1994 s10 blazer losing coolant
 

hey there...i have a 94 s10 blazer...and its spewing antifreeze from right above the transmission pan...like crazy....obviously when the truck is running...but it can lose all of the coolant in a matter of minutes....can someone help me?tell me what they think it could be...thanks brecko

Calm down a bit and give some more details
 

4Cyl or 6Cly?

Standard or Automaic (you said "pan" so I'll assume auto)

Describe "spewing". Do you see it dripping real fast vertically, or can you see it spraying horizontally and if so, can you see from where it is spewing;

If this is V6, the two things come to mind from what you've said are "block plugs" or "freeze plugs" at the rear of the block and "intake Gaskets"

If freeze plugs, the antifreeze would run or spray into the bell-housing and be spread around by the torque converter and starter gear. It would probably exit near the transmission pan as you've described.

If intake gasket, it would likely spray out the back of the intake and run down onto the tranny. You could see this with an inspection mirror and a flash light.

rear freeze plugs will require you to drop the tranny and pull the starter gear.

Intake gaskets are a bit less work.

NOTE; if you replace the intake gasket, get the high-dollar Felpro set. It's worth it!

its a 4.3 vortec v6 automatic...and its weird....it seems like coolant is dripping in the front from under the radiator when the truck sits turned off.but hardley noticeable at all.....but when i turn the key....first of all..it wont start the first two or three times...and i mean it wont kick over at all...then it does on like the third or fourth turn..thats new....that came along with the problem im having...starter was replaced months ago and was working perfectly...i think the lack of coolant was causing it???...so when the truck is running...i run to the passenger side...slide underneath and i see, not a vertical spray...but more like a spritzing if that makes more sense...an overspray effect if you will..and it sprays onto the catalytic converter....its coming from right above the oxygen sensor on the exhaust.and drips all over the part of the exhaust that crosses from left to right under the seats.....this seems to be nowhere near the block....but thats where the majority of the loss is coming from...it started two days ago while driving the vehicle...out of nowhere...i cant see why one of the freeze out plugs would pop if it had coolant in it and was being driven everyday with no problems...and theres no leaking on or around the intake...all of this is happening right by that wide narrow pan that to me is the tranny pan...i run the truck for 1 minute and the **** starts sprayin like i said and smoking on the pipe instantly...and even when the engines still cool for that short minute...i turn the cap and it spurts...like it would if it were hot and i can see the radiator coils...its mind boggling....any words of advice?...other than what you had already said?...which i will check out tomorrow by the way......

i noticed two lines that run from that area im talking about and they twist and turn right under the truck and up into the radiator...i can see the fittings by where the problem is that im speaking of...above the oxygen sensor?...any ideas?...but i dont see spraying coming from them..

The two lines (less than 1/2" dia steel tubes) from the tranny to the radiator are low pressure transmission fluid. While they connect to the radiator, there is little chance they are causing your problem. For them to contain antifreeze, the tranny would have been killed long before.

I suggest you get the area clean and dry as possible, lift it up, block it securely, get an inspection mirror and flash light and get yourself in there with the motor turned OFF.

Visual inspection will likely show you the leak.

As for not starting the first few rounds, get someone to plug a scanner in and check stuff like coolant temp and TPS. Sounds like the computer might be getting confusing info and not injecting enough or too much fuel. Smell the tail pipe right after it starts, does it smell rich?

