[RoverX1325]

After a long weekend away in a class for work I came back to find my D2 coolant reservoir extremely low. I filled it up and headed home. There were no puddles underneath or anything visible in the engine compartment and no white smoke or coolant in oil. I've read all the nightmares and have to ask. Is it possible to have a bad head gasket with none of these normal signs?

 

[RoverX1325]

Used a friend's block tester, color stayed blue green. Still no obvious leaks etc. Is there a possibility that the tank or the cap could be bad?

 

[redtruck12]

I had a rad that would leak and hardly left any drops. Also had a heater core leak and was not obvious at first coolant puddled in the depression on top of the trans tunnel and then soaked into the under padding under the carpet.
Could also be a water pump that only leaks when the shaft is turning (engine running) or even a small external leak from head gasket need to find it before something catastrophic happens. I would not drive it until it gets sorted out if I were you.

 

[mbruneaux]

I had a rad that would leak and hardly left any drops. Also had a heater core leak and was not obvious at first coolant puddled in the depression on top of the trans tunnel and then soaked into the under padding under the carpet.
Could also be a water pump that only leaks when the shaft is turning (engine running) or even a small external leak from head gasket need to find it before something catastrophic happens. I would not drive it until it gets sorted out if I were you.

All areas to check as well as intake and heads at the corners. Borrow a pressure tester and test your system.

 

[RoverX1325]

Oh its not going anywhere until I can get the tester from my buddy and then go from there. When I bought it the dealer claimed and provided documentation that the hg had been replaced, although you can really only take info like that with a grain of salt.I did read most of the leaks occurred on the back two cylinders so I will start checking there. I guess it's time to get the weekend cruiser out for a few weeks.

 

[Bosnian Discovery]

The two plastic end caps of the radiator are weak points - remove the shroud and check those for pinhole leaks. I had one side leaking.

Throttle body heater and hoses are notorious for slow leaks.

Hoses under the expansion tank are notorious for slow leaks.

Basically the whole system is notorious for slow leaks. Get the engine up to temp and get under it to see if you can't see coolant trickling out somewhere. A UV dye kit can be helpful.

 

[RoverX1325]

I never thought of the radiator weak spots. I could be approaching it wrong but if it were the hg wouldn't it use coolant while running? I noticed the leak after it sat all weekend. I apologize for not stating that earlier. As far as leaks, I've checked all the hoses and connection points, no leaks. No leak from tb plate. Ive already replaced those brittle plastic lines that run from the radiator to reservoir and whatnot.

 

[stb616]

I never thought of the radiator weak spots. I could be approaching it wrong but if it were the hg wouldn't it use coolant while running? I noticed the leak after it sat all weekend. I apologize for not stating that earlier. As far as leaks, I've checked all the hoses and connection points, no leaks. No leak from tb plate. Ive already replaced those brittle plastic lines that run from the radiator to reservoir and whatnot.

It could just be that you didn't realize it was slowing using coolant and then just noticed the res was low/empty that day.

Good idea not to drive it until you figure it out.

 

[MarkSF]

You can't beat being able to pressurize the system higher than normal, to find those leaks. That's where the pressure tester comes in. I pumped the system up to 25 psi, found 3 leaks right away. Since then, no more topping off of coolant.

 

[Bosnian Discovery]

I'm not excluding the possibility that your HG has an internal leak, but the design of our gaskets makes that seem unlikely.

The portion of the gasket that surrounds the cylinders is lined with metal which should keep them from failing internally. The biggest weak point of the design are the extreme ends of the HGs (where the red sealant is in the photo) - there's literally 1/8 of an inch of gasket between the water jacket and the atmosphere. This is why most of our leaks manifest themselves as slow drips out the back of the motor.

There's also the possibility that you have a cracked block that's leaking past the liners, but that's usually not the case unless there's been a serious overheat at some point in the past.



My money is still on some pinhole leak somewhere that stays hidden until the system is under pressure. Double check the area on the very top of the radiator end caps - you can only see it after you remove the shroud. My driver's side cap had a tiny pinhole leak that would only be visible after it was up to temp and even then it would evaporate before it hit the ground.

 

[PTSchram]

If it isn't blowing hoses off or breaching the cap, it's not over-pressurized.

 

[disco biscuit]

Mine dripped coolant from the back of the drivers side head by The firewall. It then dripped off the head onto the exhaust and never left any drops on the ground or visible. It didnt smell at all either. Mine at its worst dripped a reservoir every two days. I couldn't find it for the longest then when I did I determined with all new coolant system I could drive it. I did so for a year or so without incident, seemingly because the coolant just leaks off the back there...if you look at the gasket you can see the water jackets. Diagnose it as fast as you can and don't take this story to mean its safe to drive with a blown head gasket...I'm saying its not uncommon and all things are workable.

Whatever it turns out to be PTSchram who posted above is the go to guy, and a gigantic wealth of knowledge to talk to while ordering. Call him. I haven't finished mine yet but he saved me.