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View Full Version : please help diagnosing coolant leak



jeffgeezer
08-10-2008, 09:45 PM
hello! i just did a k24a1 head swap with stg2 BC cams and kit. i have jrsc-r together with that. block's all stock k20a3. everything was fine until i got the car tuned and we noticed some leak by the sc belt tensioner area. we thought it was just some overflow from the coolant reservoir. but at the end of the day, the ep threw in a CEL. over heating. i thought it was just some bubble trapped in the cooling system. and so, i added more coolant and tried to burp it with the heater all the way up. everything went back to normal, but that night, i had hard starting problem. i thought it was just running to0 rich coz the tuner forgot to put the fuel system back to closed loop. got it started and everything went back to normal. the next day, i drove it some 45 miles and got that overheating CEL again. on and off. gauge slowly goes up, then down, up and down. on top of that there's coolant spill all over the passenger side. smoke was getting whiter and there's droplets forming on the tip of the exhaust. the heater didn't work (didn't produce heat but fan was on) for a lil while n now it's back.

Today, the car didn't start at all. i pulled the plugs and they were all soaked. i peeked inside and the chamber was wet. other signs and symptoms... there's a noise by the belt area. sounds like whining, dunno if it's bearing (water pump?) i really tightened the belt so much coz it was slipping. maybe i jacked the water pump bearing. another theory, i broke the water outlet valve on the driver side of the engine when i disconnected the tube during the head install (the tube that connects to the intake). i fixed it with some glue bond. dunno, maybe i messed the vaccum or something. so yeah, i wiped the plugs and tried to start the car and it did (after a couple of tries). i checked the dipstick n its jus oil. it's not milky. dunno where the external leak n splash come from n i dunno how the coolant gets in the chamber.


i'm pretty sure i did the head gasket right. torqued everything right. sealed everything right. and the car ran pretty good until the it was pushed hard during the tune. the car's output didn't improve with all the mods by the way. sucks. prolly because of this underlying problem.

So before i purchase a new water pump, water passage, water outlet valve, or even a new headgasket, and tear the whole thing apart again (w/c is going to be so much pain in the @$$) please let me know what you think of about the situation. i know my narrative is long and maybe confusing. i'm sorry. any opinion is welcome

jeffgeezer
08-11-2008, 10:20 AM
bump. anybody?

02EP3SI
08-26-2008, 07:04 PM
try and get the coolant system pressurized.. It will either blow coolant out of the leaking spot or you will be able to hear it leaking into the cylinder..

Gilmour
08-27-2008, 07:44 AM
try and get the coolant system pressurized.. It will either blow coolant out of the leaking spot or you will be able to hear it leaking into the cylinder..

^ Good call.

Also did you get the A1 head resurfaced before install. Did you use a new head gasket.