Empty coolant reservoir

B

burlsube

Well-known member
As I was replacing my heater blower motor I had to take off the coolant overflow bracket and when I peaked in it was surprised to find that it is empty.

I havent seen any visible leaks. All the hose clamps look good and tight. The overflow tank is aluminum so it isnt split and the over flow hose is plumbed back into the system. It isnt overheating but does get up to temp quickly.

Any other places I should look? I immediately assume it is the head gasket, but I'm hoping I am just missing something.
 
MountainD

MountainD

Technical Excellence Contributor
I would fill it, pressure check the system and look for leaks. Sometimes you can't see a leak as it leaks onto something warm and evaporates before leaving a tell tale sign---but those are rare in my experience it is typically a head gasket or slipped cylinder.
 
MountainD

MountainD

Technical Excellence Contributor
When I had this issue, I didn't have an external clue. I just lost coolant. I didn't have smoke/vapor in the exhaust or mixing with oil either. For me, I had a slipped cylinder and water was getting by the jacket and into the cylinder and was getting burnt away. You can take out your plugs and look at your cylinder tops too---if one is steam cleaned, then you either have a slipped cylinder or a head gasket. The best and easiest (and most stressful) way I check is using a block tester such as this: https://www.amazon.com/Block-Tester...r=1-2-catcorr&keywords=block+tester+and+fluid

I say stressful as you pump the ball and it sucks air in through the fluid (from your resevoir) and if the fluid turns yellow (starts blue) then you have exhaust gases in your coolant and hence a blown block in some capacity. So you sit there praying it stays blue...
 
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