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Old 05-12-2013, 10:16 AM   #1
RedVictory
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Question Vanashing coolant!!

Well after a brisk drive this morning my car decided to overheat. Fortunately it happened right as I was pulling into my garage. Sure enough the coolant resivior was completely empty. There are no fluid puddles on the garage floor and I don't see any signs of leaks around the system. The car only has 6500 miles!

I had brought it to my dealership for vanishing coolant a few months ago, they pressure tested the system and said it was fine. It never actually overheated until today, it got over 250 degrees before I shut it down.

Should I be concerned about any damage this could has caused? I refilled it with dexcool and am waiting untill it cools down to run it again. (The temp gauge was up but I did not get any alerts on the DIC)

Are there any known issues that people are having or tsb's that I could mention to my service advisor before bringing it back? I just don't want them to say its fine again and leave me hanging.

Any feedback would be appreciated.
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Old 05-12-2013, 10:20 AM   #2
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when you open the hood, can you smell antifreeze? and check your oil dipstick. if the oil is a brown milky color then you have a blown head gasket.
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Old 05-12-2013, 10:43 AM   #3
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It has to be going somewhere, if it is not leaking out then it has to be going into your crank case or cylinders.
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Old 05-12-2013, 10:49 AM   #4
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Yikes! If the car is stock you need to check with your dealer and get it to a competent shop ASAP.

Where are you located at? We are a little north of Charlotte if you need anything.
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Old 05-12-2013, 10:49 AM   #5
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had the same issue with mine,after several times having it checked I found the leak at the left seam of the radiator.It was a very slow leak that I never saw actually hit the ground but I could always smell.If you don't actually look behind the fan shroud you will miss it.Hope this helps good luck.
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Old 05-12-2013, 11:37 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jd10013 View Post
when you open the hood, can you smell antifreeze? and check your oil dipstick. if the oil is a brown milky color then you have a blown head gasket.
Thanks for the tip, just checked it, oil looks fine so I don't think it's getting in the crank case or anything like that.
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Old 05-12-2013, 11:44 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by firestone_ss View Post
had the same issue with mine,after several times having it checked I found the leak at the left seam of the radiator.It was a very slow leak that I never saw actually hit the ground but I could always smell.If you don't actually look behind the fan shroud you will miss it.Hope this helps good luck.
I CAN smell coolant when it's running......

Did your dealer pressure test your coolant system? I believe mine tested it at twice the actual pressure, 40 psi if I'm not mistaken. The tech claimed that it would uncover even slow leaks that would otherwise go unnoticed.

I was looking everywhere I could think of around the fan shroud, didn't see anything suspicious. Was your leak visible from the top or front or inside?
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Old 05-12-2013, 11:50 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RedVictory View Post
I CAN smell coolant when it's running......

then it's leaking. could be as simple as a bad radiator cap, as serious as the water pump. definitely get it looked at before you drive it.
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Old 05-12-2013, 11:56 AM   #9
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More pressure testing needed, the stuff doesn't just magically disappear. Running 250 degrees won't damage your engine but that's about where I'd shut it down too.

Don't dump cold antifreeze into a hot engine that isn't running. I don't know if you did just throwing that out there for anybody's use.
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Old 05-12-2013, 12:21 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RedVictory View Post
Well after a brisk drive this morning my car decided to overheat. Fortunately it happened right as I was pulling into my garage. Sure enough the coolant resivior was completely empty. There are no fluid puddles on the garage floor and I don't see any signs of leaks around the system. The car only has 6500 miles!

I had brought it to my dealership for vanishing coolant a few months ago, they pressure tested the system and said it was fine. It never actually overheated until today, it got over 250 degrees before I shut it down.

Should I be concerned about any damage this could has caused? I refilled it with dexcool and am waiting untill it cools down to run it again. (The temp gauge was up but I did not get any alerts on the DIC)

Are there any known issues that people are having or tsb's that I could mention to my service advisor before bringing it back? I just don't want them to say its fine again and leave me hanging.

Any feedback would be appreciated.
RedVictory,

Sincere apologies for the coolant concern. I know that can be a very frustrating situation. I would be happy to research this matter further if you send me your VIN in a private message. I can also schedule a visit for you at your local GM dealer. I look forward to hearing from you!

William R.
Chevrolet Customer Care
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Old 05-12-2013, 12:51 PM   #11
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Not to throw a red herring into this, but when the Dexcool problems first surfaced, I was driving a Chevy W/T with a 4.3 that had an issue with the coolant gelling and fouling the t-stat. It didn't overheat, but did give some strange gauge temp readings.
The dealership 'Pressure Tested" the cooling system , drained and filled it back up.
After that, the truck burned coolant out of the exhaust. No leaks up front- totally out of the tailpipe. Diagnosed later as a manifold leak, which was common on the 4.3s at that time.
Give your tailpipe the "sniff test" while its running. You may find your leak.
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Old 05-12-2013, 01:43 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by two_wheel_mayhem View Post
More pressure testing needed, the stuff doesn't just magically disappear. Running 250 degrees won't damage your engine but that's about where I'd shut it down too.

Don't dump cold antifreeze into a hot engine that isn't running. I don't know if you did just throwing that out there for anybody's use.
That's a relief
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Old 05-12-2013, 02:42 PM   #13
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I had mine pressurized overnight to see if we could id a leak but we never did.I do this for a living so it drove me up a wall because I could smell coolent in the car and outside the car.I was thinking heater core but again no leakage at the core, it wasn't until I eyeballed the entire cooling system that I saw it,even the tech at the dealer missed it after I told him where to look.At least the dealer covered it under warranty.
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Old 05-12-2013, 02:50 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RedVictory View Post
I CAN smell coolant when it's running.....

I hate that smell.
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