Where is my engine coolant going?

[inthefrey]

I contemplate writing this post, while hanging from the Tree Of Woe... ***UGH!**
WTF is my $21 a gallon coolant going?

**WARINING - LONG READ

THE SCENE:

I commute 100 miles a day, 8:am-6:pm, 4 days a week, 10 hour shift. I meticulously maintain my 2008 Subaru Forester. It gets new, 5W30 Mobile 1 High Mileage every 2100 miles. Fluids checked and maintained every 7 days. I rebuilt the 2.5l, EJ25 at 105K miles. Heads decked, valve seals replaced new head gaskets. It now has 205K miles.

THE EVENT:

Driving to work last Tuesday. Routine maintenance had been performed the past weekend. ALL fluid levels good. I am 3 miles from work. I had just crossed the PA turnpike from Cranberry to Exit 48, which is about 18 miles of 75mph traffic. Engine temp was normal as I exited. Once off the *MOST EXPENSIVE TOLL ROAD IN THE WORLD, (*look it up!) the final leg of the drive takes me through Harmerville, then up "the hill" into Oakmont. As I approach the hill, I notice the temp start to rise. About 100 yds up the hill, the temp goes nuclear (H) and steam flies from the hood! I pull of into a side street, I can hear the radiator fans running at full speed. I kill the engine, turn the ignition back on to keep the fans running, pop the hood and take a look. The hose leading into the reservoir tank is popped partially out. A trail of coolant on the ground behind me. Called the boss and let him know i'd be late. 

After a few minutes and the upper radiator hose relaxed a bit, I crack the radiator cap. Nothing in there but steam! A nice lady getting her trash cans asked what was wrong and offered me a gallon of water. Capacity is 7 quarts. It drank the whole thing! Thanked the lady, replaced the cap and fired it up. Turned on the heater and blower full. Made it the final 4 miles with no trouble, no overheat. Got to work. I was only 15 minutes late.  . After about 2 hours, I went out and checked the coolant level. Still full. Nothing on the ground. When my shift was done, I grabbed a few 1 gallon milk jugs of water, still nothing on the ground and started my 50-mile drive home. Called the wife and gave her a heads up in case I needed a rescue mission. Got home, drained and refilled with $40 of blue coolant. Nothing abnormal in the water I took out, no oil. The following morning, I noticed the fluid in the reservoir tank was down about 4 ounces. Popped the radiator cap and checked. Missing about 6 ounces. *At this point, the horror of head gasket leak/failure crossed my mind as Subaru 2.5l EJ25's are prone to head gasket failures.  Topped it off and headed for work. No problems, no overheat. Got to work, checked it, it's full. Next morning, checked it, 6 ounces down again!

Attempted fix.
So, at this point, I'm sure I have a blown or leaking head gasket. I make it to the weekend, (3-days off) and go to work trying to figure out Where TF my coolant is going? Changed the thermostat, changed the upper and lower radiator hoses. I spend my whole Saturday and about 3/4 of a $9 bottle of test fluid to find out that I DO NOT have a head gasket leak. I have tested at least 10 times with varying engine conditions, Idle, rev to 3Krpm and no detectible combustion gases in the coolant. At around 10:00pm, I figured the test fluid MUST be bad. I went around to the exhaust pipe and pumped the tester bulb ONCE! The fluid immediately turned from blue to yellow!

So, this morning, I'm 4 ounces down and I cannot figure out where my coolant is going?

At this point I feel like the scene in Close Encounters of The Third Kind where Roy Neary runs outside, in the middle of the night, in his dirty bathrobe and yells at the sky, "...WHAT IS IT!!!...." 

Sorry for the long thread. Suggestions welcome.......
 

Thanks in advance...





 
   

[Ricordo]

Check the color of your engine oil.

[crockett]

Crack in head or motor block between any chamber that has pressure and a coolant channel. Engine gets hotter when climbing the hill, crack expands more due to increased heat, pressure forces coolant out of a popped hose, or out of the overpressure vent, or gets into the cylinder, or an oil carrying channel.

Check your oil and see if that's milky. If its is, take off the head and look for a blown head gasket between oil and coolant channels. Look for cracks in the head and engine block. See if the head is warped. Before taking the head off, torque down in pattern to spec all head bolts and see if one wasn't torqued down to spec.

[crockett]

PS: if I would have a 100 mile commute I'd get a diesel like one of those left-over 2015 VW Golf Sportwagon TDI. With hypermiling you can get 50 to 60 MPG and that diesel will run well over 300k miles without any rebuilds.

 

[inthefrey]

@crockett

The last time the valve covers were off was 100k miles ago when I rebuilt it. Used a digital, calibrated torque wrench. All bolts were new and spun, past initial torque, to proper torque yields/degrees. Didn't use the recommend OEM head gaskets.went to the forums and got the recommend metal sandwich, turbo gasket. 

I've been weighing the cost vs value of putting a motor in it vs new/replacement vehicle. 

I am fighting the urge to Blue Devil or Steel Seal it to see if it helps. I really don't want to work on a 200k mile motor and waste my time. 

New motor cost $2800 + shipping if I do it. However, it'll be spinning an OEM transmission with 200k miles.

Used "unknown beater with a heater" vehicle will start at $5k.

 

 

 

[crockett]

Just so you know what to look for, here some examples of cracks:

 

 

 

[crockett]

12 minutes ago, inthefrey said:

@crockett

The last time the valve covers were off was 100k miles ago when I rebuilt it. Used a digital, calibrated torque wrench. All bolts were new and spun, past initial torque, to proper torque yields/degrees. Didn't use the recommend OEM head gaskets.went to the forums and got the recommend metal sandwich, turbo gasket. 

I've been weighing the cost vs value of putting a motor in it vs new/replacement vehicle. 

I am fighting the urge to Blue Devil or Steel Seal it to see if it helps. I really don't want to work on a 200k mile motor and waste my time. 

New motor cost $2800 + shipping if I do it. However, it'll be spinning an OEM transmission with 200k miles.

Used "unknown beater with a heater" vehicle will start at $5k.

 

You can try to seal it. Maybe you can get through the year until car prices are back to normal, or sell it and get something new(er) before the engine is toast.

I had a cracked engine block back in the day. It was a turbo engine. As long as I stayed out of the boost the oil stayed out of the coolant. Eventually a new block was needed. So if you keep driving it, avoid going fast, especially on inclines. You could get a thermostat that opens 10 F or so sooner, just to keep the engine a bit cooler and the pressure lower.

[holyjohnson]

Scooby own gaskets leak mls gaskets last longer

Improper torque will warp it 

look under if you can for crusty between the head and block or a white puff of smoke through tailpipe on start up

drain the oil check there if all else fails check your water pump is circulating

good luck

 

(punctuation is hard on a cell phone, with Sausage fingers)