Where is the coolant going?

[Cantolina]

Hey all...

Have a 2000 Jimmy and I have to refill the coolant about every 2 weeks. No leaks to be found...nothing in the oil...I park at home and at work in the exact same spot daily but I never find any coolant on the ground..

I'm a pretty decent mechanic, but this one has me stumped????

[MT-2500]

If it is leaking it is going someplace.
How many qts in 2 weeks?
Do you ever smell coolant?
Any engine smoke or coolant smell out tail pipe?
Any engine overheating or engine miss at start up.

For the hard to find leaks they make a engine coolant dye and light test kit to put in coolant and will show up where it is leaking.
Also will show if coolant getting into oil.

Add dye and get a raiditor pressure tester.
Pump up pressure to your rad cap rating and check cold and warm and a little warmer and hot.
Also check carpet inside for colant leak from heater core.
Put the light on everything and see where it is leaking.

Always look under hoses and everything.
Check raidiator and hoses and heater hoses and fittings and all over engiine under side front and rear and water pump and weep hole.

Let us know what you find.

[Rick Norwood]

Go to Autozone and borrow the Radiator pressure tester. It is basically a hand held tire pump with a Radiator cap on it along with a pressure gage and is usually free to borrow. This is by far the fastest, cheapest and best way to find your leak.

When your engine is turned off and cool, remove your radiator cap and install the pressure tester. Pump the system to the pressure rating of the original cap, usually about 15 lbs. Have a flashlight handy to look for leaks.

There are a few main trouble spots to pay close attention to. Intake Manifold Gaskets, Weeper hole on the bottom of the water pump, heater hoses, also check on the back side of the Radiator itself just opposite where the upper radiator hose connects. This is where the hottest coolant hits the radiator and will often crack the plastic tank, but since the front of the radiator tank is mounted against the bracket, this crack is very difficult to see until you loosen the radiator from its mount and push it away from the bracket. Check to make sure your coolant overflow jug itself along with the hose going to it is not cracked and that your rad cap is good.

If your heater core has a pin hole leak, you may notice coolant leaking out around the rear of the front passenger tire from the condensation drain in the air box.

Last but not least, you could have a head gasket leaking. If so, you might see steam or white fog in the exhaust, especially at night when you shine a flashlight on the exhaust.

Keep us posted and good luck.

[Cantolina]

Good thoughts guys...thanx...I'm also getting a random misfire code, which seems to come and go with no real rhyme or reason....tried seafoam in the tank...also suspected wires....cap and rotor were changed with no affect.

Not being familiar with the internals as they relate to the cooling system and how they might be interconnected to the intake system, I wonder if the coolant could be getting burned off...also causing the random misfire code??

I do notice lots of condensation loss from the area described, but there is never a smell of coolant in it...

About 2 quarts every two to three weeks is what I have to replace...I only get overheated when its pretty hot outside, and the level gets low...

I do, occasionally, smell coolant as if it were getting too hot (even when its clearly not)? But I never find it on the ground, no matter what...and no, its not leaking into the cabin from the heater core, as far as I can tell...

[viggy58]

well the lower intake gasket is a pretty common problem on these things. If it is leaking that much coolant through the gasket, i could certainly see it causing a misfire.

check around the water pump real good too. anything could really leak and burn off before hitting the ground.

[BeatleBaily]

The coolant is leaking in to your head but at the exhaust valve and is being burnt off. Most likely at a low rate so you don't get a strong smell or see smoke.
You need to have this checked before you blow your engine. It can cause the block to crack.