Head gasket..Possibly

[CieraSL92]

92 Ciera 3.3/4t60/159k

I've done alot of work on the cooling system on this car. When I got it, the winshield would steam and it wreaked of coolant. New heater core and hoses (all) Month or two back radiator and water pump. Oddly, the water pump failed three hours after I finished putting in the rad. But, alas, it runs cooler than it did before (still in nominal range)

I've noticed I'm losing a bit of coolant. Say I start on December 1st with the mark on the res all the way to Full hot, then on December 20th it will be almost empty. No drips/odd smells. Recently passed emissions and engine runs fine. Oil level stays constant.

What concerns me is that the hoses seem to be too hard.. I can still compress them when its hot, but there kinda hard. Maybe 7-8 pounds of pressure to squeeze the upper one shut with my hand.

The hoses pressurize within about 10 minutes of the car running. If I open the cap when its under pressure, obviously a little blows out, then settles to normal.. Replacing the cap with the engine on leads to the hoses coming back to there previous 'hard' state. Does this sound abnormal to anyone?

The only possible leak is theres coolant around the res cap. I know it's stripped, I can only get it a little tight before it slips off. It's just a trace amount, but I can't the res being under pressure (does not seem to be)

What do you guys think?

[85_Ciera_Rebuild]

You always look underneath it when parked? If no traces under the vehicle.....do you see a trace of white smoke in exhaust after warmed up...maybe have someone drive behind you...otherwise, you might start pulling plugs

[notsoslimshady76]

I don't think this has any merit, but all my cars lose coolant in the winter. I assume it burns off bc I never have puddles. Unless your overheating,or your oil looks like a milkshake, I wouldn't be worried yet.

[TheBrownBandit]

I had a similar problem with my 1981 Cadillac Eldorado which is the reason to why I bought my Celebrity. I had the constant leak of coolant then it got to the point that steam came through the firewall (vents) steaming up the windows and coolant dripping from the heater core. Before all this started happening I thought the leak was from a loose hose since I never had a issue with overheating so I had tighten the clamps. It still leaked so I got under the car to check and saw it coming from the water pump. I never had the money or time to get it fixed so as you can see the results weren't the best. After talking to a few guys at work who know about car repairs, they said it was the head gasket. So instead of investing to get it fixed, I started looking and found the Celebrity. Besides, you'd have to be a fool to want to continue driving a vehicle with a 6.0 liter engine instead of one with a 2.5 liter engine with the roller coaster of gas prices we are having. It took $50-$60 to fill up the Eldorado (that's with the needle/tank close to E) which only last a week or a week and a half if I was lucky. And today I filled my Celebrity with $38 and that's with driving for a little over 2 weeks and the needle just a bit under 1/4 of a tank! GO BROWN BANDIT, GO! :D

[CieraSL92]

Nothing underneath the car. No steam or antifreeze smell. Small drippage from radiator drain plug noticed today. Lovely. AutoZone radiators suck. This is like a month old at best.

[Jr's3800]

92 Ciera 3.3/4t60/159k

I've done alot of work on the cooling system on this car. When I got it, the winshield would steam and it wreaked of coolant. New heater core and hoses (all) Month or two back radiator and water pump. Oddly, the water pump failed three hours after I finished putting in the rad. But, alas, it runs cooler than it did before (still in nominal range)

I've noticed I'm losing a bit of coolant. Say I start on December 1st with the mark on the res all the way to Full hot, then on December 20th it will be almost empty. No drips/odd smells. Recently passed emissions and engine runs fine. Oil level stays constant.

What concerns me is that the hoses seem to be too hard.. I can still compress them when its hot, but there kinda hard. Maybe 7-8 pounds of pressure to squeeze the upper one shut with my hand.

The hoses pressurize within about 10 minutes of the car running. If I open the cap when its under pressure, obviously a little blows out, then settles to normal.. Replacing the cap with the engine on leads to the hoses coming back to there previous 'hard' state. Does this sound abnormal to anyone?

The only possible leak is theres coolant around the res cap. I know it's stripped, I can only get it a little tight before it slips off. It's just a trace amount, but I can't the res being under pressure (does not seem to be)

What do you guys think?


Its fairly Uncommon for a Buick 3.0,3.8, 3300 or 3800 to kill off a head gasket... And this is a Cast iron Block and Head set up.... You would have to run that car very hot for a bit to cook the head gaskets.. And on the 3800 although I have seen a burnt head gasket or 2 its rare..

One of the common issues and I'll bet this is where you problem is.. You most likely need to replace the Lower intake gaskets... These will fail with age on the 3300-3800 engines.. And your 3300 like the 3800 series I and Series II also uses the Nylon Gaskets.... You could also do a compression test if you'd like... But as slow as that leak is I get the feeling you'll find your gaskets in a crumbling state when you remove them... I believe the gaskets are $25, while you are there, get the Valve cover gaskets as well.. I believe those are $13 for the set..

