filled it up to somewhere between full hot and full cold, now (wednesday) i am low AGAIN! I looked for any puddles or signs of leaks on my hoses but everything was dry, my radiator is in good shape and the coolant reservoir doesn't leak. I know fords suck up coolant but this is rediculous!! Please help.

18 Answers

16,855

Is any smoke (white or blueish in color) coming from the exhaust? If yes, what color? If not have the cooling system pressure tested, a lot of times it's near impossible to find a leak because it may only spray when teh system is under pressure.

6 people found this helpful.
175

or you may need a heater core. have you ever stepped inside to find your carpet wet, or get this strong antifreeze smell, or have this mist fog up your windshield from the inside, but when you wipe it it just smears? then it could be you heater core. if so, the part's like $40, but labor is $1200 (the estimate i got for my gt). i was able to do mine myself. it isnt that hard of a job, just takes a couple hours.

6 people found this helpful.
95

i haven't seen any smoke coming from my exhaust of any color. Thank you for your response i will have to get the pressure tested soon.

1 people found this helpful.
95

Thankfully i haven't had that problem, I've never seen those symptoms. Thank you for your reply!

When was the last time you replaced the waterpump. they typically weep when they fail and that only happens when the car is running.

3 people found this helpful.
95

the water pump to my knowledge is original (1998)

2 people found this helpful.

Bingo! they seldom last more than 100k miles,are recommended for replacement every 60k miles and being that its accessory driven, the harder you accelerate the harder it accelerates too. Go spend about $50 and an hour or 2 and replace it. If you wanna get performance gains, buy an electric one.. but those cost about $380 for the water pump and the controller although they can gain you 7-15 hp as well.

3 people found this helpful.
95

thanks, i only have 49k on my car but it is still an old part and probably needs to be replaced

3 people found this helpful.
120

I am having this problem too with my 05 Mustang. Water is going somewhere. I replaced the water pump, thermostat & thermostat housing.....Any ideas?

12 people found this helpful.
50

Hi everyone.. I just bought a 2006 Mustang. Has anyone fixed these issues? And did it improve?

3 people found this helpful.
40

White smoke from the tailpipe is coolant is going thru a cracked head or broken seal of the headgasket.

4 people found this helpful.
50

Your absolutely right! I bought a new engine. Thanks for your reply.:)

2 people found this helpful.
30

I have the same issue no smoke just slight on cold start but that should be normal i don't know about water pump because I bought the car a couple months ago but changed radiator, hoses and thermo due to a leak I saw now its not dripping but still down almost every morning

3 people found this helpful.
5

I have a 2008 mustang gt the water is not staying in my car my car isn’t running hot but everyday I gotta put water in it what should I do and no my car isn’t smoking

I have a 2005 mustang and I have had the problem since buying the car 7 years ago.We replaced the thermostat, radiator(because it had a huge dent in it), and hoses. Before I replaced the radiator I would notice small puddles under my car, but since I have replaced it I haven't noticed any puddles, there isn't colored smoke, and there is no smell but I am still going through antifreeze within a month. Has anyone figured out what this might be caused by?

5

heater hose under intake manifold leaking at plastic quick disconnect fitting motorcraft part number KT-92. thats what im dealing with too.

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