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Losing coolant - where does it go?

1995 Dodge Intrepid ES.

It runs great, very well maintained by a friend who is a master mechanic. Today I went to the store (10 mins away) and it over-heated during that short trip. I first noticed something was wrong because the heater wouldn't warm up at all.

When i opened the hood, the coolant bottle was completely empty.

I bought a jug of 50:50 mix at the store (since i was there anyway), and allowed the engine to cool for about 30 minutes before adding. It sucked up the entire jug! So I bought another gallon..And it sucked in 1/2 of that too! I opened that bleeder thing to bleed the air out and added a little more coolant when i got home.

I have NO smoke (blue or white) coming out of the exhaust, and No puddles where I normal park.

So....where does the coolant go in a sealed system???

5 Answers

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  • ?
    Lv 6
    9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    Could have a leaking water hose or a bad water pump. Just have to start looking all the car for wetness

  • Anonymous
    9 years ago

    Electrolysis in an automotive cooling system can be hazardous to the lifespan of metal and in particular aluminum. Unfortunately though preventable, it is often left unnoticed until it is too late and leaks have already began forming throughout the system.

    Electrolysis is extremely corrosive and eats away the inside lining of aluminum parts, especially thinner parts like aluminum heater cores. It is said that a current of 0.5 or more will actually corrode a cast iron block. It takes much less current to damage an aluminum engine block and many of its components. It's more like 0.15 to 0.20 volts. Use both A/C and D/C settings for this test and check specifications. Aftermarket systems sometimes require necessary grounds and such. Be Careful and run the test.

    It is caused by current passing through the coolant medium between the metal components in the cooling system. This sometimes happens after adding an aftermarket part or breaking a ground and can be fixed by replacing the ground. Either way to correct this type of electrolysis the part or connection causing the excess current must be found and repaired

    You probably need head gaskets.

  • Well you do have a leak somewhere this is certain. I would pull the dip stick and make sure the oil looks like oil. If it's milky, you have one of many poss. problems. If ok, you may have a blown head gasket. Not all the time when you blow a gasket will you see smoke that you will notice. If the leak is small, the engine will fire hot enough to burn it. One way to test this is to get the vehicle up to operating temp. and then shut it off and listen to the radiator, if is bubbling chances are head gasket. This is a common problem with dodge.

    Source(s): 30 + years auto / diesel mechanic
  • 9 years ago

    **You need to have an inexpensive *cooling system pressure test done by a trusted private mechanic or new car dealership to find any external or internal coolant leaks. Engines can loose coolant internally and push it out the tail-pipe when the engine is running.

    I'll bet you a Blue Moon you have a monster leak somewhere. Have you checked the "weep-hole" under the water-pump input shaft casting? Coolant will push out this hole when the system is under pressure as you drive the car.

    Source(s): Alignment, suspension and brake shop.
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  • josh l
    Lv 5
    9 years ago

    it may be sealed but you really wont know until inspecting all freeze plugs,rad tanks,reservoir,hoses,and gaskets to thermostat an water pump. now you may not have a leak but if the thermostat fails to open the car will start to run hot an spew all the water out of the overflow.if ur sure you got the air out id try a new thermostat( only $8). if this doesnt help you know your water pump is going out or you got a leaky head gasket

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