Goblin blood on my garage floor

[nfpgasmask]

OK, so there is some clear green fluid leaking from my VX. I assume this must be antifreeze.

Anybody know why this would suddenly start leaking and what I can do?

Worried - Bart

[Ldub]

Yep, that's anti-freeze...

Start-er up

drive to the store for whatever (to warm up the engine)

let it idle

pop the hood

grab your flashlight

see where it's leaking

can't see anything ???

do same thing with flashlight, laying on your back under the radiator/ hoses, etc.

Examine all hoses, try to follow moisture trail backwards to the scource, keep fingers & clothing AWAY from belts/ moving parts, etc.

Also, could try tracing moisture backwards without starting/ warming first.
Good Luck !

[Vfrider1]

See if you can trace it back to it's source. Get under it with a flashlight and start lookin. My GUESS would be a hose is leaking at a fitting. I HOPE that is all it is. If you still can't find the leak static, start it up and CAREFULLY look under the VX and see if it starts leaking. Did you do any maintenance to the cooling system lately? Did you add any antifreeze? Check to see that your overflow reservior is not to full. (please forgive me if I am oversimplyfiing (sp) the situation but NEVER open the radiator cap when it is hot...)

John

[nfpgasmask]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the input. I have not done anything to the coolant system at all, no fills, no flushes, nada.

Where is the overflow reservoir? I will post some photos of the underneath later, there looks to be some white crusty deposits down there in various places. The weird thing, is that its in the garage right now, and it ain't leaking anything at the moment...

And I know this sounds stupid, but I did a little wheeling yesterday. My VX went up and down some pretty steep hills (about 45 degrees I would imagine). Could this cause anything to leak?

Supposing it is leaking at one of the hoses or something, great, but if it isn't just a simple leak, what could cause antifreeze to spew?

Thanks - Bart

[etlsport]

even though its not leaking anymore, make sure to put on some safety goggles before you get down under your VX to look for the leak! i cant say from experience.. but id guess a drop of antifreeze to the eye would ruin your weekend.. after a little mishap changing my fuel filter out i always use goggles when under the vx

[Ldub]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the input. I have not done anything to the coolant system at all, no fills, no flushes, nada.

Where is the overflow reservoir? I will post some photos of the underneath later, there looks to be some white crusty deposits down there in various places. The weird thing, is that its in the garage right now, and it ain't leaking anything at the moment...

And I know this sounds stupid, but I did a little wheeling yesterday. My VX went up and down some pretty steep hills (about 45 degrees I would imagine). Could this cause anything to leak?

Supposing it is leaking at one of the hoses or something, great, but if it isn't just a simple leak, what could cause antifreeze to spew?

Thanks - Bart

Here ya go Bart...the overflow tank in all it's glory !

[Dumke]

Ya mine started leeking for no reason as well but I notice it only leaked when I parked in drive way at a slant but doesntw hen I am level. I looked didnt see where was comming from. Well didnt do through look really well just qucik check. Well couple days now its gone <shrug>even when I do park back in the drive way. I may replace hoses just in case to be on safe side. It is odd all of a sudden it started leeking and yeah I went up and down some hills myself but that was awhile back.

[nfpgasmask]

OK, I didn't know that was called an "overflow" tank. I thought that was just the regular reservoir for antifreeze. Last night I took a grease pencil and marked the level to see if it drops. Its already low, down towards the MIN line.

Bart

Here ya go Bart...the overflow tank in all it's glory !

[nfpgasmask]

So this morning, before I went out into the fresh snow here, I checked the garage floor. Zippo. Nada. Ziltch. No more goblin blood?!?!?!

So, could this just have been a fluke? I mean, I will keep watching of course, but why would this happen only once? Maybe it was overspill from wheeling up a 45° angle? Or is it actually possible that my VX could have been running hot, causing the goblin blood to boil over?

I should also add, that last night when I got home from the bar I checked the oil level, and it was frighteningly low on the dipstick. I added 2/3s of a quart. I just changed the oil (on 11/17 to be exact), and it already drank up over a quart since then! I suppose the uphill loads here can cause excessive oil consumption above and beyond what we are already used to but jeez!!

The VX really is a strange vehicle...

Bart

[nfpgasmask]

Since my antifreeze level is low, almost to the MIN line, should I fill it up? And what kind of juice should I use? Is there a preferred type/brand for the VX?

Thanks - Bart

[Tobert]

Prestone has a universal green antifreeze that should be safe to mix with anything. If it's brownish, it's GM Dexacool, which shouldn't be mixed with standard green. But you already said it's green, so just get standard green or the universal stuff and you'll be fine. Be sure to get a pre-mixed 50/50 bottle or pick up some distilled water on your way home.

[nfpgasmask]

Well, I marked my tank and its definitely leaking. The level has gone down about a quarter inch from where I marked it. I guess the leak must be really slow though, or pooling somewhere other than the garage floor. I looked underneath and it looked like this:



Looks like its splattering all over down there, especially on the oil pan, which isn't good, as I'm sure antifreeze might be somewhat corrosive? I'm gonna start poking around in there Saturday. So, there's a tube that goes from the tank to where exactly?

Thanks,

Bart

[nfpgasmask]

I am not leaking from the reservoir to the radiator. I took the radiator cap off also and there was visible green fluid there, so that looks ok. After I took the above picture, I jacked up the VX and rolled under for a closer look.

It looks like the fluid is slowly pooling underneath, onto of whatever this thing is:



and then spilling down when I drive. I will take another photo tomorrow to better show where it is pooling.

Now, after some reading, I found an article about a leaking heater core. That said, I have been running my heat lately (been in the teens here in Reno at night). Is this a possibility?

Tomorrow I will add some more coolant to the reservoir and continue to watch the level. I will also post better photos so I can hopefully get to the bottom of this.

I am afraid its something bad, or something that might turn bad if not stopped.

Bart

[Dumke]

Yeah Bart mine is leaking from the same place.. well not same place but same ending result I guess. Course my is dribbling down the rod underneath and then onto the ground. What is sad I havent been able to look @ it till this weekend. Dam my one day weekend looks liek I got some work to do. I will see if I can find out where it is comming from or Bart if you find it before me well then awesome.

[Ldub]

Bart,

If it's your heater core, you would know for sure...it usually smells strong of antifreeze in the cab.
That "whatever it is" looks like your front axle housing, but I don't remember what is above there that could be leaking, & it's too cold for me to generate much enthusiasm for crawling around under mine.
Hope you find what's leaking...maybe carefully examine all hoses under the hood again.