When I bought the car the heater core was bypassed. I didnt notice it until I got home. So I never asked the guy why? And the overfill tank was empty. I filled it up to hot when engine was warm and now the radiator is half empty. The car runs strong, no sign of headgasket problems or any leaks. Could the radiator cap do this. I am think the low pressure cap it has on it was causing this...............14lb. cap it has now..........I just went to fleet farm and got a 16lb. cap for it.........that is what the book said 16lb.

I also hooked up the heater core.............heat works awesome.....drove it around town no leaks or smoke or even the smell of coolant.

The car has a new fan switch(previous owner)........because the fan wasnt turning on for him..............makes me wonder how hot the car got when the switch was broke.

It also has a brand new radiator in it too(previous owner).

Car has never overheated for me, but the loss of coolant is not to pleasant. I am going to try filling her up and putting the 16lb. cap on and see what happens...............What do you guys think?

Thanks,
Nick

 

since u had alot of things going on by adding the heater core back into play u might just need to fill up the tank one more time or two.

things to look at, water pump leaking though the weep hole on the bottom, also a leaky hose that would maybe spray coolant onto the manifold and burn off with out u seeing it happen.


i would try strating the car with the no cap on, fill the radiator when needed and when that gets filled to the top put on the new cap. then drive the car for a tad and let in sit for a night come back and make sure the coolant tank is filled up to full cold.

 

Well I filled the car up with coolant this afternoon and put the new cap on. I then drove it 1.5 hours to were my mom lives...........when I came back to the car I had a little puddle in the passenger side floor...................looks like the heater core is bad after all..........LOL.............what must have happened was I released the pressure on the cap (when I got to my moms, just playing with it)and some coolant came out of the heater core when I was doing this.........ON the way home it was leaking but very little drops ever few minutes............and I mean very little.....I got home and the coolant is just at the bottom of the overfill tank........so not much leaked out.

I will drive it until thursday until I have time to replace the heater core..............then I will fill her back up and see if my disappering coolant prob is gone. I think it may have been that cap that was on the radiator causing my leak.............It is not leaking anywhere at all.....lines or water pump or anything......well except the heater core now...LOL.

Oh well trying to hook the heater core up was worth a shot.

On another note.............is there a seperate fuse for the cruise......I cant find it. The vacumm lines are all hooked up and the cable is hooked up..............but no cruise control.

All in all the car is fun to drive.......just have to fix the power antenna, HEATER CORE, cruise control, and the horn. I will let ya know what happens after the heater core swap..........thanks Nick.

 

If its leaking through the weep hole on the water pump, how long until time to replace H2O pump?
I'm trying to chase down a leak that started today which appears to be the lower radiator hose. It only leaks when I shut the engine off!!
I let the engine idle until it cycled 3 times to 220 degrees and nothing. Shut engine down and it starts leaking.
Thanks
Chris

 

why wait, it can be done in about an hour with hand tools, and a reman is only about $15-20

 

Water pump is a cinch man..........I wish I had that to do instead of the heater core...........

 

Shut engine down and it starts leaking.

That's usually how it happens. When you shut if off, the temp goes up, the pressure goes up, and your leak shows up.

Not sure on the cruise, but the horn and power antenna may share a fuse--does the lighter work? The lighter and horn usually share a fuse. Keep in mind that fuses burn for a reason--a short. Lighters are a common problem. Don't be suprised if the blown fuse pops again when you replace it.

 

No blown fuse..............I will have to check to see if the horn is hooked up. And the power antenna.......I think the motor may have just quit working. Oh well she is a work in progress.......while I drive it through the winter too......LOL....oh well just this winter.

Later Nick

 

Yeah, you're right, I did the heater core last year. A pain in the A#$ the reach the 4th screw/bolt to remove plastic cover underneath passenger side dash. Otherwise, nothing to it. Not a lot of room to work in to reach in take out heater core and install new one but doable. Before you button everything back up make sure you turn engine on and turn on the heat, vent, etc. to make sure the flap/gate whatever its called is opening and closing all the way and directing the air flow correctly.

Is the weep hole on the water pump (original GM water pump) in a location that would result in coolant running down the lower hose?

Thanks

 

Reman? The cost difference bewteen new and remanufactured is not worth it given the water pump's role and it is not a "one off" part.
If the car had 150k+ miles I might go with a reman water pump, but it is a low mileage car, ie 60k miles. As far as waiting, I should have been more clear in my previous post. I was hoping to drive the car the rest of the week and install a new water pump this weekend.

Later