I removed the over flow tank and cleaned it thoroughly and the foaming came back and the coolant level is low. I've been researching and many comments came back suggesting a head gasket leak. However I did notice a leak at the thermostat housing. Could that be THE thing that is causing the problem. I am close to the end of my warranty and want to be sure it's definitely not a head gasket.

I was planning on replacing the housing, doing a flush and replacing the thermostat in the near future.

Thanks.

 

If the car's still under warranty, take it in and get it fixed! What are you waiting for, man?

A leaking thermostat housing would definitely account for the low coolant level. Not sure if it would explain the foaming.

 

It's less of a hassle to replace the housing myself than to bring it in, but I just scheduled to bring it in on Monday.

 

i dont know about that...it has to be changed from under the car...and make sure you dont get coolant in the face...
if they change the thermostat get a new housing as well... even replace any hoses under there if you can.. its not a big job but its a hell of a lot easier with the car in the air.

 

The foam is likely a small amount of oil in the system. The only way for it to get there is from a leak between the oil system and the cooling system. The likely location is a head gasket. The warranty should cover it. I wouldn't let them pass it off as a let's wait and see. (in the meantime your warranty runs out)
Loosing coolant could be the T-stat housing. That doesn't explain the foam.

 

The dealer should be able to do a combustion gas test to the coolant system to see if the foaming is from a leaking head gasket.

 

Dropped it off at the dealership last night so I should get a call today about it. I indicated specific concerns as well.

Foam in reservoir
Head gasket
Coolant leak on passenger side of engine

 

They're guaranteeing me that the foam is from an external coolant leak near the manifold and air getting in the system. Which doesn't make much sense that the system will do that since it pressurizes when the engine is running at normal temp.
If they do a compression test on the cylinders they're going to charge me, so he didn't and assured me that the leak and the leak alone was the issue.

Can anyone vouch for this guy's claim?

 

Doesn't sound right to me. A combustion gas test isn't a compression test and is easier to do. If you want to try it yourself, look at this: http://www.arrowheadradiator.com/hea..._leak_test.htm
The dealership I worked at had one of these testers so I figured your dealer would have one, but maybe not. Since your car is under warranty let them fix the leak and see what happens. If it was my car I'd flush the system well after their fix and refill with new coolant.

 

Agree - since it's under warranty, get them to fix it and see if they were right with their diagnosis. Do it sooner than later. If it's not a leak by the manifold, you don't want your warranty to run out before they propose what else the problem might be.

By the way, holy cow, just saw the photo you added to your original post. Is that foam, or a solid, caked on residue (as it appears) to be?

 

If it is sucking air as they say, you will not get very good heat. Also you could try to crack open the coolant tank to see if it is pressurized. Seeing that it is under warranty I hope that they are going to completely flush that crud out of the system. Good luck and let us know the outcome.