So if youve been reading my threads ive been trying to fix on this car what the previous owner drasticly needed to.....and yet again im stumped....i have pretty good mechanical skills, but i need some ideas.....

Thanks in advance to all who will and have helped me......

I topped/checked all fluids upon purchase of the car.
Every month coolant reservoir is BONE DRY! I add more and even have to top off the rad.
car has NEVER overheated but sometimes takes lots of coolant to fill.

ive looked at....
Under the car...no drips or pools ever of any liquid other than ac condensation.
In the oil....no milky/cloudy substance in used oil.
In the valve cover...No condensation under cap when hot.
In coolant there is also no evidence of oil.
No interior leaks from heater core.

Help plz.....

Have you used that tool (don't know the name) where it applies pressure from the radiator opening?

Pressure tester

Im on it....thanks

Pull your spark plugs and see how the mixture is burning....... could be burning some in the combustion chamber.

If the reservoir is empty, the fluid has to be leaking somewhere, either into combustion chamber or on the ground.

Any blue plume of smoke while u drive?

And its not overheating??? this is a puzzler

do a leak down test

Could also be a crack in the radiator tank directly below the cap, or the pump weep hole. When you have it pressure tested, also have it block tested (uses a dye thats reactive to CO2 in the coolant).

No blue smoke....and what should i look for with the plugs...ive heard burning a bit of coolant will actually "steam clean" the plugs....also researched w google and theres nothing definite when it comes to burning coolant......

To others....i believe the dye in the coolant test could b covered in a solid leakdown test. and theres no sign of radiator leaks...like i said no drips or puddles....

If you have white residue where your coolant tank meets the top of your aluminum radiator waffle, that's the prtobl;rm. Pressure is forcing it through that join and it is misted around. the additional clue would be white residues spots in your engine compartment. I think you need a radiator. No biggie.

what all have you done to the car?

engine wise? just has a K&N filter. new fuel filter, new fuel lines in engine bay, new injector #5, new NGK Iridium plugs. new knock sensor ordered

Other.....New Slave cyl, new master cyl, SS clutch line, magnaflow muffler, clear corners, bright turn light mod, 300zx NA rims, ceramic brake pads, KYB GR2 struts, Ksports GT springs, AVIC X930BT Nav, Kicker L7 10" subs, Sony 1000w amp,

In the works, Leather swap, Blue LED dash lights, looking for 18" muranos....

Things it needs.....New chain tensioner, knock sensor, LCAs, Lower motor mounts, new rear lower spring isolators.

Thats about it....

how does the car run?

+1

If you have coolant being burned in the combustion chamber, your plugs may have a lot of white looking powder or soot on them.

If you do decide to replace the radiator, you ought to replace the radiator hoses, thermostat and radiator cap while you're at it.

runs well, idles smooth (with a little vibration from worn motor mounts) idk if this is common but it feels like when im accelerating through the gears the powerband doesnt rise smoothly....take 3rd gear if i hold the gas at a certain point while the car accels it feels like it looses power midway through the band....now if i punch it, she takes off....i get a SOLID 2nd scratch every time...ive just kind of written off the power issue to the issue with the tensioner allowing excessive play in the chain throwing the timing slightly off...ill b pulling plugs friday, they probably only have 10,000 mi on them so shouldnt b worn too much. If theres any white residue ill leak down test for sure....ive been meaning to purchase a leak down kit anyways....thanks for all your help.

+1 on this. Look at the top of the radiator and make sure that there is not a crack in the nipple the overflow hose attaches to (don't ask me how I know). Also, look at your overflow tank itself to make sure there is not a crack in it that is allowing coolant to leak out. Finally, make sure that there is not a leak in the tubing between the overflow tank and the radiator.

Good call, i believe that might be where my problem lies.....i was doing some quick checks around the rad this morning while it was running looking for bubbles or slight spitting around the cap, hoses and overflow tank. as i was wiggling the hose on the overflow side i could see a little moisture forming. The hose was also so loose i could pull it off without removing the hose clamp....soo im going to buy a new hose, clamps and do a good flush and refill and check back in a week or so to see that my coolant level is consistant

You mean White Smoke? Blue is Oil.

I support this message.

Fill the Coolant in the Reservoir And the Radiator. Run the engine until it warms up, than have someone race the engine. Look for the steam and or water thats going to be spraying out.

Replace Radiator.

i think ive got it nailed down....i could see some fluid around where the overflow hose meets the reservoir. So i pulled off the hose cut a bit off the end of the hose and replaced the pliers type clamp (which was pretty weak) with a real screw type hose clamp. I also did this on the Rad side for the fun of it. I then refilled everything and well see if it hold fluid.

I did drive to and around dallas yesterday and back to tyler in 100+ deg heat and coolant level stayed the same....ill post updates if i find anything else.....

thanks again

Update....its been a week or so. I checked the coolant reservoir and its about empty, but rad is still full....so i pulled the plugs and....



They look ok for NGK plats w/ 20k miles on them. not too much carbon fouling, and doesnt look like theyre burning coolant. Exhaust smells and looks fine. I did see some dried white lines around the cap,ill get a new cap tomorrow and see if that helps too....

Plugs look fine......

I did'nt read your threads but if you purchased it with low antifreeze in radiator its gonna suck it up from reservoir until its good,maybe now that radi is full just add to resi and see

New rad cap on and trying this ^.

Oh and as a side note did a comp test and cyl were all between 180-195.....so compression checks out too.

Ok...so heres the finale......recently ive been seeing a tiny amount of coolant under he car after driving....i wasnt really sure where it was coming from until this morning. I was coming out of a local donut shop after work nd noticed a rather large puddle of coolant...seems the gates had opened and my WATER PUMP was the culprit all along. I figure it would leak small amounts when being driven and not enough that i would notice, gradually depleting the coolant supply. And then finally gave out......oh well....its fixed and not leaking and for some reason it seems to engage the clutch smoother....idk why.....Thanks again for all your help, i appreciate it!

ive got to say i'm really glad i subscribed to this thread..great info here! glad u finally figured it out!