what the heck would cause this?

[DarkProphet]

My car still runs like crap, and i have no idea why at this point. It seems like i have good vacuum, so i dont know if i have a leak. After i drive it around the block, coolant is all over the place and the rad is half empty. It seems to be pushing the coolant back into the plastic tank. Any idea why it would be doing this? its not over heating. I think its possible that it could be leaing in the lower intake, and when a little boost gets in, its pushing its way into the coolant and making it bubble out?

UPDATE: my car is really making me mad, sometimes it will run ok considering it has no tune, and others, it will barely run, stutter, backfire and shake. When it does the latter, the coolant problem always happens. How would i know if i have coolant in my oil? the dipstick seems to be all oil, and what ive drained so far seems to be just oil as well, though very very dark for being 1 day old.

 

[Pokageek]

Blown Head gasket? This is the reason I bought a GT and decided to go N/A. I had the turbo/sc cars and dealt with all that and crap. I never really got it running right. But it does sound like mine when I blew the HG. Good luck, hang in there and you will fix the bugs.

 

[DarkProphet]

would it run half decently until it heated up when you had blown head gaskets?

I also think that the coolant problem might be bubbles, its raining right now so i cant jack it up and run it to see if i get any out.

 

[Pokageek]

I can't say it was running erratically like yours but I did notice the temps going up more and more and having to add collant until one day thge whole think blew out and left me on the side of the road. Problem is it doesn't sound like you have really had a chance to run it. I ran mine HARD that day and that's a quick way to find out because BAM blew right out and at least I knew what the heck was wrong with it. I had to get the heads planed and bought metal gaskets after that and no more problems...at least as far as hg went. They must have been a little compromised and the forced induction put mine right over the edge.

 

[DarkProphet]

in my case, my car runs half ok, and will run that it seems, until the coolant problem happens. Im not sure whats causing the coolant problem, but when i pop my hood the plastic overflow tank is completely full, and if i take off the rad cap, the rad is half empty. So im not really loosing coolant, its just going back into the tank.

 

[Pokageek]

Yes but my leak was on the OUTSIDE of the water jacked causing it to lose fluid. You MIGHT have a leakon the INSIDE between the cylinder wall and the coolant hole. I would think this is what could cause your system to become so pressurized that it BLOWS it back out of the rad. Just my guess although I hope it is something simpler for your sake.

 

[Pokageek]

Ttt

 

[DarkProphet]

There is most deffinatly coolant in my oil. I really dont know what to do now, i redid the lower intake 2 times now, and I dont know if thats the problem or not. I dont have the time, or money to redo it again. Im actually considering selling the car, but i know its not worth much if it barely runs. I really dont know what to do anymore, I start school soon, and will have no time to work on it.

 

[gcomfx.com]

Unless I'm wrong. Coolant in the oil is head gasket not intake gasket. I have a leaking intake gasket right now. It puts oil in your intake and PVC valve. I'm pretty sure you should be looking at the head gaskets instead.

 

[CManT1914]

Do a compression test on all 8 cylinders and see what you come up with. If you got one or two next to each other that are bad, then it sounds like a head gasket. Then drain your oil and see for sure if you have milkshake. Don't be in denial about it either, I was, and it took me damn near 3 weeks to realize I had a blown head gasket. (luckily I didn't drive it those 3 weeks)

 

[Pokageek]

It's not all that hard to do, just time consuming. You have to get whichever head that is warped (that's what causes a leak) to a machine shop to plane it a little so it is perfect (really best to do both heads) and then get a real good metal head gasket and put it back together. It's not something worth selling a car over but I don't know your exact situation..

 

[DarkProphet]

well im hoping its a intake manifold problem. The coolant could be leaking out of the gasket, into the valley, which would make coolant go into the oil. Im also thinking, that when i get a little boost involved, it is seeping from the intake port, through the gasket, and into the coolant port, causing it to put air bubbles in the coolant, and flowing back into the plastic container.

The more and more i think about it though. it almost seems like i should just get it fixed, and sell it. Then i can just buy a beater, and use that. Im pretty much broke, and i need money for school. Also, i cant drive my car around my school because its the middle of phiadelphia, and i just wouldnt trust it around there. Im really at a lost on what to do.

Pokageek, My situation is that im a fulltime student at Drexel University. I need a car that is reliable EVERY DAY. also, the gas mileage and prices are killing me, as well as the fact that i cant drive this car where i go to school (stop and go city traffic, a hole cabs, people who dont care). so it might be best to just get it fixed, sell it , buy a beater, and just drive that until i graduate and can buy a nice car again. I know however, that if i get it fixed, ill want to keep it, but i dont know if thats in my best interest at this point in my life.

 

[Pokageek]

Well, you've got plenty of time to get another. Career is very important. I have had a few muscle cars and sold them for the same reasons. Mine is a 3rd car now so I don't have to worry about daily drive like yourself.

 

[DarkProphet]

well if i make good money, i would like to get a new M5 or M6... but thats another story.

I drianed my oil, and its very milkshaken (anyone want some? its vanilla!!) lol. It seems as though the rear coolant port on my passengers side was leaking. Im tempted to throw another gasket on it and try again. I dont know that my headgaskets would blow spontaniously after doing the intake. Gaskets are only 20 bucks, so i think im going to try one last time, and if it doesnt work this time... Then ill do the headgaskets. My friend gave me his compression testor to use as well, so once i get it back together, im going to check compression.

If it was a headgasket, wouldnt there be oil in the coolant, as well as smoke comming from my exhaust? Im just wondering

 

[Pokageek]

I've already got a new b'mer. I am not impressed with them. In fact I have a sticker on it "I'd rather be driving my ford!"

 

[CManT1914]

well if i make good money, i would like to get a new M5 or M6... but thats another story.

I drianed my oil, and its very milkshaken (anyone want some? its vanilla!!) lol. It seems as though the rear coolant port on my passengers side was leaking. Im tempted to throw another gasket on it and try again. I dont know that my headgaskets would blow spontaniously after doing the intake. Gaskets are only 20 bucks, so i think im going to try one last time, and if it doesnt work this time... Then ill do the headgaskets. My friend gave me his compression testor to use as well, so once i get it back together, im going to check compression.

If it was a headgasket, wouldnt there be oil in the coolant, as well as smoke comming from my exhaust? Im just wondering

You don't have to have the engine back together to do a compression test. And a blown head gasket will cause coolant in the oil, and white smoke out of the exhaust.

 

[DarkProphet]

I had no smoke though, just the coolant getting pushed out of the radiator, as well as the coolant in the oil.

 

[Pokageek]

When I blew my hg there was no smoke but it was blown. I just don't see what else it would be. What else is in your engine that would be pressurizing the rad enough to blow coolant back out. Walks like a duck, acts like a duck....

 

[DarkProphet]

If it is the manifold gasket, the supercharger could be pressurizing the coolant. But now that i think about it, following that logic, it would also push the dipstick out too.. which didnt happen.

 

[ROLLIN5.0]

Man, your HG's need to be changed. You don't have to have smoke, you don't have to have oil in the coolant, you don't even have to have coolant in the oil. A leak between the combustion chamber, and a water jacket will allow boosted air into the cooling system which forces the coolant into the overflow, and eventually out of the car. I have been through this before. Stop wasting your time, and break it down now.
Brandon