Low coolant light/losing brake fluid.
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Instructor
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 168
Likes: 11
From: Staten Island NY
Low coolant light/losing brake fluid.
I have two very odd things going on with my 88' Vette. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
The car is throwing a low coolant light but, the radiator is full and I have heat. There are no leaks on the floor of the garage. On a cold start, the car surges a bit before it smooths out after about a minute or two.While it was running and not running I got under the hood with a flashlight tugged at the small heater hoses that run behind the motor and firewall. No leaks, no steam. I did have a faint smell of anit-freeze under the hood but it went away as the car warmed up. The heater hose is hot, the hose on top of the radiator to the head is ice cold. The car does seem to be warming up very fast at idle. within 15 minutes it was at 170* with the A/C compressor on and temp set at 90*. The fan kicked on at 172*. There is no unusual anti-freeze smell coming from the exhaust. No water dripping out, no excessive steam. When the car warms up it idles and runs fine. I checked the level of the Antifreeze while it was running and it was ok. I can see flow when the cap is off. When the car is off and I checked it while it was hot there was pressure in the radiator when I took the cap off and the anti-freeze was hot. When it's cold the level is fine. The last few times I drove it the temp was getting around 220* before the fan kicked on. That seems high to me for the winter. I tend to only see those temps on the hottest days in the summer in stop and go traffic with the A/C on. Usually this time of year the runs between 185*-190*
I have been losing brake fluid on the forward chamber on the master cylinder. It never drains out completely. Get's down to about a quarter full. I see no wet spots on the floor of the garage. I see no evidence of a leak at the master cylinder, brake booster or any of the 4 wheels.
The car is throwing a low coolant light but, the radiator is full and I have heat. There are no leaks on the floor of the garage. On a cold start, the car surges a bit before it smooths out after about a minute or two.While it was running and not running I got under the hood with a flashlight tugged at the small heater hoses that run behind the motor and firewall. No leaks, no steam. I did have a faint smell of anit-freeze under the hood but it went away as the car warmed up. The heater hose is hot, the hose on top of the radiator to the head is ice cold. The car does seem to be warming up very fast at idle. within 15 minutes it was at 170* with the A/C compressor on and temp set at 90*. The fan kicked on at 172*. There is no unusual anti-freeze smell coming from the exhaust. No water dripping out, no excessive steam. When the car warms up it idles and runs fine. I checked the level of the Antifreeze while it was running and it was ok. I can see flow when the cap is off. When the car is off and I checked it while it was hot there was pressure in the radiator when I took the cap off and the anti-freeze was hot. When it's cold the level is fine. The last few times I drove it the temp was getting around 220* before the fan kicked on. That seems high to me for the winter. I tend to only see those temps on the hottest days in the summer in stop and go traffic with the A/C on. Usually this time of year the runs between 185*-190*
I have been losing brake fluid on the forward chamber on the master cylinder. It never drains out completely. Get's down to about a quarter full. I see no wet spots on the floor of the garage. I see no evidence of a leak at the master cylinder, brake booster or any of the 4 wheels.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 4,429
Likes: 605
From: Minneapolis Mn
As far as your low coolant light, there's a sensor on the upper passenger side of the radiator. Could be bad, could be a short, could be a number of things. I'd get or borrow a cooling system pressurization tester and pressurize it and see if it holds pressure. I had that issue a while back and it was the u shaped hose that goes between the TPI and block, it was cracked.
Good luck.
Good luck.
