Last night on the way home from work my Vette (05 C6) started pissing coolant. I noticed the temp gauge climbing (all the way up to 260) and immediately pulled over and shut the engine off. After about 20 minutes i started the engine up again to make sure it still worked and then quickly shut it off again (the temp gauge was at around the 235 mark). Fast forward to almost two hours later and the car has been towed home, I tried starting it up to just pull it into my driveway and all I get are two clicks. The guys who helped me tow the car say they think the battery was drained because I had both my hazards and accessory mode on for over an hour and a half before the car was towed. I'm tempted to believe them but I'm not sure so since my lights and accessory mode still work. What do you guys think?

 

Could be a low battery or could also be a cylinder full of water from a blown head gasket..

 

I would check the battery voltage with a multi meter and see where it is at, With the hazards and accessory mode on for an hour without the alternator charging it could have drained the batter to the point where it wont crank the engine over. These cars are finnicky with battery voltage

 

Check the oil and see if looks creamy and brown before you crank it over again. If it is you probably have a blown head gasket.

You could have also just blown a radiator hose and that is why it was pissing coolant as you stated.

Charge the battery and chances are it will start.

 

Or the notorious t fitting has broke, I wouldn't hit the panic button quite yet!! I would say just dead battery is your cranking problem but agree with everyone else, check your oil first! Put battery on charger or better yet just replace it!

 

let us know what you find out! Good luck!

 

Hey guys,
I checked the oil and it looks dirty but normal. The car is still leaking coolant too so a broken hose might be the culprit. Also I forgot to mention that in addition to the two clicks I get when I try to start the car the driver's side blinker goes off. I attached some pictures below, hopefully they're good enough.

 

Charge the battery first, you are not going to seize an engine at 235 degrees coolant temp.

 

Voltage test so you know what you're working with and find the leak, is it just a hose?

 

The oil doesn’t look milky
See if you can find the coolant leak, a hose, the coolant “t” would be better than a failed head gasket. Water pump? I had a radiator end cap fail on mine but it gave me a low coolant warning. I saw some pretty high temps on mine before I found and fixed the problem, there was no engine damage as a result.
Give the battery a good charge, if it was marginal before this coolant problem a charge may not be enough. If you have another car and good jumper cables that may help too.
You might have a cylinder hydro-locking with coolant or maybe not. You’d have to remove the spark plugs to know that.

 

You drained the battery. Charge it, but be aware it may never hold a good charge again. It depends on just how badly it was drained.

 

I'm not sure how to answer without it "sounding" like I am making fun. Everyone can read the same thing, and read the same words differently. With That: How do you know the coolant is "still" leaking? At 260 degrees could have raised pressure above the cap rated pressure, blew it's lunch and is still dripping? Do you have tools? A simple one like a radiator pressure tester should be in your box. If these are things (tools) you do not have or do not have knowledge to use, then could you fix it? Do you have a friend that does. If you do have that person help you, as he/she can help you learn. No one knows how to do anything until they are taught. Hand tools, Tool box(s) and special tools will be needed to fix any thing you drive. I have been doing this since 1968 and I still find it amazing what can be learned, it (repair diagnosis) changes faster than we can keep up with. If you have the tools and knowledge to basic stuff first, does it turn over, grab a breaker bar and socket and try it you should be able to turn it by hand. Is it still leaking if so where/what? Put coolant in it and pressure test it - is it still leaking- yes Fix it. and so on. Sorry but I do not know what you know nor the skill level you have. the only thing that I am ALWAYS sure of IS; None of us know what we do not know. Ton of great people here, help us help you.

 

Check the date on battery. If getting close to its life expectancy replace it or you'll be back on here in the near future checking the symptoms of a failing battery.

20 year old hoses will fail. Most likely an easy fix.

 

That is very possible. Water boiling point is 212F, at 15 psi (radiator cap) that boiling point is increased to 249.8F. A 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze will add 11F buffer to those number so in reality the car can puke out the overflow when the water temp is 260F or higher.

 

Engine Seized or battery just drained?

When you hear hooves think horses rather than zebras.

Simple basic testing will let the OP know what is wrong. I'm betting on the horses.

 

Why not throw some jumpers on it and see if it starts?

 

Depending on the type of bulbs you have in your hazards (LED v.s. incandescent), I could see your battery draining down with incandescent bulbs and the hazards on for 1-1/2 hours, especially if your battery was older. So I agree with others who say “Check your battery” already.

 

Look at the dash for volts.

 

So I was finally able to get the battery charged and the car started up with no issues. Engine sounds good, oil still isn't milky and there was no white smoke coming out of the exhaust so I think we can rule out a blown head gasket. As for what caused the leak, based on the where the coolant is leaking from it looks like the water pump went out. She's going into the shop today so I'll find out more soon.

 

Like others have mentioned, I’d suggest looking at getting a new battery, once they’re drained down, they usually seldom fully recover, and chances are it’ll cause issues down the road.