Coolant on the ground
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 275
Likes: 6
From: NY
Coolant on the ground
Been watching my '71 454 sporatically vent coolant. Motor has 2000mi since rebuild. New H20 pump,heater core, radiator. Shake city; headgasket! No auga in the oil, coolant. No H2O in the exhaust. WTF?? Car sat for 12yrs. Found Aluminium rust on the rad. filler cap seal. Cleaned: still vents. Don't want to hear this. Read new post on corvette.faq. I did twist my upper rad hose to clear the generator. I'm now rooting for High school Psycics
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,435
Likes: 0
From: largo florida
Re: Coolant on the ground (Larry B.)
You could just be simply filling the radiator up too high. If you fill it to the top, some fluid could leak out of the overflow after the car is shut off. Once the car is shut off, the fluid gets hotter then it was while the engine is running. Sometimes it will boil. If it boils, some fluid will be forced out of the radiator. If you are worried about the fluid leaking out, get a reservior tank, or a catch can.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 5,635
Likes: 4
From: Orlando Floriduh
Re: Coolant on the ground (stingraymaniac)
IT kinda goes without saying, If you fill the system COMPLETELY full, it will vent water until ig gets to the normal amount when warm.. Warm things (including water]expand.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 275
Likes: 6
From: NY
Re: Coolant on the ground (sjr1971)
I was really referring to the corvette.faq piece. I found Al oxide on the rad cap gasket and that was definitly a leak. The article is about air getting trapped at the high point of the syst causing vapor locks and increasing syst press to above your cap's max. I wouldn't have ever thought of that one. Twisted the upper hose to below the cap level and voila no coolant on the ground. All you guys are an ocean of knowledge
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 5,635
Likes: 4
From: Orlando Floriduh
Re: Coolant on the ground (sjr1971)
Thanks for the compliment.. I discovered that about 20 years ago with my BB 70. I blew a hose, replaced it with a generic replacement and that's when the problem started. This is a common thing... believe it or not. It is just not obvious. There are lots of aftermarket hoses out there to make matters worse. I'm glad it was that simple.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 275
Likes: 6
From: NY
Re: Coolant on the ground (sjr1971)
Polished the expansion tank's seal till it shined.Put the old cap[visiably thicker spring] back on after pulling the rubber gasket off the cap and reversing the gasket so the unused side now formed the seal. 4 runs in 80+ temps. No puddles. SO far.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski