did i push my VX too hard?

well i noticed not too long ago my antifreeze level had dropped a bit.. not a huge amount, but some.. also noticed wetness on the inner fender well.. so i figured thats where the coolant went

i went to get my coolant flushed and re-filled and the mechanic tells me that when pressure tested, my radiator lost 4lbs of pressure over 5 minutes and then held steady at 9psi, but that he couldnt do a radiator flush if my radiator was leaking

we looked high and low for a leak, didnt see anything obvious, he asked if id seen any white smoke.. i hadnt, he checked the oil, said it looked alright (ie no obvious signs of coolant in it)

did quite a bit of work on the VX today including an oil change, oil looked pretty clear (for dirty oil) not murky or anything, kinda like coke

started and stopped the VX many times while i was working on it.. and started to notice that on startup i was getting thin white smoke from the exhaust... yikes... im HOPING that the white smoke was condensation since the temp went from 30-65-30 here today and i was doing all the work during the cooldown period...

does this sound like it could be a blown headgasket? and if so.. well what are my options, i know its gonna cost a whole lot to have a dealership fix it.. how realistic is it for me to attempt that repair myself? ive done a good amount of work, but have zero experience inside an engine

Did you check while the engine was warmed up and running? Mine has a very very slight leak on the upper hose clamp but it only leaks very slightly when running. (replacing the hose soon).

If it is just a small leak in the head gasket, I'd CONSIDER the repair in a bottle. I have used the kind that you ad to the coolant, rin it for 30 minutes, drain, let dry 12 hours then flush and fill. They are about $20. I used it in a neon and had no other issues for about 20k miles. Then like an idiot I drove off with the radiator cap off and smoked the head the rest of the way.

Bottom line is, if this was my issue, I'd consider doing it on the VX before I pulled the head. Watch for it runniong hot if you clog up the radiator though. I was replacing my radiator anyway so I did it with the shot one first.

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Originally Posted by etlsport

how realistic is it for me to attempt that repair myself? ive done a good amount of work, but have zero experience inside an engine

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Not very realistic - that's job means opening up the whole engine, and there a lot of things you'd want to do while it's open. That's a job for professionals.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by etlsport

well i noticed not too long ago my antifreeze level had dropped a bit.. not a huge amount, but some.. also noticed wetness on the inner fender well.. so i figured thats where the coolant went

i went to get my coolant flushed and re-filled and the mechanic tells me that when pressure tested, my radiator lost 4lbs of pressure over 5 minutes and then held steady at 9psi, but that he couldnt do a radiator flush if my radiator was leaking

we looked high and low for a leak, didnt see anything obvious, he asked if id seen any white smoke.. i hadnt, he checked the oil, said it looked alright (ie no obvious signs of coolant in it)

did quite a bit of work on the VX today including an oil change, oil looked pretty clear (for dirty oil) not murky or anything, kinda like coke

started and stopped the VX many times while i was working on it.. and started to notice that on startup i was getting thin white smoke from the exhaust... yikes... im HOPING that the white smoke was condensation since the temp went from 30-65-30 here today and i was doing all the work during the cooldown period...

does this sound like it could be a blown headgasket? and if so.. well what are my options, i know its gonna cost a whole lot to have a dealership fix it.. how realistic is it for me to attempt that repair myself? ive done a good amount of work, but have zero experience inside an engine

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did you actually take it for a run or just start it on the drive? Think you may be acting a little early. If its leaking oil into the engine you'll definately know about it, it will smoke when hot + cold.

Sounds like condensation. I get it everyday here.

I have a small water leak that drains right down the middle left (DS) of the oil pan. that might be a place to look

Eric,

Don't start losing any sleep yet. Even if you are getting some coolant into the cylendars it shouldn't cause any damage. If it were getting into the oil, then you would need to worry.

Tom

Well, my VX has been leaking coolant like a mo-fo for the last 2 months. I ordered all the timing belt stuff and I am going to change the water pump and radiator hoses, and clean the radiator. I hope this stops the coolant leak. I have been leaking coolant for a long time (most likely from the o-ring place) but over the last 2 months my coolant leak has gotten WAY worse.

My coolant level drops considerably over time and I have to keep it full, but I have yet to have any overheating. Tonight I change the oil and top off the coolant. I'm still waiting for the timing belt parts.

Bart

+1

Mine has pretty much ALWAYS been low on coolant. The radiator level is fine, but my overflow is always near empty. Only time I overheated was when I had bubbles in the line. I really wouldn't be too concerned with it right now, but I do understand your concern over, "where is it going?" On occasion, I actually find a small trickle of greenish fluid right on top of the radiator near the cap. No little in fact that I just look the other way.