yeah i guess u can say it smells rich..but the exhaust always smelled a little tough...even with the injector cleaner mixed with the gas....this things been better taken care of since weve owned it for the last 5 months then it has years prior...each plug was gapped just about differently when i pulled em...so its fighting me every step of the way......i payed 200 bucks for it...failed for emissions months ago...i changed the starter...plugs....wires.....cap...rotor...fuel filter...motor mounts....patched the exhaust holes...and it passed emissions after the plugs and filter and ****...and was driving great...running smooth...then the other day my sons girlfriend was stuck in the snow...in two wheel drive mode and probably revved the **** out of the truck...and then the next day..this happened...and with the cold weather here and me just fillin it wityh water instead of fluid yesterday..im worried about the freezeout plugs poppin...the damn truck leaks oil anyway...and is just tired ya know?.....i dried it all up yesterday and visually inspected that area but i didnt see any leaks...only when the thing is running...plus i dont have a driveway so me havin this thing on a jack stand in the wet dirt makes me nervous while im under it...but i will get an inspection mirror and check it out...tomorrow...i couldnt even drive it to a mechanic if i wanted to cause it would just overheat in five minutes...of course this has to happen in the winter and not the summer...i'd hate for it to be a major problem that would cost me a ton of money....but i really gotta pinpoint this problem...is there anything else in that area that i told you about?...by the oxygen sensor?..that i dont know about...theres no coolant in the tranny..i checked the fluid...and the motor oil is fine so i think it could just be a simple leak tucked all the way up there somewhere....just cant get my hands in there....and as far as the cold weather and mostly water in the radiator...thats a problem right?....and im appreciating all the advice....by the way...and its my kids truck....im a mopar man....for the record.....so dont ignore me because of that...hahahahaha....just wanna get this thing running again...

Vortecs have a problem of hoses leaking fuel inside the injector area. This is a good job to get fixed and usually guys will replace the old "Poppet" style injectors with newer styles. About $300.

Both Vortecs and TBI's have a common problem which makes them get rich you may wish to check. The computer gets a signal from the coolant temp sensor mounted in plain sight near the thermostat. Should be two wires plugged into it. It is a resister that has low resistance when hot and high resistance when cold. If the sensor get's broken (quite common because it's in the way of several maintenance projects) then the computer thinks the car is 40 degrees below zero and will pump huge amounts of gas into the engine trying to get it to start on such a cold day. This is a $15 fix with a part from O'Reilly's and a socket and ratchet. It's easy to tell if the thing is busted cause the connector will try to fall off.

As for "Freeze Plugs", that is not really what they are called. On SOME occasions, when a block full of water freezes, one of these will pop out and the block will not crack, but I'd say that is the exception, not the rule and certainly not why these things exist. They are there due to the casting process for the blocks. These holes allow the workers to get the sand out of the block after casting and are made round as a easy way to plug them. Freezing ice may push one out, but they can also start to leak due to corrosion or loose fit. Sometime, you just got to pull one out and replace it.

Again, if it's one of the rear ones, you'll have to pull the tranny.

well i will take all of your advice...and now that u mention it..i do remember that about the plugs.....hopefully it wont be a costly fix...i can do alot of things but pullin trannys and all that is not my forte...but i will do what ya said with the mirror and ill check over the engine thouroghly...i could really use a chilton manual...
and i will keep u in the loop with any questions again or progress...what do ya think about me keepin water in the radiator until tomorrow...its not like its gonna be in the low 30's in new jersey tonight.....

thanks again...

Water Freezes
 

As fast as the coolant has leaked from your description, my guess is you out of antifreeze and have pure water. Water freezes at 32d F. The air has to get a bit colder than that before a motor will freeze, but things like time and sunshine can affect this. When water freezes, it expands with in creditable force and can break a motor.

When you "drain" a radiator, some coolant drains from a motor also, but most motors don't drain completely. In past decades, some manufactures put "block drains" on the sides of motors to allow a safe amount of coolant to be drained.

If I cared about a car that would not hold antifreeze and I had no shop to put it in, I'd drain the radiator of as much water as would come out and try to warm the motor over night, maybe with a small electric heater or 200W light bulb saying on the motor.

