Fans, & Coolant

[EquatorHeat00]

Will you lose coolant in the radiator if the fans dont work?

[Joe 1320]

Rick.........

You will lose coolant from the radiator every time the car gets warm. Re-read the entire thread that you posted before, your questions were answered. I'm not trying to take a personal poke at you, you aren't hearing what was already discussed. Every time you start the car, the combustion events give off heat. The heat is transferred to the coolant and it expands. There has to be someplace for it to go and that is the coolant recovery tank. As the motor cools, the heat slowly drops and the coolant contracts. A vacuum is formed and the fluid that was pushed out before, is drawn back in. If no vacuum is formed, the coolant doesn't get drawn back into the radiator so the end result is a drop in coolant level. If no vacuum is formed, you have an issue somwhere...... it's either in the recovery system (cap or overflow tube) , one of the heater/radiator hoses leaks, a crack in the radiator or cooling passage, or a partially blown head gasket. That's it, there aren't any more options. For coolant to not return to the radiator when it cools means there is a breach in the sealed system. The only part that vents to the atmosphere is the recovery tank. So yes...... you will lose coolant if the fans don't work. You will also loose coolant if the fans do work. You lose coolant any way you run it unless you never get the car to operating temperatures.

It's not that hard.

[EquatorHeat00]

Had my radiator cap tested yesterday for free at service station, and its working correctly. (Must be headgasket. Car is always rough, and shaky at cold start ups, and accelerates like crap with a vibration until warmed up then drives normal. Unless thats a symptom of my rattling stock catalytic converter.) Not showing any symptoms though except for loss of coolant because of no vacuum when it cools down. (Check my oil, and coolant every morning.) Only thing left to check is coolant recovery tank which I know it isnt.) Stupid car!

[Joshu]

Well if it's a headgasket get it checked AND STOP DRIVING IT! lol

[EquatorHeat00]

I did have it checked by mechanic. He couldnt find anything wrong with it when he drove it about 2 months ago. He just told me to watch it. He told me I will know when its a headgasket. He saw no symptoms of a bad headgasket. OK?

[Joe 1320]

I did have it checked by mechanic. He couldnt find anything wrong with it when he drove it about 2 months ago. He just told me to watch it. He told me I will know when its a headgasket. He saw no symptoms of a bad headgasket. OK?

You already gave the symptoms of a bad headgasket when you noted the cold start shakes, the vibration until it gets warm, loss of coolant...... water doesn't compress. It needs to burn off, that's why it gets better when it heats up.


GET A NEW MECHANIC. Or at lest shop around. It's not like you are married. You CAN shop around for second opinion.

It's to the point that everything that people suggest, you shoot down and say it's not definately not that. I suggested a partially blown head gasket right off the bat. I'll lay odds it's one of the rear cylinders with a degraded fire ring. It's not blown bad enough to make it undrivable, but YOU ARE LOSING COOLANT and it's going somewhere. Since you aren't a mechanic, you are at the mercy of what people tell you and I'm telling you to get a new mechanic.

Drive the car the way it is, you'll find that it gets worse over time. When it does, you'll have to do the gasket swap. I drove mine for 3 months that way, the only time it was an issue was long distance driving. Around town there was little coolant loss. Go rent a cooling system pressure testor from autozone and hook it up per the instructions. Start the car, I'll bet you'll see a small "tick" in the readings as the bad cylinder fires.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

NAPA sells a kit for $50 that can detect carbon monoxide in the radiator fluid for detecting a head gasket leak or cracked head. It comes with a bottle with a rubber stopper on it and a fluid that you put in the bottle. When cold you take the radiator cap off put some of the liquid in the bottle. Stick the bottle where the radiator cap goes and fire it up. If the fluid changes colors you have a leak.

[Joe 1320]

NAPA sells a kit for $50 that can detect carbon monoxide in the radiator fluid for detecting a head gasket leak or cracked head. It comes with a bottle with a rubber stopper on it and a fluid that you put in the bottle. When cold you take the radiator cap off put some of the liquid in the bottle. Stick the bottle where the radiator cap goes and fire it up. If the fluid changes colors you have a leak.

Ah.... forgot about that. That is a good proceedure!