Rich Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Just got home with the Eldorado (1997 T) and noticed there was coolant being ejected from the hose leading from the overflow tank. The amount of coolant is not excessive, but it left a very clear trail from the street into the driveway and continued for a few seconds after shutdown (enough to leave a wet spot about a foot across in the driveway). I didn't notice coolant all the way up the street approaching my house, so I'm not sure it was leaking constantly as I drove. Hard to tell though. I don't ever remember this car ejecting coolant from the overflow tank in the 10 years I've owned it. The Eldorado has 86K well maintained miles, has had the cooling system serviced by Cadillac twice since I took delivery (Dec 1996). Done according to spec (according to this board) with Bars leak tablets/distilled water/Havoline etended life coolant, etc... Car runs fine, no overheat condition, no codes. Might this be something as simple as a bad cap for the overflow tank or something? Any thoughts? THANKS ALL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Could be a bad cap on the tank. Could be a bad thermostat. Keep the coolant temp up so you can monitor temps.. Check your water pump belt for slippage, wear and a stuck tensioner. Make sure you have a 50/50 coolant mix (with distilled water). Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMachine Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 did you happen to see the temp of the coolant when this happened? It might have been on its way up, fan may have stopped, radiator could be clogged, water pump quiting etc. In any event refill the system to the proper level, could have been just air in the system...I don't want to say headgasket because its too soon to say that but the main thing is to get that thing at the proper level again and see what happens. The Green's Machines 1998 Deville - high mileage, keeps on going, custom cat-back exhaust 2003 Seville - stock low mileage goodness! 2004 Grand Prix GTP CompG - Smaller supercharger pulley, Ported Exhaust Manifolds, Dyno tune, etc 1998 Firebird Formula - 408 LQ9 Stroker motor swap and all sorts of go fast stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb27610 Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 did you happen to see the temp of the coolant when this happened? It might have been on its way up, fan may have stopped, radiator could be clogged, water pump quiting etc. In any event refill the system to the proper level, could have been just air in the system...I don't want to say headgasket because its too soon to say that but the main thing is to get that thing at the proper level again and see what happens. I had same issue with my 99 caddy, it was head gaskets. If you put a pressure gauge on the coolant tank and rev the engine and the gauge goes up you are leaking gases into the coolant. The excess pressure blows the cap and the antifreeze blows out the overflow. I had a smell of antifreeze and engine ran rough when cold before all that happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poobah Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Have you replaced the cap recently? If so, check to make sure you have the proper one (vented vs. non-vented). I installed the wrong one, once, and the cooling system would burp coolant out of the reservoir. Happiness is owning a Cadillac with no codes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 I'm with Mike. Start with the cap & thermostat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 It's also possible someone servicing the car topped off the coolant with water, putting the mixture below 50-50. I would check the coolant and make sure. Also, make sure that the coolant is red, not green. Green coolant needs to be changed every year or so, while red needs to be changed every three to four years. If it's green, use green "universal" antifreeze to refill. The FSM says that if the coolant is below 50-50 to "replace the coolant." If you do that, you can get distilled water for 50 cents a gallon at WalMart and mix it, or you can buy 50-50 pre-mixed. If the existing coolant is under 50-50, you might want to make the replacement more like 70% because you can't drain that last couple of quarts. -- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data -- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
What job Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Just finished with the repair from H. I sure hope this is not you're problem as well but on both my 94 & 96 SLS models the cross over lines / pipes from the coolant tank had rusted away. This is hard to see from the top of the engine and looks like a leak from the coolant tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted November 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Just went to check on the Eldorado after an overnight cooldown. First, I checked the surge tank before starting up for a test drive. It was filled to proper level (2" below base of filler neck). Near as I can tell, there was no coolant leaked on my street from my approach last night, only directly in front of the house and in the driveway. Might have lost a half-pint or so in total. Took it for a 45 minute test drive. Started up and drove local roads to warm up. Then parkway for around a half-hour or so. Snapped it up to redline a few times. Then ascended a few steep hills at low speed on the way home. Stopped around 7 or 8 times during all of this and popped the hood (no discharge or leaks to note) and sniffed the exhaust for coolant smell (none). No coolant smell in the cabin either. All the while, the temperature needle never budged. Cooling system was serviced and water pump and thermostat were replaced last November (7,500 miles ago). Thermostat seems fine. Just to note, last weekend I added around a pint or so of 50/50 coolant/distilled water mix to the surge tank. Maybe it was just being blown off. For good measure, I'll replace the cap on the surge tank. Will keep you all posted. Thanks for all your opinions friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolnesss Posted November 19, 2006 Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 Snapped it up to redline a few times. Ain't it cool that in a Cadillac, you can say "snapped it up to the redline a few times"????? My ETC is getting a dent pounded out, so I'm driving a new Sebring rental - and its a nice car sort of - but definitely will not "snap" anything!!!!!!!!!!! Failure tests have to follow a logical line - starting with the item most prone to failure. Take your cap to a shop and have them check the pressure - it is the most likely item to fail first in that system, and, after 9 years, its likely close to gone anyway - regardless of whether it now is running well, it should be tested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted November 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 The Eldorado seems fine, drove into work today with no issues. Ordered a new pressure cap for the surge tank this morning, should have it in a day or so. The one on the car now must be the original and will be 10 years old in about two weeks. This motor does scream when provoked. Great fun to drive WOT. Addicting really, need to take care not to get arrested and have the car impounded or something. I'm supposed to be an adult and responsible, not prone to reckless high speed driving. Whatever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMachine Posted November 20, 2006 Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 There a speed limits, but generally speaking there is no rule to how fast you reach the limit....although a buddy of mine did actually get a ticket once for "unsafe start" which was later dismissed. The Green's Machines 1998 Deville - high mileage, keeps on going, custom cat-back exhaust 2003 Seville - stock low mileage goodness! 2004 Grand Prix GTP CompG - Smaller supercharger pulley, Ported Exhaust Manifolds, Dyno tune, etc 1998 Firebird Formula - 408 LQ9 Stroker motor swap and all sorts of go fast stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted November 20, 2006 Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 There a speed limits, but generally speaking there is no rule to how fast you reach the limit....although a buddy of mine did actually get a ticket once for "unsafe start" which was later dismissed. I imagine if you did a big hole shot in front of a cop, he could ticket you for reckless driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted November 20, 2006 Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 Rapid acelleration is another one I have heard. I'm sure they have many that they can use if they want you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted November 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 Replaced the surge tank pressure cap this past weekend. Everything seems fine, that one incident of spewing coolant must have been a fluke. It was time to replace the cap anyway. Thanks to all for their advice. Regards, Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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