2005 Linear 2.0t - Losing Coolant somewhere

[slurpie822]

I've been searching for a while to see if this was a common problem... I have to fill up on coolant every once in a while on my car. I've had it jacked up, and looked around for a leak somewhere and haven't been able to see anything. My oil is not milky indicating a head gasket issue and I have not seen any oil in my coolant, either..

Essentially, my question is that are other people having coolant issues with their 2.0t? My coolant is disappearing somewhere and I can't quite pinpoint where.. Keeping a jug of coolant in the trunk is starting to get old.

[JonV]

Look at where the return hoses join the nipples on the tank, I had a crack and it would only piss it out while I was running at temperature.... it's a 10 minute DIY to replace it , the tank is 65 bucks. I originally thought the end of the hose was faulty so I trimmed and reseated it... a few days later I realized the nipple had a crack in it.... There was a thread about this a week ago.

[Nijee]

Have a 2009 2.0t and my coolant level warning has come on. Only slightly down and only goes off when car is on an angle as my driveway is steep. Will be monitoring the situation as it appeared "odd". System is not a closed loop so coolant can be lost from the system - just need to know what is "normal".

[rochesta]

Originally Posted by Nijee

Have a 2009 2.0t and my coolant level warning has come on. Only slightly down and only goes off when car is on an angle as my driveway is steep. Will be monitoring the situation as it appeared "odd". System is not a closed loop so coolant can be lost from the system - just need to know what is "normal".

I had the same issue two years ago. My dad is a mechanic and he checked all over to be safe, but there were no leaks. This kind of slight loss is probably due to evaporation of the water in the coolant. Over time, five years or so in my case, enough coolant evaporates that the indicator comes on. I just topped it off and it hasn't come on again.

[slurpie822]

I can't see it being an issue of evaporation... I keep a jug of coolant in the car and every 150 or 300 miles (I drove so much I can't keep track...) The indicator comes on and I have to refill the coolant in the car.

[rochesta]

Originally Posted by slurpie822

I can't see it being an issue of evaporation... I keep a jug of coolant in the car and every 150 or 300 miles (I drove so much I can't keep track...) The indicator comes on and I have to refill the coolant in the car.

Yeah that might be a bigger problem, unless you're in Arizona or Vegas or something, or if you are otherwise running hot.

I found this, it's not about saab, but some of the stuff they're talking about might help you come up with more ideas for where to look.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...Number=2366744

[cc93]

i had this same problem with my other car befor it got totaled umm my friend i work with says its block seepage i thought it was funn buy i guess its trues because of the aluminum block, its possibal your just burning off the coolant in the cylinders

[derekwilkinson]

Could be going into the engine block, many 2.0 had a porous block

[slurpie822]

What do you mean going into the engine block? Wouldn't all the pores eventually be filled and the coolant stop leaking?

I'll take a peek at the nipples on the coolant tank. I just checked hoses and visually inspected what I could of the tank; didn't think to check the nipples for cracks!

I also did read up somewhere on the forums about the water pumps habitually eating up coolant... Is there a possibility of the water pump being on its way out?

Forgive me for all the questions, just looking for clear options and answers!

EDIT:: Also, slightly off-topic. Anyone else have issues removing the oil drain plug, and the best way to get to the oil filter cap? Tried to do an oil change on the car and it's almost like someone used an air ratchet on the oil drain plug. Even with a breaker bar I couldn't get it off... Maybe I just need a bit more muscle on me, aha.

[rochesta]

Originally Posted by slurpie822

What do you mean going into the engine block? Wouldn't all the pores eventually be filled and the coolant stop leaking?

I'll take a peek at the nipples on the coolant tank. I just checked hoses and visually inspected what I could of the tank; didn't think to check the nipples for cracks!

I also did read up somewhere on the forums about the water pumps habitually eating up coolant... Is there a possibility of the water pump being on its way out?

Forgive me for all the questions, just looking for clear options and answers!

EDIT:: Also, slightly off-topic. Anyone else have issues removing the oil drain plug, and the best way to get to the oil filter cap? Tried to do an oil change on the car and it's almost like someone used an air ratchet on the oil drain plug. Even with a breaker bar I couldn't get it off... Maybe I just need a bit more muscle on me, aha.

How down is the level? If it's just slightly down (like a cm or less) from the fill line it may be due to simple evaporation. Top it off and you may not have the issue again for some time.

[derekwilkinson]

Originally Posted by slurpie822

What do you mean going into the engine block? Wouldn't all the pores eventually be filled and the coolant stop leaking?
.

no, it just burns it. it's bad for the engine

[slurpie822]

I decided I'd throw an update on the car in this thread, rather than start a new thread: I'm still trying to solve this issue.

Around mid-march, I'd discovered there was coolant going into the oil (Pop the oil cap, it was a nasty mixture). I had to bring it back up to school, and just parked it in the lot. I had determined it to be a head-gasket issue at this point, so I ordered up the head gasket, the bolts, etc, and tackled it in the parking lot. When I pulled the valve cover off, I found this mixture inside:



So I spent a few weeks working in the parking lot, got her all back together and all timed up, but a few days later still found that I'm mixing oil and coolant together. I'm running out of ideas here, I didn't notice any cracks in either the head or block, nor did the old head gasket look bad at all... My next idea is to check the oil cooler for cracks to see if I'm mixing in there somehow. Anyone have any ideas?

Also, does anyone have a better vacuum line diagram than the one on the core support? My BPV is not sounding the same as it did before the tear-down, and I'm wondering if I somehow mixed up a vacuum line or two?

Also, I am mechanically inclined-I've rebuilt a turbo'd Ford Ranger, and always do my own work on my own vehicles when I can. So the more I can try to figure out on my own before I take it to a shop, the better. Money is tight on my end, and I'm starting to run out of time here at school, going to need a reliable daily for the summer.

Thanks to all that can help!

[datonyb]

the oil/water heat exchanger beside the oil filter (above gearbox bellhousing)????

its not uncommon for these to cross contaminate (allthough not specifically the 93 saab)