Ford - Explorer :: Coolant Not Returning To Radiator From Expansion Tank
Jun 24, 2015
Last week during a hot/long day on the road, my engine temp gauge started fluctuating between 1/2 and almost 7/8 on the gauge. The weird thing was that it was fairly stable most of the time, but every 10 minutes or so, it would heat up, and spend bout 15 seconds at the high mark before dropping down again. It didn't seem to be related to rpm, A/C operation, or driving intensity. When I got home, and let it cool down, I checked the coolant level. I couldn't see any coolant in the radiator, but the expansion tank was nearly full. I guess the low coolant level can explain the symptoms above, but I can't figure out what is happening to the coolant.
I took the car to a mechanic and had a pressure test, which didn't show any leakage. I had a new thermostat and radiator cap installed. They flushed the system, and tested the hose between the expansion tank and radiator. After driving the car home, the coolant in the radiator had already dropped to the point where I couldn't see it, and the expansion tank was 3/4 full. Now, I am planning to keep track of the levels of both reservoirs (and refilling the radiator of course) to see if the fluid is leaking, or if it is just not returning from the expansion tank. Hopefully this bit of knowledge should locate the problem.
The successful pressure test leads me to believe that it isn't leaking externally. However, I'm wondering if there is a small enough leak that wouldn't be detected by the pressure test, but is significant enough that it would allow air in when the engine cools instead of pulling the fluid back from the expansion tank.
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2007, 4.0L, Explorer, 113,000 mi. Week ago noticed coolant expansion tank empty while hot and cold. Looked inside ex. tank and looked like it had not seen any action in a while. Looked inside radiator and coolant level was about 1 inch to 1.5 inches below bottom of rad. cap would be...approx. level with rad. seam, where black plastic top of rad. attaches to metal portion of rad. I filled expan. tank to "cold fill" line. Kept an eye on it while doing light, around town driving. The expan. tank level (cold-fill) didn't change.
Friday, my wife returned from work (30 mi., interstate drive). After being parked for 45 mins, went out to find fluid puddle at very front of car. Expansion tank was empty. Looked in radiator, and it was about one inch to inch and a half below bottom of rad cap...about level with rad seam, where the black plastic top is attached to metal. I topped off the rad. this time, along with filling expan. tank to cold-fill line. Turn car on, and after warming up coolant starting coming out from what appeared to be the seam at the top of the rad., where the black plastic portion meets the metal part of the rad.
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I have a 02 cavalier 2.2 it just started leAking coolant when in a drive thru. Steam started coming up from hood. When I looked under the hood the expansion tank was hissing and it looked like the antifreeze was coming out of the overflow tube at the top of the tank. What should I do? It is sitting still at the parking lot
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Changed coolant expansion tank and coolant, engine lite came on. Scanner says coolant problems. What can it be. ECU is not recognizing new tank.
Car passat 1.8, M/T, 05, coolant was changed with the pink coolant from dealership, system was flushed and bleeded. Car is NOT overheating, temperature is showing as usual.
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Have a 2002 V6 in the family that's losing coolant at a rate of about an expansion tank every 3 -4 weeks.
I have searched all around with a flashlight, don't see any signs of coolant residue near the radiator, expansion tank or cap, water pump, or heater core connections. Heater core does not smell like coolant. Exhaust does not smell sweet or does not steam once the car is warmed up.
I pressure tested the cooling system on up to 18-20 PSI and still can't find any evidence of anything leaking out anywhere.
I'm going to change the upper and lower radiator hoses this weekend in the thought that maybe it's a pinhole leak once hot and under pressure (I pressure tested cold). Any common things I'm missing where it may leak?
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After sitting on a steep driveway for three years, no starting done all that time,I filled all tanks, started it up, drove it on and off 8 times for 50 miles, air in top radiator tank along with rusty water, dare we flush the system being 280k miles old with 40k on new radiator/ also is there a socklike screen over the fuelpump in the tank that may need cleaning to start quicker than two to three starter attempts?
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I just noticed this morning that the coolant tank (close to radiator) is empty. The other coolant tank level is normal. Big surprise! I thought they are connected, and coolant can flow between them.
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Having an issue with my 03' Accent. I'm having an issue of my coolant tank filling up but it is not being drawn back into the radiator when the engine cools down. I have replaced the radiator with a new unit because the filler neck of the original radiator was damaged sometime in the past and the cap would not seal good enough to hold pressure . Looks like heat damage to me but I don't know for sure. The system now holds pressure but now I'm having the current issue. My first thought was a head gasket issue creating pressure in the system and forcing coolant into the tank.
The car has 155k miles and runs good overall and is not overheating. I performed a "block check" test using the chemical method that detects combustion gasses in the cooling system and that test was negative. I also pressure tested the system by pressurizing to 16 psi and was unable to detect any leaks anywhere on the engine / radiator and the pressure did not drop until I released it. I guess the next thing to try will be a compression test to see if I have any low cylinders. So, for whatever reason my cooling system is not creating enough of a vacuum to draw the coolant back into the radiator when it cools down. Does this sound like a head gasket issue? The pic is of the original radiator filler neck damage.
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While I was looking at my coolant level in the overflow tank yesterday I noticed pinkish coolant residue on the overflow tank cap and then looked at the radiator cap and it was covered in the same pinkish coolant residue.
2006 Cam LE 4 Cylinder, 52,000. Already done 2 coolant drain and fills--the Head bolt issue scares me.....
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I have a 2002 Ford Explorer and I am still trying to figure out why the coolant will overflow in the radiator reserve tank. I put in a new thermostat and a new cap to the overflow tank. When the tank is cold, sat over night, I put in new anti-freeze to the cold coolant line. Then I start up the explorer and let it run for a while. The temp gauge goes up, then drops a tad and cold air comes out of the vents.
