Jump to content
CaddyInfo Cadillac Forum

Car heating up and loss of coolant....


98deville

Recommended Posts

1998 deville

My car has been losing alot of coolant lately so I let the car warm up with the reservior cap off the temp went up to 255 then the coolant started coming out the reservior tank. I changed the thermostat thinking the old one was stuck therefore not letting the coolant flow through and cuasing the car to heat up. Turned it on again then let it warm up again, temp still went up to 255 so I turned the car off and when I did, there was steam coming from the radiator I could also hear air coming out from the same place on the radiator...could this be a bad radiator?

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Did you check the purge line to make sure you are getting flow?

Was the engine idling and it went to 255? What did the fans do? Feel the radiator for cold spots

Steam from exhaust?

Steam from the radiator could indicate that you have cracked or leaking end tanks

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

Did you check the purge line to make sure you are getting flow?

Was the engine idling and it went to 255? What did the fans do? Feel the radiator for cold spots

Steam from exhaust?

Steam from the radiator could indicate that you have cracked or leaking end tanks

The car has 120,000 miles on it...

1. Where and how do I check the purge line?

2.It goes up when driving and also while idling. The fans turn on and work but the temp. still stayed high around 244 or so.

3. I don't think any steam from exuast....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

pulled these codes and all said history

P0463 - Fuel Level Sensor Circuit High Voltage

P1520 - Transmission Range Switch Circuit

P1645 - Evaporative Emission (EVAP) Vent Solenoid Contorl Circuit

B1314 - Evaporator Inlet Temp Sensor Open Circuit

B1350 - Engine Coolant Over-Temperature

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you check the purge line to make sure you are getting flow?

Was the engine idling and it went to 255? What did the fans do? Feel the radiator for cold spots

Steam from exhaust?

Steam from the radiator could indicate that you have cracked or leaking end tanks

The car has 120,000 miles on it...

1. Where and how do I check the purge line?

2.It goes up when driving and also while idling. The fans turn on and work but the temp. still stayed high around 244 or so.

3. I don't think any steam from exuast....

There is a 1/2" diameter rubber hose that attaches to the bottom of the surge tank. Disconnect the hose at the surge tank and have a helper start the engine. Coolant should flow out of the hose. If not, it is obstructed and needs to be cleared. Trace the line back to where it attached to the water pump area and disconnect the hose. Start the engine and coolant should flow out of the nipple on the water pump area. If not, remove the nipple and clean it.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A very quick check for head leakage can be done in a few seconds by one person. The first time you start the car after leaving it overnight or longer, immediately jump out and smell the exhaust gases. If you don't smell coolant, you probalby don't have head leakage.

You can have a real check done at any good radiator shop. Most comprehensive mechanics can also do this. The test strips that some shops use aren't good after six months and cost $50 for a batch, so shops that don't do a lot of this don't stock the strips. Test solutions may not have a much better picture for small shops and the do-it-yourselfer. Dealers don't deal with cars old enough to need this often, either. So, off to the radiator shop. I haven't tried Sears Auto, Pep Boys, or other chains of big shops but a big, busy one should be able to help you.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- 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

Did you check the purge line to make sure you are getting flow?

Was the engine idling and it went to 255? What did the fans do? Feel the radiator for cold spots

Steam from exhaust?

Steam from the radiator could indicate that you have cracked or leaking end tanks

The car has 120,000 miles on it...

1. Where and how do I check the purge line?

2.It goes up when driving and also while idling. The fans turn on and work but the temp. still stayed high around 244 or so.

3. I don't think any steam from exuast....

There is a 1/2" diameter rubber hose that attaches to the bottom of the surge tank. Disconnect the hose at the surge tank and have a helper start the engine. Coolant should flow out of the hose. If not, it is obstructed and needs to be cleared. Trace the line back to where it attached to the water pump area and disconnect the hose. Start the engine and coolant should flow out of the nipple on the water pump area. If not, remove the nipple and clean it.

Tried it and didn't see any coolant flow out when the engine was started. Could it be that it's low on coolant?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you check the purge line to make sure you are getting flow?

Was the engine idling and it went to 255? What did the fans do? Feel the radiator for cold spots

Steam from exhaust?

Steam from the radiator could indicate that you have cracked or leaking end tanks

The car has 120,000 miles on it...

1. Where and how do I check the purge line?

2.It goes up when driving and also while idling. The fans turn on and work but the temp. still stayed high around 244 or so.

3. I don't think any steam from exuast....

There is a 1/2" diameter rubber hose that attaches to the bottom of the surge tank. Disconnect the hose at the surge tank and have a helper start the engine. Coolant should flow out of the hose. If not, it is obstructed and needs to be cleared. Trace the line back to where it attached to the water pump area and disconnect the hose. Start the engine and coolant should flow out of the nipple on the water pump area. If not, remove the nipple and clean it.

Tried it and didn't see any coolant flow out when the engine was started. Could it be that it's low on coolant?

I am assuming that there is no coolant flow at the hose at the surge tank. Add enough coolant to bring the level to 2-1/2" below the neck of the surge tank and repeat the test. If there is still not any coolant flow, you need to work your way up the hose to the water pump area until you find the restriction as outlined in my earlier post. If there is no flow to the surge tank, the engine will overheat - hopefully, that is all that is wrong with your car.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, usually steam coming form the radiator area is a leaking hose clamp, leaking tank seals, or a crack in the tank. Sometimes a missing air deflector will allow road debris to hit the radiator (or A/C condenser) and cause pinhole leaks. When it happened to me, it was leaking radiator seals, and I found where a mechanic had left some of the bolts on the radiator brace loose after looking at the battery. I replaced the radiator and the mechanic.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- 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

Check for combustion gas in the coolant. If present you have pulled head bolts.

How do I do this?

When I found my '97 STS needed head gaskets (your problem would be Much more likely gaskets rather than 'pulled bolts") I used a 20yr old tester I had made by "Mr Gasket". That draws air, from the expansion tank, through a sintered bronze block into a clear tube above it with test fluid in it. If the color in the fluid changes combustion gases are present (the fluid too is over 20yrs old and still worked GREAT :) )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about the radiator steaming ?

If the radiator is "steaming" then there is an obvious external leak... repair that but also diagnose the lack of flow to the surge tank per my earlier posts. As I stated before, if the purge hose is restricted, the car will overheat...

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My car has been losing alot of coolant lately so I let the car warm up with the reservior cap off the temp went up to 255 then the coolant started coming out the reservior tank.

Running the engine with the cap off will ALWAYS cause it to overheat. It MUST be under pressure to raise the boiling point.

There is a 1/2" diameter rubber hose that attaches to the bottom of the surge tank. Disconnect the hose at the surge tank and have a helper start the engine. Coolant should flow out of the hose.

The purge line is the 3/8" line that enters the surge tank on the side, near the top.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you plan to have the car for a few more years, would take the opportunity to do a full check and tune-up of your cooling system:

  • Flush including heater core and bypass hoses and new coolant, distilled water and anti-freeze, 50/50.
  • Examine and replace as necessary or at your discretion the radiator hoses, the metal heater hoses behind the engine, the water pump belt, the thermostat, and the water pump and belt idler.
If you still have some coolant that has been in the engine for awhile, you can have it tested for combustion by-products, and I would do it just for the peace of mind.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- 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

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...