Where did all the coolant go?

glowstang93

Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
Feb 9, 2003
846
6
39
Illinois
Tonight I was driving around and noticed the engine smelled hot and the temp gauge was going way too high. By the time I got home it was starting to make some clicking while accelerating. The radiator and reservoir were completely empty. I have not noticed any fluid on garage floor, but my son said he saw about a 7" spot one day. Haven't had a chance yet to check for leaks. If there are no leaks, could it be a head gasket or what else?


FYI: 2.3 not a 5.0
 
  • Sponsors (?)


Might want to do an oil change at some point to see if there is any coolant in the oil.

Do this after looking for external leaks obviously. A compression test might be a good idea as well
 
Yeah, it could be leaking coolant from the water pump weep hole. That happens when the water pump shaft and the seal around it wears away. That would be good news 'cause a water pump is cheap and easy to replace.
 
I had a Really rusted up coolant system on an old 89 5.0,the gunked up coolant caused the Thermostat to stick and It pushed out all the coolant from the Overflow bottle when It overheated.
But..its probably your Water pump. :(
 
If it's the weep, it will often run down the lower rad hose and drip on the driver's side front. You also might see a stain leading away from the hole (ha ha).