My 3.8 liter v-6 does fine for a while; stays down on the cold side, then it warms a little, and goes completely hot in ten minutes at
What's that sound like to you?
voice from the past
Sounds bad, like a head gasket. Water has to go somewhere. If it's not on the outside of the engine, must be on the inside. What does the oil look like?
Your burning it then. That V6 and its history with head gaskets have not been so great. John
The oil looks perfect, thankfully, but I surrendered the car for a head gasket and/or head replacement this afternoon. It will cost anywhere from $500-$600+, but the car is worth it.
Are you familiar with losing all the water in minutes and yet it stays out of the oil?
As soon as I get it back, I have to find the short in the headlights: they went off and on---high beams too---and I have a hunch it involves the high beam switch, but that may be entirely wrong.
voice from the past
Did you have the cooling system pressure tested before you decided to do the head gasket? She may have had a minute leak that you couldn't see...
Kate
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What about a tiny split in one of the rubber hoses? When the engine is cold, the hose is able to maintain it's integrity but, as it warms up the split opens up and spits the coolant out. It could be hitting a part of the engine that will dry it pretty fast so you'd be led to believe it isn't coming out of the system?
This is just a thought and not to be taken as "I know what the problem is and you must listen to me". God gave me an analytical mind and I just ran through some ideas based on what I just read. I'd hate to hear about a head gasket replace and problem still exists. :-(
Could it be the heater core leaking??
I agree Greg, even something like a tiny leak in the overflow tank can cause problems that are difficult to diagnose. If it were my car and the cooling system was giving me trouble, that is where I would start first... particularly if there were no signs of oil in the water.
After all, if yor arm hurts, you don't start by going to a foot doctor.
Kate
As I did.
I figured everyone would take that for granted.
voice from the past
a combustion leak test will reveal if it is a headgasket....
usually if headlights go on and off the headlight switch is overheating ...try that first...
tried shifting gears?
Couldn't resist that previous post..
A malfunctioning thermostat can do some odd chit, same with a poorly fitting rad cap.
No indication how old the engine is, it could need a system flush and the proper ratio of AF and water restored.
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