coolant loss..where to go from here?

ixslr8 · 04-14-2008, 11:07 PM

Hi guys,

As you can see from my post count i'm new to the forum but have been searching around here for a while and been on svtperformance for a few years.

I've been getting the itch to get my mustang going again and was looking for some advice. I have a 96 cobra with a pro turbo t76gts kit on it. In fact it was their mock up car for the 4.6 kits, or so i'm told. Anyways i've having an issue with coolant loss under boost. Do you guys have any ideas where to start looking? What all is involved in a leak down test? and it should tell me if it's a head gasket..correct?

I've attached a pic of the radiator reservoir also. does it look like to anyone else that the hoses are attached wrong. the one hose you see on it should go to the overflow and the connection you can see on the left hand side should go to the radiator correct??

In case you can't see it the hose goes to the pressure relief, so it makes sense to me that the coolant is just getting recirculated and eventually it seeps past the radiator cap.

96greengt · 04-21-2008, 10:12 PM

What t-stat do you have? What temp do it read while in boost?
You may have air pockets, the Cobra cooling system is a PITA to bleed without the correct tools.

ixslr8 · 04-22-2008, 05:30 AM

It has the stock thermostat in it. As far as temp i still have the crappy stock gauges so i really have no idea exactly how hot it's getting. I took it to a shop a few months ago and it was low on coolant. they pulled a vaccum on the system and got it all topped off. however it still continues to blow coolant out of the radiator cap. Since they got the coolant level adjusted it never runs past halfway on the stock gauge and most of the time runs a 1/4 of the way on the scale. When i had the motor built and murrillo's was tuning it that had they same issue with it blowing coolant past the cap on the dyno.

96greengt · 04-22-2008, 09:48 AM

I see you have a better radiator in the pic, I'd get a colder t-stat or run a hotter radiator cap.

Boost_Me · 04-27-2008, 11:34 AM

I had a 96 cobra also. It could be a number of things. On my car, I had the cooling fan mod which I could turn on the fan whenever I wanted to, I had it on all of the time. The 96's had cooling issues and mine never got fixed. It could be a worn radiator cap, try replacing it. It could be a t-stat. I even had a fluidyne radiator, it didn't help either. Try burping the system also. It may be like mine was and can't be fixed. I couldn't even run the air in the summer time because it would over heat. I would start with the cheap things like radiator cap and t-stat first. Good luck with it. I loved my 96 and would still have it if it weren't for the over heating.

stangfreak · 04-27-2008, 05:15 PM

agreed. check the radiator cap first. make sure to by one that is the correct pressure (since boosted you may want one a few pounds more.) if you are still leaking then get your system pressure checked. as for leak down test that is for the cylinders .... don't really think it's related at this point. You said you took it to the shop and they ran a vaccum and it still over heats? did it take a bit longer or was it immediately overheating? is it flowing or seeping? more details pls.

ixslr8 · 04-28-2008, 07:13 PM

at this point it doesn't overheat, imo simply because i haven't driven it enough to lose enough coolant to cause it to overheat...it doesn't seem to be a large amount of coolant that it loses each time...during normal driving is seems to not lose coolant...i'm not sure if it's the rpms or the boost that's causing it to leak though...i was thinking maybe the boost was leaking past a head gasket into a water jacket? i can try a new radiator cap but i know murrillo's tried a few different ones thinking the same thing

04-14-2008, 11:07 PM	#1
ixslr8 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: kerrville, tx Posts: 4 Trader Rating: (0)	coolant loss..where to go from here? Hi guys, As you can see from my post count i'm new to the forum but have been searching around here for a while and been on svtperformance for a few years. I've been getting the itch to get my mustang going again and was looking for some advice. I have a 96 cobra with a pro turbo t76gts kit on it. In fact it was their mock up car for the 4.6 kits, or so i'm told. Anyways i've having an issue with coolant loss under boost. Do you guys have any ideas where to start looking? What all is involved in a leak down test? and it should tell me if it's a head gasket..correct? I've attached a pic of the radiator reservoir also. does it look like to anyone else that the hoses are attached wrong. the one hose you see on it should go to the overflow and the connection you can see on the left hand side should go to the radiator correct?? In case you can't see it the hose goes to the pressure relief, so it makes sense to me that the coolant is just getting recirculated and eventually it seeps past the radiator cap. Attached Thumbnails

04-22-2008, 05:30 AM	#3
ixslr8 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: kerrville, tx Posts: 4 Trader Rating: (0)	thermostat It has the stock thermostat in it. As far as temp i still have the crappy stock gauges so i really have no idea exactly how hot it's getting. I took it to a shop a few months ago and it was low on coolant. they pulled a vaccum on the system and got it all topped off. however it still continues to blow coolant out of the radiator cap. Since they got the coolant level adjusted it never runs past halfway on the stock gauge and most of the time runs a 1/4 of the way on the scale. When i had the motor built and murrillo's was tuning it that had they same issue with it blowing coolant past the cap on the dyno.

04-27-2008, 11:34 AM	#5
Boost_Me Registered User Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Antonio Posts: 151 Trader Rating: (0)	I had a 96 cobra also. It could be a number of things. On my car, I had the cooling fan mod which I could turn on the fan whenever I wanted to, I had it on all of the time. The 96's had cooling issues and mine never got fixed. It could be a worn radiator cap, try replacing it. It could be a t-stat. I even had a fluidyne radiator, it didn't help either. Try burping the system also. It may be like mine was and can't be fixed. I couldn't even run the air in the summer time because it would over heat. I would start with the cheap things like radiator cap and t-stat first. Good luck with it. I loved my 96 and would still have it if it weren't for the over heating. __________________ Black 2002 GT Tri-ax shifter, BBK catted x- pipe w/ SLP Louthmouth, 03 Cobra front bumper, 00 Cobra R Hood, s281 wing, ProTurboKit Turbo, Greddy EBC, Tubular A arms and K-member, subframes, MM coilovers, MM CC plates, Bilstein struts, Audi Rs6 Bi-xenon HID retrofitted headlights 427 rwhp, 505 rwtq

04-27-2008, 05:15 PM	#6
stangfreak It's LOUD but YOU looked! Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: San Antonio Posts: 631 Trader Rating: (1)	agreed. check the radiator cap first. make sure to by one that is the correct pressure (since boosted you may want one a few pounds more.) if you are still leaking then get your system pressure checked. as for leak down test that is for the cylinders .... don't really think it's related at this point. You said you took it to the shop and they ran a vaccum and it still over heats? did it take a bit longer or was it immediately overheating? is it flowing or seeping? more details pls. __________________ Deep thought... Why does one commit the most selfish of acts, suicide, to get attention? Does it not defeat the purpose?

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04-28-2008, 07:13 PM	#7
ixslr8 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: kerrville, tx Posts: 4 Trader Rating: (0)	at this point it doesn't overheat, imo simply because i haven't driven it enough to lose enough coolant to cause it to overheat...it doesn't seem to be a large amount of coolant that it loses each time...during normal driving is seems to not lose coolant...i'm not sure if it's the rpms or the boost that's causing it to leak though...i was thinking maybe the boost was leaking past a head gasket into a water jacket? i can try a new radiator cap but i know murrillo's tried a few different ones thinking the same thing