I'm fighting a few different issues related to coolant on my '69. At this point I think I've got a decent idea on how to attack it, but I'm also smart enough to know that I tend to have no clue what I'm doing at times, ha!

So, after driving across town in the afternoons, I've noticed I have a trail of coolant/water following me. Currently I am fighting a pushed intake gasket, as well as a collapsing lower radiator hose. I purchased the spring for the hose and it came in yesterday afternoon, and I will be addressing the intake gasket very shortly (again). I also have given serious thought before about picking up an overflow bottle, but to this point I haven't done so.

My theory is, I'm losing water moreso under load than sitting there idling. Is it possible that as the hose gets sucked shut, its forcing everything out of the overflow?

Thanks in advance.

 

If you're intake manifold gasket is bad it's a moot point on the operation of your overflow bottle. Fix the intake manifold gasket and your coolant leak will probably be solved.

FWIW, I've never been able to use the turkey tray gasket. I cut the side rails off of the turkey tray and dispose of the turkey tray. Plus, don't use the included lifter valley seal. Dispose of them and use Right Stuff gasket maker on the end rails of the lifter valley.

 

it's dumping coolant out of the overflow..so Im fighting both at once. I took the turkey tray out of it due to internal vacuum leaks. The shop that replaced the gaskets the 2nd time (I didnt have enough Ultra Black on the rails when I did it) used the supplied cork instead of Ultra Black. Hes going to call me tomorrow about getting it back over there to be fixed.

Id like to say that wouldn't have been a problem had the machine shop matched the intake to how much they cut off the block

 

I installed an overflow bottle from the local auto parts store. $11 plus the cost of a new closed system radiator cap. There are many other options but this is inexpensive, readily available, and works well.

https://www.autozone.com/heating-and...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Are you overfilling the radiator? The radiator needs some head space or the coolant will muscle past the cap as it warms and expands.

 

Unless they topped it off at the shop, then no. Initially we did, and thats how we learned about the overflow tube to begin with..but eventually it stopped spitting water out. Even then though, it's lost quite a bit over the last few days.

 

The 2 things that come to mind when this happens is a bad radiator cap and blown head gasket. These cars have run this type of overflow system for decades without leaking when properly filled.

 

As Eric pointed out it could be a bad radiator cap. Generally speaking, you might not be puking coolant as you're physically driving the car as the coolant "system" radiator, fan, thermostat, water pump are able to cool the engine appropriately. However, when you shut the vehicle down and it's at idle, you have extremely limited cooling capacity and now's the time the radiator cap plays a significant roll. If it's puking coolant primarily in an idle condition good chance you need a new radiator cap.

 

Based on this, I don’t think it’s a cook-off after shut down issue.

 

^^^THIS^^^

You can get a coolant pressure tester that will allow you to ID the leak with the engine cold. You can rent one at most auto parts stores.

 

I've having some difficulty following the logistics of what was done when.

 

By the time I get home (or in the instance of Tues/Wednesday to the church) I can see a clear trail of where Ive been, where I stopped, where I backed up, etc. and can confirm this is water/coolant.

When I shut it down, I'll get the occasional drip but mostly hear what sounds like steam

 

After re-reading again, I guess you're waiting on a shop call-back then. OK.

 

yeah, for the intake gasket. I don't think all the coolant is coming from there though..based on where it seems to be wet on the engine. (Meaning, I would expect it to be much more wet than it is)

 

Not sure if it means anything, but here's where my coolant is sitting. I looked to try to find a fill line, and couldn't find one.

 

The fill line is on the engine side of the radiator. The level should be about an inch over the trans cooler.

 

I have to ask...with the radiator cap OFF & with the vehicle stationary and running maybe 20 minutes or so (until it reaches running temperature) have you filled the radiator and validated you can actually see coolant flowing in the radiator core? You should expect to see a vigorous flow of coolant. Does the engine overheat as indicated by dash gauge/light (assuming you have a working temp gauge/light)? The lower radiator hose could collapse from a clogged radiator - obviously no coolant flow back to the engine with a clogged radiator.

 

I have not, however when everything was being buttoned up after engine install, Dad was over taking care of all of that..so I would be relatively confident he did that as he was filling everything up for the first time.
I do not have any lights or anything going off, signifying it overheating. I am basing that claim solely on coolant coming from the overflow tube. That's also why my thought behind the collapsing hose creating the overflow held some merit in my head..but like I said, I'm not confident in my ability to say "thats it!"

I checked and did not see a fill line on the radiator. I know I need to put the spring in and when I do that I'll lose a significant amount of what's in the radiator, so from there I'll need to figure out how much to put back.

 

Put a catch pan under the hose and then you can recycle the coolant drained back into the engine.

 

agreed

 

Bringing this back up now that I know the engine is healthy and I'll be driving to Dayton in August.

I'm going to be installing a lower hose spring here shortly, however I'm still not certain that's the full extent of my issue here. I know fluid is being to the engine solely based on the amount of times I've had the intake off and had coolant everywhere.. ha!

Is there a way to check which type of cap I've got? it seems to be vented (spring underneath, small spot in the middle on top) but I'm not certain. I know when the guy rebuilt it, he bought a new cap.. but there's no part number or anything that I can see.

Sure, the easy answer is spring and recovery system.. but I'd still like to know why.

 

I find your post confusing. What is the question?

 

Sorry, yeah it took me about an hour to actually type that up with everything going on..ha!