After I rev up the engine, I see the coolant level starts to rise in the overflow tank, then it goes to the top and starts to leak out. This takes a while being the thermostat has not kicked in to suck the fluid in. Before this happens, the heater core lines are luke warm. After the tank overflows, the remaining gets sucked into the engine and I get nice warm heat. What causes this. I had the test done to see if the head gasket is bad. The test was negative.
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2008 Ford Explorer 4x4. 70,000 miles. Still under warranty. Took a lengthy trip and when we got home I notice a small transmission leak in the front around where the front seal is. No dipstick to check the fluid level so I dont know how much or how long of a leak. Called the Ford dealer and the mechanic told us that sometimes the transmission gets hot and leaks because of expansion! Is this for real?? I've never heard this before. I'm figuring bad seal.
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I recently bought a 2003 VW jetta 1.8T with 150,000 miles on it. After the purchase I got about 20 miles down the road and it overheated. I noticed there was oil in the expansion tank. I replaced the head and head gasket on the vehicle. As i was taking everything off I noticed that there was green coolant in the car. WhenI took the head off the pistons were glazed over and a lot of things were charred.
So I cleaned everything and put the new head and gasket on. After everything i cleaned the expansion tank of the oil and put new coolant in. After I drove it around for a little bit and everything seemed fine and there was no oil mixing with coolant. So I left got another 20 miles down the road and it started steaming and the overheated light came on. I checked the engine and there was no oil in the expansion take but the coolant was just pulsing it wasn't a constant flow.
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I have a 97 F-150 and my Radiator fluid has been leaking very bad but hasn't been taking the fluid from overflow tank. Actually the new fluid that I put in the overflow has now turned a rusty color....
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So today my 97 f150, 2wd 5.4L automatic has started giving me some troubles. The truck has 291k miles on it, i bought it with 260k miles on it. About a week ago the truck overheated due to a busted radiator side tank, it was promptly replaced the next day and i have had no problems with it since, till today. Sometimes when you start it it will stumble alive like its out of gas, give it a sec and it settles down. When you get going, its a little down on power, i know it has 291k miles on it but it pulled hard. Its OK till you get to about 35-40, when it just stops accelerating. I had my foot to the floor and it barely went above 40, if you ease into it slowly it will slowly accelerate till about 45, drop down to 40 and then go like normal.
When i changed the radiator i lost about a cup maybe a cup and a half of transmission fluid, i have gotten time to replace it but i didn't think that small amount of fluid would dramatically change performance, the fluid also looked almost new. The only other things i have done to the truck is some brake work and replace the alternator. I have no knowledge of what the previous over did or did not do. It is not throwing any code, and the OD light/button is broken, i think on newer rangers the OD light would would brink indicating transmissions problems, not sure if its the same on these trucks.
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1999 E350 V10 van, 120,000 miles. I'm the second owner so history unknown.
After driving this past Saturday noticed coolant on the pavement when I parked. Checking inside I found coolant all along the top of the radiator where the clips secure the plastic tank/cover.
Reserve was half full where I keep it. Running the van while parked and the temp was less than mid range. Can I assume the radiator is shot?
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Putting a new radiator in and need getting the old one out. I have it loose but can't get the condenser free of the radiator. About ready to plug in the sawsall. The 2 tabs on the drivers side will not come out.
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I have a 1999 suburban I got about 8 months ago when i got it it had a miss #6 plug porcelain was gone around electroid, mis fire returned to #6 agin about 2 months ago changed #6 it was gone this time porcelain was just cracked, now I just noticed oil in coolant I drained oil n didn't see any water in it.. Oil tank in radiator leaking? What else could cause this? By the way it hasnt over heated.. temp does fluctuate between 160-210 . What made me notice it was cap was leaking coolant changed cap gonna look at it tomorrow again.
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My 1992 Nissan Primera 2.0 slx is overheating, probably on its last legs. First time this happened the radiator overflow tank seemed low so I topped it up with glycerol and added some leak plugger to the radiator for good measure. The car drove just fine for 20-30km then it happened again. At the same time, and I don't know if this is relevant, the windscreen defroster, which should bleed warm engine air, now only gives cold.
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I've got some dripping of antifreeze on my 2000 Explorer. I figured maybe I'd try a recommended "stop-leak" product...
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1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse. 2.0L 5-speed. 195,000. When I complete my 33 mile trip home and shut off engine, I can hear air bubbling into the overflow tank from radiator. Temp gauge shows normal. Just had new water pump, thermostat, radiator flush and refill and new 16 lb radiator cap installed. Overflow tank fills up to near top (not running over) and when engine cools, the tank is back down to half way. I've checked water level in radiator when cool and it is full. Question: Is this normal? Don't think I've ever noticed or heard the bubbling sound before. The engine runs great and smoothly.
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My 94 ford escort LX 1.9L is currently suffering from coolant loss. However I have not seen any drips anywhere from under the hood and the floor mats in car seem to be dry. The overflow tank is always full to fill line but after I drive it for a day after refilling the radiator back up cause its half empty for some strange reason and then come home for the day and the next morning its half empty again.
As a side note when I first start the car it runs fine but then I eventually notice a strange odor that smells like burning coolant and something else mixed to it thru the vents in the car even without heater on. The Radiator cap has replaced due to the original was leaking out coolant from under the seal and the heater works fine. I've have however been thinking lately that maybe there is leak some where in-between the firewall and heater core possibly but the floor carpet seems to be dry.
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