Automotive Forums  Where Car Enthusiasts Go to Discuss Cars Online

I have a 98 Chevy S10 pickup truck.  The coolant tank is empty and I need this truck to run for a long time.  The engine is rebuilt and has only about 10k miles on it after the the rebuild.  Should I take it to pep boys and pay them 90 bucks to have it done proper with a flushing and all that?  I would prefer to just save money and buy the coolant myself and simply refill it but I am not experienced with car maintenance at all and I don't know how important it is to have a clean, fresh tank of coolant to preserve the life of my engine.  

when you take off the radiator cap....  do you still have coolant in the radiator...

you probably have a leak someplace...

it will take a visual inspection of all the hoses and the water pump to try  to find the leaks...

radiator pressure testers are what mechanics use to pressurize the cooling system to check for leaks...

i normally don't pump the system over 7 or 8 psi....   radiator pressure testers are rentable at some parts stores...

it is quite possible that the plastic and aluminum radiator that came in that truck has cracked a tank...

the radiator has to be totally full of 50 % coolant to 70 % coolant to water mix....

things that have leaked on that model...

radiators...

water pumps..

heater hoses...

heater cores...

upper and lower heater hoses...

one or all of them could be leaking...  

Is it possible that I ran over something like a fallen branch that poked a hole in something?  If so, what most likely is leaking and how much should I expect to pay for it to be fixed?

I ran over some branches and heard some funny noises...  

it depends upon what kind of tree it was....   pine tree damage is usually less expensive to fix than OAK tree damage...

the Oak trees being a harder wood... would involve ....................................



its impossible to say...  

if the engine is low on coolant.. in the radiator.. and the only way to tell is to take the cap off and look... (cold MOTOR or with extreme care so you don't get burned..)  if you operate the engine without enough coolant.. you will damage the motor...     one thing.. i taught my friends family to check their coolant once a week... they did not like to do it.. but i was tired of replacing motors...  they also did this when they checked the oil...   they did them selves damage... they just took the radiator cap off.. looked inside.. and just sort of tossed the cap back on...  only got one ear of the cap hooked... the coolant escaped... they continued to drive the car with the temp needle pinned.. thinking the car had coolant...    their error in being slack about it .. cost them the use of their cars ...

why not talk to your mechanic..   he will be glad to show you how to properly check items...

and not everybody is destined to be an auto mechanic..    i run into people.. and i say.. you can do it..   they cannot even turn a screwdriver... i guess thats why i became a mechanic.. i can see how the parts work together..

you can also look in the glove compartment.. a well written owners manual is included in every car when sold new.. many never get opened...  

Thanks for helping me, you sound like you know what you're talking about.  

One thing I noticed on my coolant reservoir, it actually has a vent for letting out evaporated liquids.  There is a hole near the top, above where the fill lines are, with a rubber hose attached to it that just sits open on the other end.  

Many people are telling me the system is an "enclosed" system so nothing should be evaporating out.  Is it possible this model is just made different and it does in fact gas out coolant over time?  

it is a coolant recovery type of system....  

when you heat water or coolant...  it expands...   to keep the radiator full... the radiator cap will vent excess pressure out .. the coolant overflow tank catches this expanding coolant...

if you notice... the hose from the radiator neck goes to the bottom of the coolant overflow tank...

when the engine cools off...   if the system is pressure tight... except for the designed in valve in the cap... as the coolant in the engine cools.. it contracts... this causes the coolant in the overflow tank to be pulled back into the radiator.. keeping it totally full...

if you have a leak....  depending upon the size and type of leak...    as the engine cools.. it might pull the coolant from the overflow tank...   or it might not..

when a hose leaks...  sometimes the coolant overflow bottle is drained...  most times not...

when a radiator tank has a leak... it usually drains the coolant tank... as its usually a pressure leak... as the engine cools.. the system is sealed and the reserve coolant is pulled in.. the next thermal cycle... the coolant is pushed out the crack...   since the coolant has left the system... the overflow tank level drops or becomes empty...



the only way to properly tell...   is to pressure test the system....


many autozones stores have this in the loan a tool section behind the counter... be sure to take the part number with you...  
you can pay for it...  use it ... return it for a full refund.. that why its in the loan a tool section...

CST/Pressure Tester Adapters
Part Number: 9300   Price:$75.00


this is a buy only set from harbor freight tools..   its 100 bucks... and more than most single car families need.. but it covers all the different styles of radiator caps...






here is some more reading from magazines aimed directly at professional mechanics... no fluff...  

the spam blocker prevented me from posting the links...  

I wish I had read all this first...

Turns out I put the green stuff in when the system uses DexCool

So...
I get to my mechanic after having the green AF in there for 24 hours.  I ask him to diagnose for a leak.  They don't find any leaks which is odd to me, but then I find out the dexcool and the green stuff is going to coagulate.  He wants to replace parts for a total of 650 dollars.  I needed a cheaper option so he's going to backflush and refill it with prestone dexcool.  It's still gonna cost me 210 bucks...

Thing is, I've been trying to figure out EXACTLY what I have put my system through and it seems nobody knows for sure.  Apparently the dexcool coagulating problem that occurs is no longer an issue as the the formula for the non dexcool stuff has been upgraded throughout the years.  However I know inside my reservoir looked terrible from seeing it first hand.  Since I have no idea what's really going on throughout the rest of the coolant system, I told the guy to go ahead and backflush just to be safe.  

I really wish I had known that I didn't need a shop and heavy equipment to do this right.  Oh well.  I'm hoping the leak is gonna be non-existant after I get my truck back...  

last thing i forgot to mention...

the intake manifold gaskets...

the 4 corners can leak..  where the intake meets the heads... the factory gaskets were to skinny...  the plastic got pushed around and broke up.. allowing hard to find coolant leaks down the back of the motor..


was the mechanic talking about changing the intake manifold gaskets...??????  

He wasn't clear about what needed replacing.  That's one reason I didn't go for it.  I think at one point he said he wanted to replace the radiator!  

i would prefer you take it to the official company service center. they will not only inspect but also do it in companies norms way. its expensive but good for your engine.