Catastrophic Coolant Leak on the Highway (Page 1/4)
cle_fiero OCT 18, 07:14 PM
Hey y'all! Had a massive coolant blowout on a road trip today - I've got a 85 v6, engine was rebuilt by previous owner 20k ago.

Was driving, gauges fine, then suddenly had a spike in engine temp and a cloud of coolant steam from the engine compartment. Stopped the car, checked and it looks like it was coming from the water pump. There's an odd knock, but the engine itself revs and drives fine (when cool after sitting). I got the car off the highway, with a trail of coolant behind me, and made it to a hotel parking lot.

Now I need to figure out what happened - no exhaust smoke, so I doubt head gasket blew. Massive coolant puddle under the cat, and around the top right side of the engine. Basically won't run at this point (overheats, or hard to crank which is strange).

I might need to tow it to back to Cleveland on a trailer btw - any advice?
Gall757 OCT 18, 08:00 PM

quote
Originally posted by cle_fiero:

(overheats, or hard to crank which is strange).
- any advice?



how is this strange? If an engine is too hot, it will be hard to crank. Spin the water pump to see if it has seized. Add water to see where it leaks.
Spoon OCT 18, 08:32 PM
Sounds like you blew a water hose. If I'm right, cancel the trailer. Buy a hose and a few clamps and a screwdriver. Get some coolant to replace what was lost. Also check to see if you still have a belt. This could of started the whole thing.

Spoon


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"Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne." - Kurt Vonnegut

[This message has been edited by Spoon (edited 10-18-2019).]

Patrick OCT 18, 09:10 PM

quote
Originally posted by cle_fiero:

Had a massive coolant blowout...



My experience with water pump failures (which may or may not be standard) is that they leak relatively slowly as opposed to a "massive coolant blowout".

As mentioned previously, I'd check over all the hoses and see if one split open.
Cunnive OCT 19, 12:33 AM

I doubt this will apply here but maybe this will help.

I had a similar issue several years ago where I was driving down the highway in my 94 honda accord and just like what happened to you happened to me. I noticed white smoking coming out of the hood and the heater gauge was all the way up. I would wait for things to cool down and after pouring some left over water, everything was fine. I would drive another mile or 2 down the road and it would happen all over again.

Long story short, what would happen is there was a very tiny oil leak that would drop down a metal part and rest on one of the rubber coolant hoses. The oil and the heat eventually made a hole in the hose (very tiny) and when you would drive and the coolant would get pressurized, it would eventually force its way through and spill all of the coolant until the pressure and temperatures would drop. Cleaning up the oil, fixing the leak, and replacing the hose fixed the issue.

Anyways, not sure if this is what's happening to you but I hope it helps!
Mike in Sydney OCT 19, 07:29 AM
Sounds like a hose. Just a thought, try looking at the hoses that connect to the metal coolant pipes. When I imported my '86 GT into Australia, Customs damaged the hose with a high pressure water jet while "cleaning" the car. The hose failed on the way home from the shipping terminal with the same results you are experiencing.

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Mike in Sydney

cle_fiero OCT 19, 08:32 AM
@Gall757- only strange because it did it once it was cold to the touch. Just sounded funky and took a few extra seconds than I'm used to.

It was dark last night by the time I got to the hotel parking lot and I still had to Uber to my meetings in Philly downtown last night. I'm heading back to the car in about an hour - I'll check hoses and see if the water pump is seized.

@Patrick, I agree feel like water pumps on most carsdon't usually do big shows haha. The banging noise is what concerned me on the pump front.

@cunnive - I'll check thanks!!

@mikeinaustralia - double thanks - I just need to find a way to look under the car without jacks or tools )
cvxjet OCT 19, 11:25 AM
One warning for if you replace the waterpump- Do not use one with a plastic impeller- Only metal; The plastic impeller is exposed to heat first before any heat gets to the metal shaft it is mounted on.....The plastic, being more thermally active, will expand away from the cold shaft- The impeller will start slipping.

There are successful plastic-impeller pumps- the shaft has to be Keyed to keep the impeller attached properly......But with the Fiero/aftermarket situation, better to just be safe!
cle_fiero OCT 19, 11:32 AM
I feel like I'll be stuck with whatever is in stock her in Philly - car needs to get home, then we'll get it right when it's back in my shop. If it's hoses it's easy, but the pump will be more of a challenge to do in a parking lot
Blacktree OCT 19, 11:38 AM
I had a couple water pumps fail such that the seal went bad and caused coolant to pour out the weep hole. It's not something you'll notice while driving, unless you happen to see the stream of coolant the car is leaving behind. But eventually, the engine will run out of coolant. Then the proverbial poop hits the fan. It'll be blowing steam out the weep hole. There will be coolant everywhere (because it was leaking for some time). And the engine will be making strange noises.

Anyway, the point is that it may seem like a sudden catastrophic event to you, simply because you weren't aware of what was going on in the background. Chances are the water pump failed. And if the engine critically overheated, there may be other damage (like a warped or cracked cylinder head). Best of luck.