losing water

[81SPIDERMATT]

about 3/4 of a gallon over a couple of days ..... no oil in water and no water in oil ..... did a quick look with a flashlight around the engine while hot and did not see drips or squirts that I could find ..... would love a systematic check list of how to track down my leak .... rained hard yesterday so everything was wet last night ... no help ... thanks rain ..... filled it this morning and will let it sit for a day and see if any water is lost ..... if not then I will start it tomorrow night and let it heat up and cycle thru while sitting in the driveway and see if I get water loss ..... will report back my findings .... but would love some tips from those in the know on where else to look that might not be obvious at first glance .... thanks >>>> Matt

[joelittel]

I had and issue with coolant leaking out around the cylinder head nuts (I have the stud kit). It wasn't much, but if unattended it would cause an overheating issue.

It was a difficult leak to identify because the coolant would evaporate very quickly off the head.

[Exit98]

3/4 of a gallon is huge.

Borrow a pressure tester from Auto Zone or one of the other guys:

http://www.autozone.com/tools-and-equip ... ntal-tools

If its an extenal leak it will show up right away. Mine was the water line going to the carb water choke. The line is between the block and the firewall and I couldn't see it.

[SunnySideUp]

What is the condensate level out of the exhaust pipe when the engine is at operating temp?

[GeorgeT]

Is the passenger floor wet? If so the heater core or valve is leaking.

[81SPIDERMATT]

I will check the floor .... will run car to temp and check tail pipe ... think I know where that question is going and hoping that I find a dry tail pipe ... loaner tool is north of 200 bucks ... essentially you buy it and have 90 days to return for full refund .... I checked today on my way home from work .... that will have to wait till Friday payday as recent cat work ... 100 dollar temp tag because of how long it had not been registered and then 200 dollar 5 year plate came in the mail today puts my account south of 200 bucks for the tool ..... but I think that tool will show the leak .... had a buddy suggest that at work today ... never knew there was such a thing ... kids today and their new fangled whatchamakalitz ..... I have run the car to temp ... and over (still comfortable temp no where into the red) once and then looked for leak while running and after shut off ..... but not very good effort as it was at work arrival and only form top side with crappy flashlight in the bright sun .... and did not see anything jumping out at me ...... with the car sitting all day the water level has dropped about 2 inches .... tempted to let it sit till I get that tool and see where it stops ... logic tells me that the leak will be at that level where it stops loosing water ... makes sense right .... might help my investigative process .... Matt

thanks for the responses and I will report back when I know more

[dmwhiteoak]

I had this exact problem myself and the solution is one that you did not want to hear. I was loosing water on top of #3 piston. It was finally to the point that it ran like crap the first 5 or 10 seconds before the light went off in my head. Replaced the head gasket the next day and problem solved. The thing is it was all my fault. After a head gasket change a couple years ago along with other work I did not torque the head again after a few hundred miles. Good Luck.

[81SPIDERMATT]

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER ...... GeorgeT ... passenger floor is soaked .... will start my research on how to attack that problem .... but lets go ahead and ask here ...... parts list of all that I need and a thread from the past that contains dumbed down version for an idiot like me and hopefully pics of the process .... and tips of course please ... thanks to all for past and continued help .... Matt

[AFRetired]

Temp solution is to bypass the heater core until you can fix the valve

[81SPIDERMATT]

Temp solution is to bypass the heater core until you can fix the valve

I would entertain this idea while collecting parts .... same questions as before though .... how and what parts would I need ... Matt

[AriK]

Congratulations you've just encountered a best case scenario! Ok a leaky rad hose is a best case scenario, but it would have been a no brainer and you wouldn't be posting here i hope. Maybe now's a good time to lift the carpet and jute, clean things up and allow proper drying under there.

[AFRetired]

To do a bypass, all you need is about 18" of 5/8 heater hose and two hose clamps. Optional is a radiator flush tee to make bleeding the system much easier. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zSLH1mGnhI

[81SPIDERMATT]

found that video last night ..... thank you by the way for that ..... that little nipple sticking out the side of the lower pipe ?? does nothing need to be done with that .... does it not flow water ? ...I am assuming not but I don't like assumptions ..... also found autoricambi kit for heater core and valve replacement but I am reading that there are little angle differences requiring modifications for install ... then found Mark's stainless pipes that do not require mods .... is this the way to go? ricambi's kit and mark's pipes ? I feel a little worried about having to modify anything ..... thanks... Matt

[KevAndAndi]

I would go with the stainless pipes that have the correct angle to match the valve that is currently available.

Sorry to hear about the flood. It was the fear of that possibility that led me to do a bypass right after we got the car (which is driven only in warm weather). At some point, I will replace the heater core, valve, and pipes.

[Rambo]

found that video last night ..... thank you by the way for that ..... that little nipple sticking out the side of the lower pipe ?? does nothing need to be done with that .... does it not flow water ? ...I am assuming not but I don't like assumptions ..... also found autoricambi kit for heater core and valve replacement but I am reading that there are little angle differences requiring modifications for install ... then found Mark's stainless pipes that do not require mods .... is this the way to go? ricambi's kit and mark's pipes ? I feel a little worried about having to modify anything ..... thanks... Matt

Ricambis kit comes with the valve, seals, and the correct stainless pipe.