Disappearing radiator water, HELP ! ! ! Autogirl

Help ! I have an '88 Caravan, many minor problems; runs good but the radiator water disappears. Can't find any large or medium drips, leaks. Nothing to show where the water goes. Lose it faster with fan blower on, possible leak in heater core but where with no obvious leaks?
Also, driver side window stuck up, won't budge, handle spins freely & it's getting hot here. Tips needed on removing door panel so it can be re-attached . Sliding door jimmied, popped something loose, now top two attaching bolts on sliding arm loosened, one is missing.
Have appropriate Chilton's - either can't find answer or can't see small details in pictures. Need to fix it myself or start walking.

Autogirl,

You didn't say which motor you have; 2.5/2.6 4 cyl or 3.0 V6...

It could be your head gasket, but here's some other things to check:

A Crack in the overflow bottle.
Radiator cap seal damaged.
heater hose inlet/ outlet pipes/hoses at the motor and the frame/firewall.
heater core can be checked by turning the heater on and look for and smell the floor vents for antifreeze. If it's bad, bypass it for the summer.

If it is the head gasket, a good radiator pressure tester will show you quickly, as the pressure will not stay at 16-20Lbs, it will gradually go to zero after you pressurize it. Secondly, after you do that, if the gasket's(or both on the V6) leaking, then when you start the van, you'll either have a hard time starting it or a huge white cloud of smoke(steam) come out of the tailpipe.

The door panel is simple, really. remove the door handle and/or pull straps, the window crank and the door lock buttons. Look closely along the armrest and see if you have any screws there, and remove them. On some vans, along the bottom, you have screws "hidden" in the carpeting, remove them. The door panel will then come off, prying with a trim tool or two spatulas (like a spackling knife) around the edges to remove the clips or plastic push pins that still hold the plastic door panel on.
Sometimes the window crank handle will come loose, and using it further just strips it out. look at the splines on the door and the handle to be sure. If it's just the handle, replace it! Otherwise,try to loosen it with penetrating oil and working it back and forth if it will or you'll need to replace the window regulator, which you could get at most any junkyard for around 20 bucks, cheaper if they let you take it off.
***please note, the window cranks in these vans work ass-backwards from your average car. You should be trying to turn it counterclockwise to roll it down!***

The sliding doors are prone to drying out the grease, and breaking the top and center rider nylon rollers. You can get replacements from a dealer fairly cheap, but you'll need to take the door off the van (almost) to get the new ones on. Make sure you replace the bolt, and that it's not sheared off!

I'm assuming your van is a 4cyl (2.5L) and has manual windows.

If it needs a head gasket and it's a 4cylinder (2.2/2.5L) it's easy to change with just a few tools, a helper and an afternoon. Dn't buy into the "the head is warped" BS. I've put probably 60 or so 4cylinder 2.2/2.5L motors back together without milling the head, and they always ran like a top. Three I know still do, since I still know where the cars are!

Good luck,

Slantsixness

Autogirl,

You didn't say which motor you have; 2.5/2.6 4 cyl or 3.0 V6...

It could be your head gasket, but here's some other things to check:

A Crack in the overflow bottle.
Radiator cap seal damaged.
heater hose inlet/ outlet pipes/hoses at the motor and the frame/firewall.
heater core can be checked by turning the heater on and look for and smell the floor vents for antifreeze. If it's bad, bypass it for the summer.

If it is the head gasket, a good radiator pressure tester will show you quickly, as the pressure will not stay at 16-20Lbs, it will gradually go to zero after you pressurize it. Secondly, after you do that, if the gasket's(or both on the V6) leaking, then when you start the van, you'll either have a hard time starting it or a huge white cloud of smoke(steam) come out of the tailpipe.

The door panel is simple, really. remove the door handle and/or pull straps, the window crank and the door lock buttons. Look closely along the armrest and see if you have any screws there, and remove them. On some vans, along the bottom, you have screws "hidden" in the carpeting, remove them. The door panel will then come off, prying with a trim tool or two spatulas (like a spackling knife) around the edges to remove the clips or plastic push pins that still hold the plastic door panel on.
Sometimes the window crank handle will come loose, and using it further just strips it out. look at the splines on the door and the handle to be sure. If it's just the handle, replace it! Otherwise,try to loosen it with penetrating oil and working it back and forth if it will or you'll need to replace the window regulator, which you could get at most any junkyard for around 20 bucks, cheaper if they let you take it off.
***please note, the window cranks in these vans work ass-backwards from your average car. You should be trying to turn it counterclockwise to roll it down!***

The sliding doors are prone to drying out the grease, and breaking the top and center rider nylon rollers. You can get replacements from a dealer fairly cheap, but you'll need to take the door off the van (almost) to get the new ones on. Make sure you replace the bolt, and that it's not sheared off!

