My coolant is disappearing where is it going?
20 Answers
Try some radiator stop leak worked for my 2004 Saab 9-5 you just run it through the coolant and after it runs through you'll see a large amount of liquid under the car and that is the stop leak flushing out. I recommend "Bar's Leaks - Cooling System Repair"
Smell the exhaust, see if it has a sweet smell to it, check the oil, make sure the oil level is not rising, these things would indicate a bad head gasket, and if you smell it in the car, then that would be the heater core.
enginecreator answered 7 years ago
Do as Rowefast said, This is the likely case. Bars will not fix it, may help for a few days but not the remedy. I strongly recommend you do not use it(more like Bars Clog). This model is well known for gasket issues and need new upper engine gaskets installed.
enginecreator answered 7 years ago
If you monitor it for now while it is not pouring coolant in the crankcase you may have some time to make a decision on the route to take to fix or sell it, If it has not been running hot but just loosing small amounts of coolant make sure its not in your oil yet.
it doesnt get hot at all and there is no sweet smell and i read some things saying it could be a manifold intake or a head gasket
Open the radiator overflow and see if the inside tube is long enough to reach the bottom of the tank. If not, fish in the tank bottom for the extra tubing and reattach it to the lid. Had this problem in my 98
Using Bars Leak is an excellent idea. It's an inexpensive and effective way of dealing with minor leaks without doing all kinds of mechanical work. On an old car like yours it may indeed be the fix you need to see the car through the balance of its life. I solved a similar problem on my '03 years ago. Two cans of Bars Leak saved me hundreds of dollars and hours of work. Give it a try. You've got nothing to lose.
i did my research on bars leak and if done wrong it can cause a bigger problem then already it has plus it may be the intake manifold gasket which is like 300 to 600 dollars so instead of destroying my entire car using leaks i may have a mechanic look at it
In my case it was the intake gasket that was leaking. The Bars Leak did a great job of sealing it up although it did take 2 applications. Total cost of repair. $15. Total down time, zero.
enginecreator answered 7 years ago
Are you still driving it and how long has it been since last application?
Yes. I drive it as my winter car every year. I "fixed" it about 5 years ago. Since then I ad about 3 quarts of coolant a year, so I know its not 100% sealed, but its sealed enough that its no longer a problem. In the mean time I blew the plastic elbows to the heater and had to replace most of the fluid. I thought I might have to add more Bars Leak but so far haven't had to. That was 2 years ago. It's a proven product that's been around for decades and is actually GM approved. I'd only consider it a band aid for a newer car, but for those of us driving older cars that are nearing the end of their useful life, or for those with limited financial resources its a life saver.
its not a blown head gasket i had a friend of mine who is a mechanic and he couldn't find the problem so maybe there is a small hole in the tubing since it doesn't leak so fast
Radiator hoses don't leak slowly. Your coolant is under high pressure when the engine is hot. You'd have coolant everywhere if you had a leaking hose. If you don't have coolant leaking onto the ground and if the head gaskets are good it's most likely the intake leaking. That's what happened to mine. Have you tried Bars Leak yet? If that doesn't fix it you'll have to do the intake gaskets.
enginecreator answered 7 years ago
I do not trust bars. If it were mine and knowing what I know about the grand prix having gasket issues and since its not a $100k car and its already 17yrs old. I would get some Pharma grade Sodium Silicate Grade 40 if you really want to be able to fix it as long as you have not filled it with bars or the like, the (AKA Liquid Glass) will last longer and actual has a chance of working. Follow the directions, read all, do all: https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-t16865_ds601770
ive done research on bars and i don't trust it either so i havent done anything of the like
