Where is my coolant going ???
 

OK guys, I am perplexed. My '96 Blazer is losing coolant and I can't pinpoint where it's going. Over the past two weeks, I've noticed that the temp guage was hitting 210, which is not normal for this vehicle, I keep a close watch on the temp guage. I also turned on the HEAT and got nothing but air blowing. My son has laid claim to the vehicle so I don't drive it very much anymore but did the other day and saw the guage at 210. I opened the radiator and there was no fluid in sight. I poured in almost a gallon of water just to get her topped off. I ran the engine and the guage dropped back to what I call normal around 170 ish. Last night I checked again and put in another gallon of water. Where is all this fluid going in such a short period of time????? There is NO coolant/water in the oil and I can't see or smell any leaks under the hood. I'm stumped. The water pump and gaskets are new, thermostat is new, all hoses are tight. Could the radiator cap be leaking that badly? There is no visual evidence of any cap leakage. Your thoghts. Thanks.

RE: Where is my coolant going ???
 

could it be crossing over to the exhaust side of your heads and burning out the tailpipe?
like would happen if you needed a head gasket. if its not in the oil the exhaust is all that left
good luck
my 2002 is at 210 all the time
like 10 minutes after it starts in the summer

when ya want it the most like -4 december its a tad bit slower

thats all i have to say about that

thatsForrest Gump helping me out.

big john

RE: Where is my coolant going ???
 

If you are just adding water it is possible that the water just boiled off, since those temps are about the boiling point. Otherwise check your exhaust pipes and see if you can see burn areas where a fluid might be dripping onto the exhaust or if you can smell a burning antifreeze smell out the rear of the exhaust. Otherwise I would get it up to temp and leave it running and see if you can see anywhere that it might be dripping while its running.

RE: Where is my coolant going ???
 

I had a similar issue with mine. I would constantly loase fluid, but couldn't find any leaks and there was none on my floor, except one day there was some. So I looked and here the drain valve was shot, it wasn't enough to where there would be anything on the ground in the garage, but it would leak while driving, just enough to where I could see a difference in the radiator. Well I put a second valve on the end of that and have not had any problems with losing coolant.

RE: Where is my coolant going ???
 

Thanks for the input guys. I found the PROBLEM. I was determined to find the leak so I bought flourescent dye and poured it into the radiator, ran the engine and waited till dark. I have a small blacklight pen and started looking everywhere. I found what looked like a tiny smudge of "glow" above one corner of the oil pan but it was dry, and certainly not enough to account for all the water & coolant I had poured in in the last two days. I checked the tailpipe too. There is no "steam" or any indications of burning coolant, no smell, nothing. Then, still stymied, I pulled the dipstick and BEHOLD, a 6" long streak of green glowing dye. I have a BLOWN HEAD GASKET. This was a great relief to find the problem, but a little unnerving at the same time since I had just changed the oil last week and there was no sign of coolant infiltration into the oil. So, guess what I'll be doing this weekend! I've read the post (somewhere on this forum) on changing the gaskets and I have a Haynes manual, so I think I'm all set.

The weird thing, or a testament to this engine, is the fact that she still idles so smooth and runs great, that you would never guess that the crankcase is full of water/coolant.

:)Time to get my hands dirty![:@]

RE: Where is my coolant going ???
 

Oops, I meant to say I have a blown Intake Minifold Gasket, not a head gasket. I've already had the upper end taken apart before so getting the top half off shouldn't be a huge problem.

RE: Where is my coolant going ???
 

Glad you found the problem. And yeah, I was going to say that you need to check the intake manifold gasket first.

I think that there are revised intake manifold gaskets that have an aluminum frame to them instead of the original plastic frame around the o-ring style seals.

RE: Where is my coolant going ???
 

Hey Kyle,

A little while ago, you posted a link to another site that had a really good description (with pictures) of the steps to replace the intake manifold gaskets. Do you still have that link handy? I've searched for it but can't seem to locate it again. I think your post of the link was buried in a discussion thread somewhere. I read it then, and of course, now that I really need it, I can't find it (is this not the perfect example of Murphy's Law?). Your help is kindly appreciated. Thanks.

RE: Where is my coolant going ???
 

Here ya go:

4.3L Intake Manifold Gasket How-To - D-Tips.com

RE: Where is my coolant going ???
 

That's the ticket!

Thanks Kyle. Mucho apreciado!!!!