Basically, what would be causing my coolant to continue to come out of the overflow tube and onto the ground. I know my lower hose is collapsing and will be ordering a spring, but could that be the sole culprit?

 

A collapsing hose would restrict coolant flow, which would then lead to increased temperature. That could cause some level of boil over.

This is assuming the lower hose can actually collapse when there is 15-16 psi pressure in the cooling system. Which then brings up the question of how much pressure is the system holding?

 

Not sure, honestly. I put a bit more coolant in in it last night, and took the car to get lunch today. After sitting at the pickup window for a while, and driving it home, I fully expected to see a puddle somewhere..but I didn't, nor did it leak upon shutting the car off.

With that, is it safer to assume that the collapsing hose is the "culprit" of the leak? Sitting there idling didn't seem to leave anything.

 

I’m having difficulty following the entire thread. Do you now have a solid good fitting intake manifold gasket installed?

 

yes. At this point, the only "leak" is coming from the overflow tube. However it seems to be leaking more than just if the radiator is over full. I believe this is due to the lower hose collapsing due to not having a spring, just wanting to verify this is indeed a reasonable assertion.

In the past, whenever I've had a coolant issue-it was pretty obvious where it was going.

 

IMO, FWIW - I don’t believe the lack of a spring is the issue.

 

That's what I'm asking. Is the issue due to lack of spring, or otherwise? I've seen many threads on here where the go-to is just to add an overflow/reserve system (which I'm not opposed to) but it doesn't help the fact that I'm not sure what's causing it to dump coolant-other than the only thing I'm aware of being the hose shuts under pressure.

 

Somewhere in this thread I asked you to validate if you can visualize a nice vigorous flow of coolant fluid when you look into the radiator fill portal. You said you “thought” your Dad would have done that when he filled it. Leave nothing to chance. So, I’ll ask again - with the radiator full of coolant, the car engine running can you visually see coolant flowing through the radiator or not?

 

I will say again, my engine does not have a spring (hasn’t since the 90s) and I haven’t noted any issues. This is with many, many 5000 RPM runs and sustained hours long 3400 RPM highway driving.


A spring is cheap and easy to install, so if it crosses a potential issue off your list, then go for it.

 

No, I have not personally stood there and watched inside the radiator. However, between the freeze plug falling out upon initial start up and the amount of times the intake has been off the car and coolant has gone all over, I can say for sure at the very least coolant is flowing into the engine. I do know the temp light works, and only see it light up during the start/shutdown position at the key (quick flash at that) which is on par with every other vehicle I've had.

I do have another spring on order (shop who took it upon themselves to install said it was too small and threw it away) from The Parts Place, so when I install it I'll need to refill everything again anyway. I'll do that and watch the coolant at that point. I'm assuming with my cap having the spring (seemingly a release valve?) that it is a vented cap, meaning its not like its building pressure within the radiator and the only escape is the overflow tube. But again, generally when I've had cooling issues in the past, they've been pretty obvious.

 

All caps have a spring - the spring tension is what sets the pressure rating. If the system pressure rises above that set point, the inner “stopper” lifts and pressure is vented.

A closed recovery system cap has an additional one way valve in the “stopper” that allows coolant that has vented into the overflow tank to be drawn back into the radiator due to the pressure differential when the engine cools down.

 

When the guy rebuilt "what"? I find nowhere in the thread where it's been stated the radiator was "rebuilt". I know you've had some engine work done (rebuilt?), was the radiator rebuilt, also?

Water boils at 212°F under normal atmospheric conditions @ MSL (Mean Sea Level). A car thermostat should open below 200°F (160°F, 180°F, 195°F). Water doesn't "gush" out of a puke (overflow) hose. Water escapes the puke hose when the radiator is boiling over. A normally operating 16psi radiator cap pressurizes the cooling system. In doing so, the boiling point of water increases to ~259°F. Albeit, under 16psi water WILL NOT boil until it reaches ~259°F. A "properly" functioning engine water temperature sending unit will illuminate a dash idiot lamp @ ~220°F. I'd say you should replace your radiator cap. A radiator cap should have at least the markings (stamp, insignia, name, etc.) of the manufacturer - many will have the part number. (1) This "no name" radiator cap could have been laying around anywhere and got tossed onto your radiator (2) The radiator cap is faulty/broken & otherwise inoperable. A "good" radiator cap is going to run you $10 - $15 at NAPA or any parts store. I like "STANT" radiator caps. Nothing fancy - plain, simple, 16PSI radiator cap.

 

Yes, sorry..Radiator was rebuilt/recored and he put a new cap on it. When I get back to the house I'll look for a brand, but it did not have a number. If it's simply the wrong/bad cap, is there a Stant PN I need to look for specifically?

 

NAPA STANT RADIATOR CAP 16 PSI OLDSMOBILE 442
$7.99

 

eBay

STANT 10231 Type Coolant System Radiator Cap 16 PSI - OE Replacement Genuine

 

If you happen to be inquisitive enough to evaluate the manufacturer name(s) on radiator caps, you should note Stant was acquired by MOTORAD and are the same (I guess).

Stolen from the Internet:

"They are the same product, same manufacture, just a change of brand name. During a transition period all remaining stock with be dispatched as 'Stant' and when they run out, they will be branded/packaged as 'Motorad'. Same trusted quality products just a new name."

 

noted..the one on there now is Motorad

 

If that is a seven "7" that is the incorrect psi radiator cap. The number is supposed to be the psi rating of the radiator cap. Your radiator cap should be a 16 psi radiator cap.