OK, here is the story. I have a 86 "bird" that is loosing water, it takes about 2 weeks to loose about 1/2 gal. I never see any spots on the driveway nor are there any signs of leakage anywhere. the motor is brand new with only about 7,000 miles on it, the heads came bolted to them motor from the factory, the motor has never been overheated. it has a new water pump and hoses as well as a new heater core, the car runs cool all the time, if it werent for loosing water there would be no problems. is it possible I have a blown head gasket? what would the signs of this be?

 

with head gasket bad or head cracked would be hard to tell really unless was bad enough to make white smoke all the time when hot, could pull spark plugs and look for really clean one or two of them

 

water or bubbles in oil or dipstick

 

With engine cold, remove radiator cap and start the car. After the engine reaches operating temperature, look into the radiator reservoir. If you see bubbles, the engine is sucking in air through a leaky gasket (usually head gasket, but could also be intake gasket). If the engine is sealed, coolant flow should be smooth. Also, check to see if your oil is milky or watery looking.

Eric

 

OK, checked the oil, it's nice and clean. started the car and let it run till warm, couldn't see the coolant flow because it (the coolant) kept coming out of the hole (where cap goes), also, the coolant looks like mud, not oily but like mud. this was new antifreeze/water 8,000 miles ago. as I said the motor was brand new (not a rebuild) as well as the hoses, the only thing that was reused was the radiator. the odd thing is the coolant resevoir is always empty, I can refill it and next time I look at it it's empty again. when it warms up some (20* now) I will pull some plugs and check them for condition, any other ideas until then?

 

The coolant will bubble out of the radiator somewhat when the engine is cold, but after it warms up and it is circulating through the engine, it should be a smooth, steady flow. As for the dirty coolant, I'm not sure, but have you ever had your radiator cleaned out with acid? It could have some corrosion and buildup in it that could be flaking off into the antifreeze, making it dirty. I agree with your thinking that the next best step is to remove the plugs and check them out. Also, when you're driving or standing by the car while it's running, can you smell coolant at all?

Eric

 

thanks for the input, I checked the radiator with the engine at or above operating temp and it still flows out of the neck. I saw it start circulating but it only lasted a few seconds then it started flowing out, there is some corrosion on the tubes in the rad. and I will address that soon but I am still loosing fluid. I don't smell anything that would bel like antifreeze but the exhaust smells a bit gassy but thats another problem LOL. thanks again for all the help.

 

I hate to say it, but from what I've been told in the past, it sounds like you might have a blown head gasket or intake gasket. Where did you get the motor? Was it a reman from Advance Auto or something like that? Some of those companies don't magnaflux the heads before they slap them on. Maybe you have a cracked head. Check with where you got the engine and see if it is warranted. If you are losing that much coolant into the engine, there should be a layer of water in the oil pan. Change your oil and see if you see any water in it. I hate to be the bearer of possibly bad news, but based on the knowledge I've gained from past experiences, that is what I can come up with. Maybe somebody else has a different idea.

 

Had trouble with mine for months. Had a new radiator installed and it lasted several months before the seals were bad(bad installation). Then 6-8months later started loosing water and tried everything. Finally found out that the seals were bad again. Clean aroung the tank with soapy water, let it dry and keep an eye on it for a week or so. Bet thats it. Anyway sounds like the radiator needs attention.

 

the engine was purchased from chevy, it was complete minus the intake and dist. other than that it was already assembled. it was a brand new motor (not a reman), had I known of this site before I did the motor replacement I guarantee it would have been done differently. I spent $1600.00 for the motor and did the install myself. the only good part is it came with a 3 yr. unlimited milage warantee.