[CieraSL92]

Well the rads def dripping, but you say LOWER intake manifold gaskets. Little confused here. When you pull the intake man, theres gaskets for the front and rear cylinder heads, and presumably one for where it meets the block.. Think I just answered my own question..

[Jr's3800]

So the Radiator is dripping? So its newish and has a leak? If this is the case replace the radiator.. Is the cap leaking that bad or is it the radiator by its self?

We'll come back to the intake gaskets later..lol

[CieraSL92]

It's a month old rad from AutoZone. It has a warranty, and it's not that hard to take out.. But i'm not impressed with their quality at this point.

It's coming from the drain plug. It's loose and won't tighten, it gets a little tight then slips by.

:/

[Jr's3800]

Yeah thats pretty sad.... But it doesn't surprise me much either...

Hope you get it fixed soon... good Luck:)

[Tuddi]

If there's a small leak, the best fix is to buy a radiator sealant (either in powder or liquid...). Put it in the radiator when the engine is not cold, drive around for 10 minutes, and your leak(s) will not bother you ever again.

The cabin heater element in my car was not attached to the engine when I bought the car. I bought new hoses and had it attached... only to discover that there was a MASSIVE leak going on there... I put in one little container of dry radiator sealant, and that was all there was needed to stop the leak. It's been around 5 months now, and it's not dropping a single drop from the system.

The price of the sealant? Around 70 cents of a dollar down here.

You might think the drain plug could not be plugged by the sealant, since it's bad, but you just might surprise yourself positively... and it's not going to ruin your private economy to invest in the sealant.

[a1veedubber]

Ive also used the sealant that Tuddi is talking about and had exellent luck with it. IIRC the brand name was Barz Leaks or something like that.

[CieraSL92]

Yeah I know of what you talk about. I try to keep my car(s) sealant free unless its a gasket issue. I would try it, but I paid for a radiator that wouldn't leak after a month. I'm pulling it out of the car tomorrow and getting another one.. Or getting my money back. Ill sleep on that one.

Thanks guys. I'll let you know how it goes.

[85_Ciera_Rebuild]

but I paid for a radiator that...leak after a month. I'm pulling it out of the car tomorrow and getting another one..

Right On, they can eat it.

[LordDurock]

92 Ciera 3.3/4t60/159k

I've done alot of work on the cooling system on this car. When I got it, the winshield would steam and it wreaked of coolant. New heater core and hoses (all) Month or two back radiator and water pump. Oddly, the water pump failed three hours after I finished putting in the rad. But, alas, it runs cooler than it did before (still in nominal range)

I've noticed I'm losing a bit of coolant. Say I start on December 1st with the mark on the res all the way to Full hot, then on December 20th it will be almost empty. No drips/odd smells. Recently passed emissions and engine runs fine. Oil level stays constant.

What concerns me is that the hoses seem to be too hard.. I can still compress them when its hot, but there kinda hard. Maybe 7-8 pounds of pressure to squeeze the upper one shut with my hand.

The hoses pressurize within about 10 minutes of the car running. If I open the cap when its under pressure, obviously a little blows out, then settles to normal.. Replacing the cap with the engine on leads to the hoses coming back to there previous 'hard' state. Does this sound abnormal to anyone?

The only possible leak is theres coolant around the res cap. I know it's stripped, I can only get it a little tight before it slips off. It's just a trace amount, but I can't the res being under pressure (does not seem to be)

What do you guys think?

hard hose are normal i wouldnt worry about that.
the frist test i want you to run is a cooling system preuser test. there a tool (i dont know the name i ill post the name today that hooks up the the rad and you pump the pressure up to what your rad cap says. note the coolnet level befor you do this. and over several hours look for leaks. and check you oil

2 to test for head gasket leaks. if its that you should be perserzing you water jacket. geta peice of hose and a cup of water. hook the hose up the overflow tank and the put the other end in the water. start your car. you should see bubbles for about 5 minnits or so as the car is warming up but if it keeps bubbling you have a head gasket leak. to be safe let it run for 10 minnits.

hope this helps

[85_Ciera_Rebuild]

I'm pulling it out of the car tomorrow and getting another one.
.

Tidbit...is there an o-ring that could be used on drain?

On my 88 Beretta, I think I could use an o-ring to seal it, if it leaked.

[CieraSL92]

New radiator in the car. There is an o-ring thats on the plug. I didn't bother looking at the old one. I did unscrew the new one and retighten just to make sure it actually would re-tighten. I did notice a large oring that rests against the drainplug, and when screwed in compresses against the radiator.

Anywho I got it in, I got the air out, and its not dripping anymore..

[85_Ciera_Rebuild]

I got it in, I got the air out

On a 3.8 GM motor, 87 era, you increased the RPM to around 2,500, and topped it off.