[V8] The Cooling Labyrinth??? (used to be POP!!..hiss..)

Wed Aug 31 12:49:43 EDT 2005

Sounds like you snapped off the lower hose nipple on the expansion tank to me.
I repaired mine with a metal threaded hose barb from Home Despot. Its been
working fine for years, but I also heard new expansion tanks are now under $100.
They were big $$ back when mine broke.

Dave

Quoting "Klein, Nathan P" <nathan.p.klein at lmco.com>:

> Nope.  The car was off when I filled up the expansion tank.  Drank about
> two gallons of coolant.  Then watched the tank empty.  A few seconds
> after filling it up and watching the coolant go down, I heard it hitting
> the ground, right in front of the passenger side tire.
>
> What is the sending unit that you're referring to?
>
> Thanks!
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ingo Rautenberg [mailto:i.rautenberg at waratap.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 10:54 AM
> To: Klein, Nathan P; v8 at audifans.com; Kneale Brownson
> Subject: Re: The Cooling Labyrinth??? (used to be POP!!..hiss..)
>
> Hmm.  I'm a bit confused.  Was the car running when you filled up the
> reservoir tank that it ran out right away?  If not, then I have a hard
> time believing it's the heater core, because the heater core is above
> the expansion tank and the coolant would overflow the tank before it
> would leak out of the higher level heater core.  Remove the wipers
> first, so you can remove the rain diverter (13mm nuts), noting that "B"
> is for passenger side and "F" is for driver's side wiper.
>
> If the leak is coming out of the heater core/heater valve, then excess
> coolant would leak out of the rain drain by the hood hinge -- right
> behind the front wheel, btw.
>
> Maybe your problem is as simple as a broken expansion tank at the lower
> nipple or sending unit -- yeah, right...
>
> Do look at things in daylight, though.
>
> Ingo
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Klein, Nathan P" <nathan.p.klein at lmco.com>
> To: "Ingo Rautenberg" <i.rautenberg at waratap.com>; <v8 at audifans.com>;
> "Kneale Brownson" <kneale at coslink.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 9:54 AM
> Subject: The Cooling Labyrinth??? (used to be POP!!..hiss..)
>
>
> > Okay, got the car towed home last night and took the engine cover and
> > air box off to get a better look at what was going on.  I filled up
> the
> > reservoir (engine off) and it proceeded to leak out every bit of
> coolant
> > that I put in after a delay of a few seconds.
> >
> > Visibility down there is very poor, even with a flashlight -- but I
> > think that it was primarily coming out in the vicinity of the firewall
> > on the passenger side.  I saw a white plastic-looking hole that it was
> > coming out of.
> >
> > So I removed the coolant reservoir and traced the hose that runs out
> of
> > the bottom of the reservoir around the back of the engine.  (That hose
> > is metal??)  Traced it back up to the firewall under the rain diverter
> > cover.  Ran out of daylight, unfortunately.  And it was all my
> messed-up
> > finger could handle.
> >
> > So......what do y'all think?  Every time I filled up the reservoir
> tank,
> > it all immediately leaked out, hitting the ground just behind the
> > passenger-side tire.
> >
> > Any ideas?  Am I started on the right track?
> >
> > Nathan
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Ingo Rautenberg [mailto:irautenberg at comcast.net]
> > Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 5:31 PM
> > To: Klein, Nathan P; v8 at audifans.com; Kneale Brownson
> > Subject: Re: [V8] POP..Hiss..Smoke..Antifreeze Smell..SOS!!!
> >
> > I might add that with all the room in the between the windshield and
> the
> > firewall (NOT!), you might find it easier (read: more room) to remove
> > the wiper motor assembly for better access.
> >
> > Ingo
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Kneale Brownson" <kneale at coslink.net>
> > To: "Klein, Nathan P" <nathan.p.klein at lmco.com>; <v8 at audifans.com>
> > Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 5:01 PM
> > Subject: Re: [V8] POP..Hiss..Smoke..Antifreeze Smell..SOS!!!
> >
> >
> > > The heater valve and heater core box are all accessible from under
> the
> > rain
> > > diverter cover at the base of the windshield.  All you need to
> > disconnect
