3 whole water bottles!!

It seems like I just checked 2 weeks ago, but today the light came on and it took 3 water bottles to top it of. I can't imagine that a blown head gasket that consumes three water bottles in a couple of weeks isn't showing milkshake at the oil dipstick....or could it?

My car, ever since I have had it seems to blow white smoke at start up, and I have always attributed that to bad cam cover seals that let oil thru the spark plugs. I have looked and looked and can't find a leak. The only thing is that the garage at home and work is a spiral up and down, so I was wondering if somehow the missing coolant has gone to the overflow reservoir from the car going up and and down on those garages?

Help!!!

 

Bugga.

Blue White is oil, and more than likely valve stem seals. The oil in the spark plug tubes has NO way of entering the engine until the spark plugs are removed, which clearly, is not happening.

My knowledge of these "newer" cars is limited, but here goes.

On the LH side of the heater core (easy on a RHD car) are the 2 coolant pipes. These are sealed TO the core by an o/ring on each pipe, and they LEAK. Usually a coolant smell inside the car is the trigger here.

Not sure on the XJ-S, but the X300 has an auxillary water pump in the heater hose plumbing near the firewall connectors, and it is plastic, and has been well known to leak.

The IMPOSSIBLE to see and get at coolant hose on the pipe up under the inlet manifold is next on my list.

Dud coolant pressure cap is next.

The theory of the coolant flowing to the atmospheric tank during corners, NICE TRY HAHA, not going to happen. Ya need to drink more mate.

Head gasket I seriously doubt. There is a test kit out in the market to test for exhaust gases in the coolant. I forget the proper name at the moment. Someone more cleverer will answer that in a moment I feel sure.

 

Thanks so much for your reply.

I was referring to inclines (up 7 flights)- which might be sending coolant to the overflow reservoir--not possible??

 

The coolant pipe that runs along the left side of the block (b***ard hose, etc) is connected to the block with two gaskets. Many shops don't replace these gaskets (cheap f***ers) but use RTV sealant instead to seal the pipe to block joints when they remove that pipe for service. To be sure, the RTV does blow out creating a steady and serious leak until repaired with the proper gaskets.

 

NOPE.

Coolant to that tank is only present when the cap releases and allows such travel, then that same coolant is sucked back as the system cools.

 

Oh relief!

I haven't been driving the convertibles because of rainy on and of weather I Houston, so I took the XJS out today and found a big coolant spot on the floor. So it's probably a hose.

 

Drinks all round, mines a double, and its 10AM down here.

Told ya Jags are sooooooo tough and reliable, trust me.

Time to do ALL those hoses, especially that PITA one under the inlet manifold.

 

Oh relief!

I haven't been driving the convertibles because of rainy on and of weather I Houston, so I took the XJS out today and found a big coolant spot on the floor. So it's probably a hose.

 

On my XJR aj16, i had a odd coolant leak, and i finally found it coming out the back of the engine from that big blanking plate, was leakiing out the the bottom. There it no gasket for that i had to seal it up with the Orange RTV.

 

3 water bottles? As in 20oz a piece? I have lost entire 5 quart jugs in 2 weeks from little leaks like at the copper washers for the bleed hole.

White smoke can be coolant and it can also be fuel, I had an infiniti once that billowed white smoke until I fixed an injector. Most of the time extra fuel is black, but I've seen it look white when it was actually a sort of gray (still stained black on the bumper)

Anyways, the car does not need to have milky residue in the cap to have a head gasket leak. It compeltely depends on where it is leaking. A leak can run into the cylinder and burn coolant, but not be leaking over into an oil passage, for example. You could get a tester at an auto parts store to see if there is evidence of exhaust gases in your coolant , that would definitively tell you. But if the smoke cloud from the pipes smell likes anti-freeze then that may not be necessary.

I don't know much about the AJ16 and what else could let it leak like that except a head gasket. On some cars, coolant runs through the intake manifold and a leak between a runner and the coolant could suck coolant into the engine, which is much less work than replacing a head gasket.

Assuming the AJ16 is similar in design as the v12, I would say the head gasket is all it could be if you are in fact burning coolant through the pipes.

If you just mean a bit of smoke at startup, that could be normal depending on where you live. Its cool and humid enough here that it has done it everyday for 2-3 months now.

If you simply have a coolant leak you can't find, might I suggest some UV dye and blacklight??

It is easy enough for coolant to leak onto an exhaust pipe and burn off, or just fall in such a way as to quickly get rid of the evidence.

 

@sidescrollin, yes, the smoke is usually start up, steamy and sometimes last until the car warms up. I think it took me 3 16 oz bottles, but I definately have a puddle of coolant under the car, not little drops but a whole puddle.

 

So crawl under and see where the drops are coming from, follow them to the source!