If the temps are dropping below 25 you can get real trouble otherwise.

well today and yesterday after our last email ive been pourin antifreeze in it...alot today...almost the whole damn thing...but heres what i found...only when the things running...not off....nothing seems to leak i think when its off...at least from that area...but i found some interesting ****....im copying and pasting it from another email....but im gonna tweek it for u to understand....\
i see fuid sprayin from like three different holes in the exhaust...passenger side where the pipe comes down from the exhaust mainfold and connects to the exhaust pipe.(3 bolt connection)....it drops down and y's off to the drivers side....at that y its spraying.right from the inside weld...spraying up into the area i told you about......and its also leaking from the drivers side where the pipe connects off the exhaust maniforld...you know that (3 bolt connection)?.. its also spraying from the weld around the front of the catalytic converter and another place further back....could that possibly be where all the coolant is going?...its leakin and sprayin from all over the place...but its not antifreeze...it looks like dirty water..which could be the water i was filling it with...but today ive been puring coolant in....and the coolant disappears from the radiator....green coolant....just vanishes...but the exhaust leaks like crazy from all over the place all of a sudden...if i had it filled with coolant would i see coolant leakin from these places?......or what...but its apparent that i need a new exhaust...that was obvious months ago...i just patched the holes that were evident then...and these were fine at the time....and also...where the pipe y's to the drivers side like i sasid??....i can see the so called back freeze plug right above that exhaust connection and its fine...its dry all around it...everywhere i see a leak is by an exhaust connection or weld....what do ya think??

blown head gasket isnt it...or someone is tellin me its a cracked water jacket in the block or head and or a head gasket....when i run the truck for under a minute and then pop the radiator cap i get a burst of pressure even cold...meaning that there could be exhaust fumes in the radiator????or somethin like that??....any ideas again oh great and powerful billbobagns??

i also wanted to mention that there doesnt seem to be any coolant in the oil or the tranny....they both seem fine...so maybe..intake gasket???

Head Gaskets
 

Head Gaskets separate a bunch of things, compression, coolant, valley (oil), outside of the motor (but not exhaust). When they give up, depending on where it is, different things can happen and compression into the coolant is a common one. This is expressed, as you say, by pressure build up on the radiator and the radiator burping out much more coolant than it should. The cast steel in the head does indeed keep coolant from the exhaust.

I'm still mystified by all the water in your exhaust. Usually, as the gas cools in the tail pipe, there can be a little clear water back there, but I've not hear of it in the Y. I can't explain how antifreeze could get in there unless the head is "CRACKED" as you suggest.

A "Cylinder Leak down" test puts 70 psi of compressed air in the spark plug hole, one cylinder at a time, with that piston on TDC. If your radiator bubbles continuously during that test, you've got a problem.

Head gasket. Change them both and be done with it. That certainly explains the loss of coolant. The gasket may be out in two places. One happens to be bigger than the other. The larger gap will let compression into the cooling system and the smaller will let the cooling system into the combustion chamber so it can be exhausted. Do a compression test or a leak-down test and find out which cylinders are having the problems.

i didnt see your responses...didnt know that there was another page...well im gonna purchase a compression test kit this weekend...and i think im gonna have my buddy mechanic check it out..if its the head gasket or gaskets then it will be handled..i hope thats all that it is...i put the coolant in...and an hour later..it disappears...weird man...and thats with the motor off...when it starts..some type of liquid is escaping from all ove the place...exhaust wise...the y im refering to is when the exhaust pipe is attached to the pipe off of the passenger side exhaust manifold...it angles downward under the truck..and y's off to flow across to the drivers side and up to the drivers side of the motor...at that y is where the spraying is coming from...all over the low pressure tranny coolant lines you mentioned...then it leaks from the catylitic converter and from the drivers side exhaust connection to the exhasut manifold...and more towards the back of the truck...crazy man...i knew that the purchase was too good to be true...i knew i had to put money into it...but..its gonna be crazy...
let me ask u one more thing...if it is indeed the head gasket or gaskets...what would have caused this.....could it have been that when his genious girlfriend couldnt get up the hill in the snow that she reved the living crap out of the truck?...and blew the head gasket?...cause if that is the case...i wanna be able to be pissed off at that reason...becasue i believe that she did this.....

