[zinfandel]

I have been hoping to find a different possible cause for my coolant leak. Losing an inch or more every few days from reservoir.
Had oil tested, very low sign of water (probably because I mentioned it when giving the sample it was noted), everything else normal.
Nothing on ground, no creamy oil or coolant, no smell.
No visible signs of coolant in exhaust.

Just did a compression test, equal across all four cylinders. Bad news is it was 149-150, should be 179-180, right?
So unless the tester was faulty it points to head cover gasket............?

 

[Hus_sho]

Not at all.. headgasket failure will not cause equal compression on all cylinders ..
did u do the compression test hot or cold ? What can u tell us about the gauge used ?

 

[Hus_sho]

coolant on oil could be small leak from the coolant pump shaft seal, and can be disregarded if it u cant see it visually in the oil when the oil is drained ..
did anyone do a coolant pressure test ?

 

[zinfandel]

Compression test was done on vehicle idled to normal temp.
Test done with a borrowed Pittsburgh Tools, Harbor Freight tester.

I had done a coolant pressure test a couple of months ago via the reservoir tank. Pressure dropped in only minute or two. It was a tester on loan from local auto parts store

 

[Hus_sho]

i would put the head-gasket theory aside now and look for a coolant leak..
although a head-gasket is an easier job to me over a coolant pump ?

 

[zinfandel]

Where is it going? Losing 12-16 OZ every three days, I would think I would see something

 

[zinfandel]

I do notice that every 4-7 days the temp gauge indicates a couple of notches below normal temp (which is normally horizontal for me). A possible connection?

 

[Hus_sho]

Nop..
u probably have a bad thermostat by the side

 

[okcrum]

If the expansion tank has failed along the seam, it will show these symptoms. Check for weeping around the seam. If needed, replace it when you do the thermostat.

I also found I had to replace the thermostat housing bolts because they'd been stretched by previous overtorquing. That fixed the leak I had there.

 

[zinfandel]

Thanks but tank has already been replaced a month ago.

Were you able to see the leak by the thermostat housing? I will check there for sure

 

[Silver SAAB]

Thanks but tank has already been replaced a month ago.

Were you able to see the leak by the thermostat housing? I will check there for sure

If you suspect it's the water pump and think it's getting in the engine, take a look at this thread: https://www.saabcentral.com/threads/faint-swirl-in-oil.725728/#post-6407042 That's what happened to me. I wasn't losing as much coolant as you, just a tiny amount. But the pictures in the thread will show you what traces of coolant inside the engine look like when you remove the oil filter, if you want to rule that out.

 

[okcrum]

Thanks but tank has already been replaced a month ago.

Were you able to see the leak by the thermostat housing? I will check there for sure

I could feel the thermostat weeping before the motor got hot. It wasn't quite a big enough leak to see, about the same rate as yours. I didn't have a pressure tester on hand to cold test.