coolant mistry

[1st rover]

so i get back from tahoe and a week later ie about 500 miles since last coolant refill the light starts flashing so i peep into the resevoir no nothing in there ..may be a couple of drops but thats all..
it took a little over 1/2 a gallon to fill it up and this is the second time this has happened..
ive found no leaks at all nor is the oil milky .
any one have an idea where the coolant is disappearing?

[Landy-Andy]

Hi 1st Rover,

If you are sure there is no leaky hoses anywhere then coolant is normaly lost like this in two different possibilities (neither of them good!)

1- Heater core / pipes cracked dumping the coolant into the passenger foot well. ( feel under the carpet in passenger footwell area for wetness).
2- Head gasket has a pin hole or hairline crack letting coolant into combustion area & forced out of the exhaust as steam.
(look for steam out of exhaust after engine has warmed up and/or pressure in the coolant reservoir)

Good luck!
Andy

[1st rover]

thanks andy,
ive observed that when i let the car run while parked at a place,
there is a wet spot a couple of feet from the exhaust tip.. so u may be right.. about the pin hole or leak.. but do i have to worry about this too much?

[Landy-Andy]

Hi Again 1st Rover,

You should confirm actual steam from the exhaust, this should be easily seen after the engine is warmed up (looks like wisps of white smoke) The wet tail pipe you are seeing could just be condensation.
I have known people to run for over 100k with a pin hole in the head gasket, but it normally will slowly get bigger & it will corode away your O2 sensors, catalyst convertors & even your exhaust will rust from inside out (eventually).

Some people say the "head gasket repair additives" that you pour into the radiator work well with repairing small pin holes, but can also clog up your coolant system with this stuff.

Half a gallon of coolant loss over 500 miles seems pretty bad to me! It would probaly be best to have a garage inspect & confirm before taking any action.

good luck,
Andy

[1st rover]

nope no white smoke at all except at cold starts. thats all.
fearing the worst i did put in the head gasket sealing additives,and the coolant level hasnt dropped much within the last 200 odd miles..
other question i had is how many miles/gallon or km/litre should i be getting on my 93 lwb classic? i am getting about 11 city/15-17 highway.is his about right? have been using the middle grade with premium,a mixture of about 70%/30%.

[OkieRover]

My 93 LWB has a head gasket leak and pushes the coolant past the cap on the expansion tank. I don't loose so much in the winter but as summer comes I will be loosing more. I have 155k on mine and I get 14-16mpg overall. I drive a mix of highway and town. Seems to be around 14 town. I have gotten 19 highway once.

To improve gas mileage you can replace your O2 sensors and gain a little bit. I use 87 octane gas.

[Serg]

My '95 LWB (113k) 4.2 gets about 12-13 in town and about 15 HWY. My '95 LWB 4.0 (6k on new motor) gets about 14 town and 17 hwy.


Serg

[Geoffrey F Miller]

4.0 and 4.6 engines are prone to cracked bores, which leak coolant into the cylinders when the engine is hot - there's nothing to see for it!

Have a look at the "coolant loss" page on my website www.goffy.com if you want a nasty surprise!

[glenncof]

Most common source of coolant leaks is water pumps. The bearing seals wearout and coolant leaks out the weep hole on the pump under the pump shaft.

I expect at least ~60K miles. My first on 1991 RR was 93K.