joeb Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 I have a 96 STS W/100k miles. I have had the car for 5yrs. runs fine. no miss and no overheat cept I am loosing about 1/2 gallon of coolant per month. I replaced the WP several months ago and added bars leak and fresh coolant. I can let the car sit overnite and there is still pressure when i loosen the surge tank cap. is that normal? if a headgasket was bad, wouldn't the pressure in the system be forced back into the combustion chamber? since I got the car, i have always had a strong funky exhaust smell when standing outside. a few weeks back i was standing in the garage with my daughter and my wife left with the car and my daughter said "whats that smell?" my grand prix smells completely different and both cars use dexcool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stsjoe Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 After the car has warmed up good, take a flashlight and look for dampness around the engine and the radiator. Dosen't sound like a head gasket and the smell is probably just your cat converter. My 96 did the same thing last year, turned out to be a crack in the radiator side tank (plastic) only leaked when it was hot 210+ never left a puddle, then the leak got bad enough I found it Good Luck Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 Good suggestion stsjoe! 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...
adallak Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 If the loss is caused with a crack on a side tank you will see whitish traces of coolant on the plastic. Pay attention to the surface between the radiator and the grille. The cracks are tiny but they open up as coolant gets hot. Look at the upper part. If it were the lower part you would lose more. Another test - when you are back home do not shut the car, but let it idle on the driveway and revv it a couple of times. An open crack and open thermostat will let the coolant leak out and you hopefully will see a little puddle on the ground you can't see while you drive. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeb Posted February 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 when my upper radiator hose blew off, i got coolant everywhere. than the WP leaked and i got a bunch more between the engine and radiator. I washed everything off as much as i could but there are still traces around so if i try and stick my nose in there, i still can smell faint coolant odor. i washed out the radiator and grille and condensor so that area is fairly clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhall Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 joeb, You may have have a leak at the plastic end cap on one side of the radiator. These are tough to see and you might need to do a cold pressure check to find it. Some shops will replace the plastic end caps for for a fair price. With respect to a bad head gasket, you may have a leak if the system is still pressurized after the car has cooled off. This happened to me. I lost water at a faster rate and ended up with a 1/2 gallon spill each time I parked the car. Look for a gray clay-like gum on the radiator cap seal and see if the reservoir smells like engine exhaust when you remove the cap after the engine is cold. These are signs of a possible gasket failure. A shop can provide a cylinder pressure check and can test for hydrocarbons in the coolant. Good Luck and keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeb Posted February 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 when people answer questions i prefer to go with the cheapest solution. such as, do you think I need a new radiator or a headgasket repair. after leaking coolant for several yrs, i have progressed into a phantom coolant loss. an external leak is not so expensive. I followed a headgasket thread on another caddy site. after 14 pages, it got pretty tiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhall Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 when people answer questions i prefer to go with the cheapest solution. such as, do you think I need a new radiator or a headgasket repair. after leaking coolant for several yrs, i have progressed into a phantom coolant loss. an external leak is not so expensive. I followed a headgasket thread on another caddy site. after 14 pages, it got pretty tiring. Darn right! NEVER go the expensive route right off the bat. The process of eliminating the lower cost items is best. If no leaks show up at the radiator, water pump, hoses, etc during a pressure check, the next step would be to look for loss via an internal means. A hydrocarbon test on the coolant would be in order. Both of these tests should be cheaper than a radiator and they will give you an idea of which path to take in finding the problem. BTW, It is possible to loose coolant from the small hose connection on the water pump without seeing it It's hard to see and tough to reach - and a real bear to find if it only looses coolant when it's hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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