> > > inside the cabin is the box from the HVAC vents plenums.  There
> should
> > be
> > > write-ups on heater core replacement in the Audifans.com archives.
> > Chris
> > > Miller's 200q20v pages have a bunch of pix and text on heater core
> box
> > > removal and disassembly.  The box is the same on the V8, I believe.
> > Scroll
> > > down the page at
> > http://members.aol.com/c1j1miller/climate.html#Heater
> > blower
> > >
> > >
> > > At 03:37 PM 8/30/2005 -0500, Klein, Nathan P wrote:
> > > >Thanks.
> > > >
> > > >Now, how the &*%@# do I get down in there?  Looks like a long
> weekend
> > > >job.  If anyone has some "lessons learned", I'd sure appreciate
> them.
> > > >Does the dash have to come off?  If so, this may be a chance for me
> > to
> > > >replace the dash lights.
> > > >
> > > >Hopefully I'll get the green light to work on it this weekend or
> > > >next...I paritally severed my ring finger and am waiting for it to
> > heal
> > > >up.  I will probably go ahead and I/R/R everything cooling-related
> > while
> > > >I'm at it.  I've checked some old posts, and apparently 98-105
> > degrees C
> > > >on the highway is considered "running hot"......
> > > >
> > > >Thanks again.  All advice is greatly appreciated.
> > > >
> > > >Nathan
> > > >
> > > >-----Original Message-----
> > > >From: Ingo Rautenberg [mailto:i.rautenberg at waratap.com]
> > > >Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 3:06 PM
> > > >To: Klein, Nathan P; v8 at audifans.com
> > > >Subject: Re: [V8] POP..Hiss..Smoke..Antifreeze Smell..SOS!!!
> > > >
> > > >Hmm.  Sounds like the nightmare I recently went through.  In my
> case
> > it
> > > >was the heater core (as pointed out by Mr. Head) began to
> > disintegrate,
> > > >lodging plastic pieces into the return hose nipple of the expansion
> > tank
> > > >(clogging
> > > >it) and leading to calcification of the radiator internals,
> reducing
> > > >radiator efficiency to nil and causing failure first of the heater
> > valve
> > > >and finally the heater core.  If you're lucky, maybe it's just the
> > > >heater valve (but your passenger side smoke description makes that
> > > >unlikely).
> > > >
> > > >Good luck and let us know what you find.
> > > >
> > > >Ingo
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >----- Original Message -----
> > > >From: "Klein, Nathan P" <nathan.p.klein at lmco.com>
> > > >To: <v8 at audifans.com>
> > > >Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 2:26 PM
> > > >Subject: [V8] POP..Hiss..Smoke..Antifreeze Smell..SOS!!!
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >> Okay, so I'm sitting in the bank drive-through for about 10 min
> and
> > > >> notice a ton of smoke
> > > >> coming of the passenger side of the car all of a sudden.
> > > >>
> > > >> "Oh, crap," I thought.  This has happened before and it wasn't
> > pretty.
> > > >>
> > > >> So I get back out on the road to look for a shady spot to pull
> over
> > > >> (it's mighty hot here today).
> > > >>
> > > >> Pull into traffic, and I hear a POP! come from under the hood,
> > toward
> > > >> the passenger compartment,
> > > >> followed by hissing and SMOKE BELCHING out of the defrost duct,
> > smoke
> > > >> blowing on to the
> > > >> windshield from under the hood, and smoke coming from what seemed
> > like
> > > >> everywhere.
> > > >>
> > > >> The unmistakable smell of hot antifreeze was coming out of the
> A/C
> > and
> > > >> heater ducts.
> > > >>
> > > >> Short trip.  Pull over across the street under a kind-of shaded
> > area.
> > > >> Get out of the car, and there is
> > > >> antifreeze dripping out of the car just in front of the driver's
> > side
> > > >> door, getting on to the door.
> > > >>
> > > >> My hand got wet pulling the hood lift.
> > > >>
> > > >> I pull back the cowling in front of the windshield, and it was
> like
> > > >> opening a bag of microwave popcorn
> > > >> too soon.
> > > >>
> > > >> I walked the six miles back to work rather than put in coolant
> and
> > > >> chance it.
> > > >>
> > > >> The car is still there, and I smell like a hobo.
> > > >>
> > > >> What in the world could this be?!
> > > >>
> > > >> HELP!!!
> > > >> _______________________________________________
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> > > >>
> > > >
> > > >
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