Cooling Problems

[1996cobravert]

I just bought a 1996 Cobra Convertible. It is using water some how. It is not in the oil, nor is it leaking on the ground anywhere. I was told it could be a busted head gasket, but the car is still running great. What are some signs of a busted head gasket? What else should i look for?

 

[blackfang]

Also keep in mind the 96's had a coolant/overheating issue that was a TSB where they replaced the radiator and condensor and a few other things. There are plenty of threads on here that reference that.

Depends on how the headgasket is. Is it externally leaking? You will see coolant around the heads where they mate to the block, dripping, coolant on the ground. Is it internally leaking and blown where exhaust gasses are leaving the cylinder and finding their way into the coolant system creating air pockets. One way to tell is to get a funnel that can screw onto the radiator cap and add coolant to it. Run the motor for a little while and if you see air bubbles in the coolant, that is an indication the head gaskets are blown.

Sorry I couldn't be much of a help

 

[COBRA90GT]

If you suspect a leak, run a cooling system pressure test...a tell tale sign of a leaky head gasket is the "sweet" smell of coolant mixed in with the exhaust emissions....it's a very pungent smell if you have ever smelled a vehicle that is leaking coolant into the combustion chamber.