Head gasket problem?

[1fastsvt0816]

Just joined forum, first post :-). I have a 97 EX and every couple of days I have to add coolant. I'm not leaking coolant anywhere and believe I may be bring it thru the cylinder (s). Ive done a compression test (160-170psi) on all cylinders, did a cylinder leak down test and it varied between 14-20%. No bubbling at the radiator to lean towards a leaking head gasket. I could only hear a very slight air leakage going past the rings (hear it thru where the oil dip stick goes). Last thing I did was a coolant pressure test. Pressure SLOWLY went down over the course of 5-10 mins and could not hear or see any signs of a bad hose or radiator or anything. ANY INSIGHT TO HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THANK YOU

 

[HeX]

Inspect the oil for frothing and inspect the antifreeze for signs of oil. Theyre both rather obvious.

 

[1fastsvt0816]

Oil is good, same with coolant

 

[HeX]

Are you sure you have antifreeze and not too much water mixture in there? What about a possible leak at the thermostat housing?

 

[1fastsvt0816]

Mix it right at 50/50. With system pressurized it's not leaking. Same when car is running, no visible leaks. I'm stumped!

 

[HeX]

Hmm. Try visually inspecting (carefully) the engine bay after a lengthy drive while the engine is still on. Perhaps you'll see a leak somewhere.

 

[HeX]

Lets backtrack a moment. When you say you used a 50/50 mix, was this after a drain & fill or a full system flush both through the radiator and engine block?

 

[1fastsvt0816]

When I replaced the radiator this past summer. Bought the full strength and mixed it half with H2O. I'll try looking more closely after I drive tomorrow

 

[dancam]

How much coolant are you adding every couple days? Does it seem to be km driven based or cold start based as far as how much gets used?


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[HeX]

When I replaced the radiator this past summer. Bought the full strength and mixed it half with H2O. I'll try looking more closely after I drive tomorrow

OK, but did you flush out the entire cooling system through the radiator and the engine block? If not then that may be your issue.

 

[1fastsvt0816]

I'd say about 1/2 of a 16oz bottle, so like 8 Oz give or take. The more I drive it the more coolant I end up losing. After about 2-3 weeks the car will start to slightly overheat because of how low the coolant has got

 

[HeX]

At this point, Ill assume your didn't flush the entire system since you've avoided answering the question twice.

After a while, the old water mixed in the old antifreeze begins to dissipate, Since you (likely) didnt flush the system properly, this is what I believe is occurring if there are no other signs of leakage or seepage. Properly flush the complete system thoroughly, refill it, then bleed it thoroughly and be ready to possibly add a little more at least in the overflow tank.

 

[1fastsvt0816]

Sorry, didn't flush the entire system, just added what I needed to when doing the radiator. I'll do the flush tomorrow (if it's not 20 degrees). What is the proper way to flush? Thank you for all the responses

 

[HeX]

Look it up so your know for sure, but you're suppose to remove the thermostat housing and use a garden hose to flush everything out through the housing inlet, preferably with the radiator hoses removed, and through the radiator. You dont want to simply move old fluid from the engine into the radiator, so flush them separately until they both come out pure clear. Im sure it will suck performing this in Detroit cold weather, so good luck.