I'm assuming your van is a 4cyl (2.5L) and has manual windows.

If it needs a head gasket and it's a 4cylinder (2.2/2.5L) it's easy to change with just a few tools, a helper and an afternoon. Dn't buy into the "the head is warped" BS. I've put probably 60 or so 4cylinder 2.2/2.5L motors back together without milling the head, and they always ran like a top. Three I know still do, since I still know where the cars are!

Good luck,

Slantsixness
That's cute, exactly how I feel. Thanks for the info. It's a 4 cyl. always ran, started great. About the radiator cap, the black rubber thing on it is missing a piece, how do you check the overflow bottle?

Hey Slantsixness, It's autogirl.
There's no smoke of any color, that's a good thing, right? We've been smelling hot radiator water off & on. When I first lifted the hood, I thought I got cheated, the engine is so small & looks like it's sideways. I'm used to V8's. I learned fast that the windows roll backwards, they worked when I got it, it's not the handle, maybe slipped the track ? Someone tried to break in my car prying in the sliding door, that's when I started having trouble with the top screws loosening every time the door opens. I have to pick up my girl at school, be back soon to try what you've told me. I'm not up to doing the head gasket. most of my tools ran off with relatives or I wouldn't have stripped the oil drain nut. Thanks so much.

I think the engine IS in sideways, is it not?

radiator water:
If the rubber below the cap is worn out then replace the cap.. The cooling system is meant to be pressurized. If water is indeed coming out of the top you could probably see some evidence of the water spraying/leaking out. A replacement should be available at your local auto parts shop.. Just ask the "counter person". One thing you could check fi that does not work is that after the vehicle is running and is at running temp. check around the radiator.. If there is a small crack in the fins it may not be leaking until it starts pressurizing. My dad's taurus did this took for ever to find leak. Keep very close eye on temp gauge and/or temp warning light.

Slidding door:
replace the screw you lost by going to JY and pulling a screw out of one door.. easy and you know if fits... unless you want to buy one at a hardware store or autoparts... If you choose the later, you may need to remove one of the screws on the door to get the right size. If the screws are coming out then there are two posibilities..One: the threads are stripped due to the attempted break in and you may need to get bigger screws or two: the screws are coming loose due to the closing and opening of the door.. If the issue is the second, then go the autoparts store and buy some "loctite". You place a couple of drops on the threads of the screw and then tighten..This keeps the screw from looosening up.

Window: sounds like either the gear is stripped or the window came out of the track... When you turn the handle, do you hear/feel anything moving inside the door?

Autogirl,
The radiator cap is probably where you're loosing the water, and the antifreeze will go into the overflow bottle/tank, even if the rubber gasket is bad. Check the tank by plugging the hole at the bottom and lightly pressurizing it through the overflow tube, probably best done with an air compressor, although you can just blow through the hose...yuck...! A less distasteful way is to take a tire pump and the little cone nozzle for filling kids toys, matresses and such, attatch it to the overflow tank hose, and that'll be enough air pressure to test it.
If it's leaking, you'll usually see a stream of antifreeze coming from the crack almost immediately. by the way, the cap of the overflow bottle usually always leaks, so put a plastic bag over the hole and replace the cap and that'll seal it for the test.
To repair it, if it's just a small leak, use model airplane glue and a piece of scrap plastic to cover the crack or hole. Don't use silicone glue, it will fall off in a short period of time. Any other type of plastic glue will work, but the airplane glue is useful for other things around the home, and you don't have to buy a huge tube.

As far as your sliding door: After you get it right, Remember to grease the track well (lithium grease), but not so much that it gets all over the van, just the track and slide rollers.

And the motor is "sideways" actually called "transverse" Of course that's pretty common now in FWD cars, is it better that way? Well it makes it real hard to change the power steering belt and the timing belt, but that's really the only difference. The drivetrain's a bit small for the van, but it'll keep on going as well as any RWD car or truck with proper maintenance.

Good luck,

Slantsixness