What do I do about a coolant leak?

Question

I have a 2000 chevy malibu. I was on my way to the palisades when my car all of a sudden was overheating so i let it cool down then i drove it home(which wasn't far). When my car cooled I opened where the coolant goes and i could see the bottom and it was all gunky and tar like. I filled it with dex cool and my car cooled down. I drove around for like an hour to make sure my car would stay cool but when i stopped at my house and got out, there was a river of orange coolant on the road already and i could see dampness in the tire well. Then my car proceeded to make popping noises so i just turned it off....is this normal for a leak?

Answer 1

First of all I would take it to garage and have cooling system "pressure tested". If it is much of a leak, -- the water will run out there , and show you where it is!!  This probelm could bve caused by something as simple as a leaking hose, or bad waterpump, -- (depending on how much damage may have occoured after it started overheating)!

Pull dipstick and look at it, - if covered with gunky greensish-yellowish (or some hue in betweeen-- sometimes light brown)-- looks sort of like whipped cream, -- it is most likely Head gasdet blown,- (before overheating, - or "because of" overheating)!  This is going to require removing of head and replacing gasket, -- and doing whatever needs done to head to prevent re-occourance!  Depending on head condition, this coud run from about $350--to 6-8 hundred!  The higher prices being towards re-machineing and overhaul of head, -- or replace entirely! This would be from cracking of head, or warping so severely it could not be "fixed",--  "mildy warped or uneven surfaces on head might be machined,- but if too bad, sometimes cean be "baked" and made fairly even again, and then machined, so anything in that area  is going to have to be according to what your mechanic tells you,- hope you have an honest one)!

As for adding water, - Putting it in reservoir will hurt nothing, -- but if adding water to readiator without engine runniing, - that is where cracking of engine compnents comes from, -- engine needs to bve running so that the water pump can move it around quickly and mix with the hot a water to drop total temperatures!***  Now be aware that this can be very dangerous for yourself too!  First of all when removing radiater cap, it is possible to scald youself with the  water that will erupt from radiator like a "geyser",-  If engine sevrely overheaterd,( it is boiling already)!   So if you don't know how to do this safely leave it alone!!  Watch a mechanic, -- even he approaches things with caution if overheated engine (and he has been burneed to some exent several times already)!

As for the "tar" stuff, I don't know what that is! May be from overheating, or from something else,- Usually what you see is lots of of rusty brownish stuff!  Unless engine has gotten so hot that it has "burned" antifreeze!  Blackish stuff is usually oil, and semi-liquid unless severely overheated! - and again this would be due to badly overheatred engine!

Never take overheating lightly, get off road as soon as hou can (safely)! Do not drive till cooled down!  To do otherwise costs money!

Stuff inside engine compatment is from boiling water coming out and being carried around by air currents inside engine compatment, -- it could be from leaking hose or someting away from engine, or from outlet from reserve bottle!  Really hot water escapes anywhere it can to get presure dissiapated!  So "residue may be close to leak or possibly far away,-- depending on pressures and air currents!

Your "popping" noises may have been the first bubbles escaping form overheating, as it just hit the "overheat range" inside engine, -- it sort of sounds like a old "perking coffepot", the hotter it gets from there the more violent bubbles will be, - and "steam" will escape from reserve bottle overflow!

Answer 2

It's not good to put cold liquids into a hot car, that can crack your parts. The first answer is right, get a pressure check and that will tell you where the leak is. Definitely don't drive it anymore, you do NOT want a cracked head. And that gunky stuff sounds like oil is mixing with your coolant which would mean that you have a busted head gasket/cracked head.

Answer 3

sounds like your head gasket may be bad.  Do not drive the car until you have someone look at it or you will do alot more harm to the engine than is already there.

Answer 4

take it to shop ...prob just a hose...never drive  with a overheated engine..hope u didnt wreck it

Answer 5

I would get a pressure tester and a block tester and run some tests. Whatever you do, dont drive it anymore. You may have already done serious engine damage.

Answer 6

sounds like a freeze plug is leaking. better get it fixed from leaking and then have the whole cooling system flushed.