I had an issue that was similar to yours and it turned out to be a leak on the inlet lines going to and from the radiator to engine/tranny.

i checked those....at the radiator and at the tranny...seem fine...i think its narrowed down to the heads somehow...gonna have em pulled next week...as for now..it sits on jack stands and i keep puttin coolant in it everyday...i wish it was summer and not friggin 20 degrees out...talk about nerve racking...i wanna thank everyone...ill keep you all posted....if youre interested....thanks again...

well just an update...its been a while....engine is apart......both head gaskets are blown beyond belief....radiator had a very small leak....cause overheating which in turn blew the gaskets...obviously....heads are being decked right now...and valves are bein recut and cleaned with new seals....new radiator has been ordered...gasket kits etc...should be good as new in about two days....unbelieveable....this better be worth it.......next...breaks...exhaust...tires.....and more...but this way i know whats being done to the truck and check those things off the to do list...instead of buyin another vehicle....and starting over.....only costing me about 1200 for the job to be done...from a mechanic friend of mine so...im saving a ton of casheesh....all of the fluid blowin out was obviously from the heads...thanks for all the advice..

Not bad, in the mid 90's I put a rebuilt long block in a 86 Chevy pickup, done it all myself, and I was out nearly $1200.00.

its 4:30 am in nj...12" of snow fell overnight...gotta get ready to get all the parts now...exciting...while everyone else in the house is sleeping.................yeah not bad...i meant to say 1200 including the parts...hes doin it for 500.00 so with the parts its about 1200.00...300 for the heads to be completely redone...with the valves....72.00 for the gasket kit...30.00 for the new head bolts...oil...filter...coolant....125 for a new radiator..and some odds and ends...so im gettin a great deal...and once i drive it away the tranny will go...hahahaha...but the damn thing still needs tires...brakes...exhaust...door locks all around...the things we do for our kids...then hes on his own...he can thank me when im on my death bed...my wife also...since i wanted to buy a ranch home and we ended up buyin a 4 story century plus old home with four flights of stairs...I LOVE MY WIFE I LOVE MY KIDS I LOVE MY MONEY...I LOVE MY WIFE I LOVE MY KIDS I LOVE MY MONEY!!!!....and my knees love the stairs....

When I put a long block in, to get the warranty they usually want me to change a bunch of stuff like new water pump, t-stat. I also figure it only makes sense to do new radiator and all hoses and belts at the same time. I usually have the starter gone thru. When I'm done, its not hard to be $800 over the cost of the long block. Stuff adds up.

On the S10-Blazers I buy, I like to yank the AC compressor, intake manifold and waterpump. Flush the AC system with solvent and re-install new o-rings, expansion valve, compressor, evacuate and charge. Replace or repair injection spider. Put on new $80 Felpro intake gaskets, ne thermostat. have radiator blown/cleaned/replaced, blow-clean-replace the AC condenser coil- flush/clean heater core. Fresh "Green" antifreeze (I just don't do the extended stuff) all heater-hoses radiator-hoses. All hoses/belts are Gates brand if possible.

Yes, it can run a few hundred bucks and take 10 hours, but it's much easier to do it all at once while stuff is out of the way. And it feels great to know one of those is not about to go out on me.

hahahahahha....yeah ill get right on that....hahahahha..i did buy a new radiator today....new head bolts gasket kit...and the basics...oil filter and coolant....i cant do all that other stuff right now...i just dont have the money...im eatin baby food...hahahaha..possibly new hoses....i shoulda bought those today...but F it...i could always change that...i might have them replace those though now that you brought it up....but im tapped my friend....TAPPED.....what will be will be....by any chance do you know if a 1988 s10 blazer seat (passenger bucket and driver) will fit my 94??...

In my old age I've come to believe that my S10 Blazer bought new in 92 is ready to tap me out before I get it running properly. Seems they do the same to others, yet, until now its been quite trouble free.

you may need intake gaskets a cracked intake gasket will pour coolant out the back front and into the engine and its hard to start cause the coolant has fill up an chamber and has to blow the coolant out before it will crank

replacing all gaskets from upper intake manifold all the way down to the head gaskets....the kit comes with all of em...I STILL NEED TO KNOW IF THE FRONT SEATS FROM AN 88 S10 WILL FIT A 94 S10....ANYONE KNOW??