[sts8891]

i have a 94 Seville that i got from someone for a good deal and i knew it had a coolant leak somewhere.im 19 this is my first cadillac and i have a little bit of saved up money to play with. the car drives fine freeway and city. on the freeway the temperature rides at about 190-199. in the city its usually 203-207 so it doesnt over heat.it doesn't leak coolant from the bottom when the car is running or parked and it doesnt smoke. if i was driving busy all day the coolant would need to be filled by the end of the day. but if i dont drive it the coolant doesnt leak and remains the same. This is my first cadillac and im itching to learn alot more about them fast. so i was looking for some tips answers info or anything on what you think my situation is. possibly intake manifold gasket?? water pump cover ? i just wanna get it fixed asap and expiernce a cadillac.:yup:

 

[Ranger]

Your temperatures are normal. The intake manifold is dry (no coolant running through it) so you can rule that out. You are obviously loosing coolant. The question is are you burning it or leaking it. You are going to have to search for an external leak. Sometimes if it is a small leak it can evaporate before it drips.

 

[sts8891]

id say i am burning it because if the car is sitting the coolant doesnt leak. or it could only be leaking while running but from where??

 

[sts8891]

anybody else have an idea???

 

[creeker]

maybe get to engine up to full temp and lift the hood (with motor still running) and have a good look.
A flashlight might be helpful, just watch out for hazards to your hands.

 

[MoistCabbage]

Have the cooling system pressurized with the engine cool. With the engine cool, coolant from small leaks won't evaporate. If there is no external leak then you might have a head gasket problem. Does the engine run rough when first started after sitting overnight? That's a sign of coolant leaking into one or more cylinder.

 

[sts8891]

it doesnt run rough at all everything works perfectly fine. it starts right away n idles nice.i went by the exhaust to c if i smelled coolant maybe but i didnt. im stumped but i know i cant let this continue. if it was the headgasket though would it be heating up and usually not going back down when running??

 

[sts8891]

****wouldnt it****... be heatinng up and not going back down when running.*??

 

[MoistCabbage]

I had a 97 Seville that lost coolant at about the same rate yours is. Never saw drips and never overheated. The problem was that one of the heads had lifted very slightly. To be absolutely shure it's not a head gasket problem you need to have the coolant checked for signs of combustion gasses. This is usually called a block test.

 

[Ranger]

****wouldnt it****... be heatinng up and not going back down when running.*??

Not in the early stages.

 

[sts8891]

so if i went to a shop what should i get done.. block test? i have the money what should i go do LOL.

 

[sts8891]

Not in the early stages.

so how do i stop it from happening??? whats my best bet

 

[00 Deville]

so how do i stop it from happening??? whats my best bet

You can't stop it... let's not assume the worst... your not overheating just loosing a little coolant. The 1st thing I would do is see if you can find an external leak. The easiest way to do this is to pressurize the cooling system to 16psi. You can do this fairly easily with a cooling system pressure tester with the engine off. Let it sit for a while and thoroughly check the cooling system for leaks. I've even left them pumped up overnight to find small leaks.

Several parts stores like Autozone have a loan-a-tool program... they will loan you the pressure tester for free... you basically purchase it then return it when your done for a full refund.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac.../_/N-263r?counter=0&itemIdentifier=84330_0_0_

 

[Ranger]

Like 00 Deville said, you can't or prevent it. If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. I would not bother with a block test since you are not overheating. Do the block test when and if you start overheating.

 

[RippyPartsDept]

maybe a dumb question, but where are you filling the level in the reservoir/tank to?

 

[00 Deville]

maybe a dumb question, but where are you filling the level in the reservoir/tank to?

Maybe we should fell dumb for not having already asked the OP that question. LOL

 

[stoveguyy]

are you getting a low coolant message? something tipped you off. or did you look in coolant bottle and see that it was low and decided to add some?

 

[sts8891]

i fill it full...

 

[sts8891]

the person from before was driving ann it said low coolant one day. he drove it a couple more times after filling it up and eventually it went back down and he realized its losing coolant.. i cant figure out what to get done.lol

 

[johnny kannapo]

Full is about 2 1/2" below the top. essentially where the seam is on the out side of the reservoir.

If full to the top it will spit excess out the overflow hose until it finds its level.

Allow it to drop 2 1/2" down in the tank & then monitor the level.