This is a long post, but please read the whole thing as it completely explains what has happened in detail...I think if you bear with me and read the whole thing you will have a better understanding of the exact situation when this occured. thanks
So I am pretty mechanically inclined. Do most the work on my Audi A4, Subaru Outback, Jeep Grand Cherokee (timing belts, water pumps, alternators, tensioners, rollers, wheel bearings...ect)
This post is for a friend of mine who does not do much work on his own car. 2006 G6 with about 55k miles on it.
We went to a baseball game tonight and on our way there, the car started overheating. Steam was coming out from under the hood and I got out (at a stop light) and noticed that there was coolent fluid leaking from under the car. We pulled into a parking lot and the coolent was coming from the overflow hose in the coolent resivor. I glanced under the car (have not put it up on ramps yet) but I have not noticed any leaking coolent/radiator hoses. So i am guessing it is all coming from the overflow hose of coolent resivor... (will get under car tomorrow to make sure)
We pulled into a parking lot and I slowly (im not stupid) and carefully let some pressure out of the top of the coolent resivor. (i was hoping there was an air lock preventing a normal coolent flow and hoping to relieve the pressure. more coolent leaked out. we went to the baseball game. once the game was over, We temporaly refilled the coolent with water to compensate for what was lost.
we got back in the car (after it cooled for about 2 hours) and within about 5 minutes it was overheating again....
pulled over to let it cool down. drove another 5 minutes and it overheated again (temp gauge said so at least.)
waited and started driving again (only about 15 minutes back to house). this time, once we were driving, the temp actually went down...it fluctuated for the next few minutes but did not go into the red again. at this point, when driving over 25 or 30mph the temp gauge went down closer to the normal range, when slowing or idleing, the temp would rise a little again but not into the red...
So, i have been searching a little, and it looks like there might be a known problem by GM with the DexCool not being compatable with the headgaskets in this car...? could the headgaskets already be going bad with 55k miles? What else could it be? I will get under the car tomorrow to make sure there are not obvious hose, thermostat, water pump leaks...
why would it have gone from overheating to closer to normal as described above? is that a syptom of headgasket issues? could it just have been an airlock in the cooling system that was releived and now running fine?
and here is my last dumb question: it is dark outside so I can not go check. I know a radiator cap is usually the first thing to check. when i had the hood open earlier, i did not see a radiator cap, just the resivor with cap and hoses. is there a radiator cap i am overlooking?
thanks so much for dealing with the really long post and please help
p.s. not sure if it matters, but friend said before he got car it had been in some sort of accident. i do not know any details about the accident at all, but just wanted to throw it out there
ok one more thing i forgot to ask. what is the warrenty on this car? does it change if friend is not the first owner?
So I am pretty mechanically inclined. Do most the work on my Audi A4, Subaru Outback, Jeep Grand Cherokee (timing belts, water pumps, alternators, tensioners, rollers, wheel bearings...ect)
This post is for a friend of mine who does not do much work on his own car. 2006 G6 with about 55k miles on it.
We went to a baseball game tonight and on our way there, the car started overheating. Steam was coming out from under the hood and I got out (at a stop light) and noticed that there was coolent fluid leaking from under the car. We pulled into a parking lot and the coolent was coming from the overflow hose in the coolent resivor. I glanced under the car (have not put it up on ramps yet) but I have not noticed any leaking coolent/radiator hoses. So i am guessing it is all coming from the overflow hose of coolent resivor... (will get under car tomorrow to make sure)
We pulled into a parking lot and I slowly (im not stupid) and carefully let some pressure out of the top of the coolent resivor. (i was hoping there was an air lock preventing a normal coolent flow and hoping to relieve the pressure. more coolent leaked out. we went to the baseball game. once the game was over, We temporaly refilled the coolent with water to compensate for what was lost.
we got back in the car (after it cooled for about 2 hours) and within about 5 minutes it was overheating again....
pulled over to let it cool down. drove another 5 minutes and it overheated again (temp gauge said so at least.)
waited and started driving again (only about 15 minutes back to house). this time, once we were driving, the temp actually went down...it fluctuated for the next few minutes but did not go into the red again. at this point, when driving over 25 or 30mph the temp gauge went down closer to the normal range, when slowing or idleing, the temp would rise a little again but not into the red...
So, i have been searching a little, and it looks like there might be a known problem by GM with the DexCool not being compatable with the headgaskets in this car...? could the headgaskets already be going bad with 55k miles? What else could it be? I will get under the car tomorrow to make sure there are not obvious hose, thermostat, water pump leaks...
why would it have gone from overheating to closer to normal as described above? is that a syptom of headgasket issues? could it just have been an airlock in the cooling system that was releived and now running fine?
and here is my last dumb question: it is dark outside so I can not go check. I know a radiator cap is usually the first thing to check. when i had the hood open earlier, i did not see a radiator cap, just the resivor with cap and hoses. is there a radiator cap i am overlooking?
thanks so much for dealing with the really long post and please help
p.s. not sure if it matters, but friend said before he got car it had been in some sort of accident. i do not know any details about the accident at all, but just wanted to throw it out there
ok one more thing i forgot to ask. what is the warrenty on this car? does it change if friend is not the first owner?