[Malibu00]

Hello all,
I'm new here and all was well until I took my car to mechanic and asked him to change my coolant,transmissipon oil and power sterring fluid ,the very next day drve car and when I parked the coolant overflowed on the ground took it back he topped it up and it happened again,so took it back he diagnosed it and now says the head gasket is leaking.I'm suspiciuos so WHAT SHOULD I DO Thanks Alex

 

[BillD64]

I would be suspicious as well. It seems funny the gasket would fail just at the time the coolant was changed. Are there are any other symptoms of a head gasket leaking, such as coolant in the oil, white exhaust smoke, etc? Here are some things to look for:

Check the Dipstick
If a frothy or milky color is found on the dipstick it is a sign that coolant is leaking into your oil pan, which could mean head gasket trouble.

Spark Plugs
A leaking head gasket can mean liquid might be leaking into a particular cylinder causing one spark plug to look much cleaner than the others.

Exhaust
A white smoke coming from the exhaust on a fully warmed up vehicle is a sign of trouble and could be the result of a leaking head gasket.

Sweet Smells
If you smell something sweet coming from the tailpipe of the car, there might be a coolant leak which is a result of a broken head gasket.

Coolant Loss
If there is an unexplained amount of coolant being lost it's a good idea to take the vehicle in to have the head gasket looked at.

A leaking head gasket can also cause the engine to hydro lock and not turn over when you try to start it after it sits for a long period. What happens is the engine cools and coolant gets sucked into a cylinder and fills it. Then when you try and start the car the coolant being incompressible keeps the piston from moving upwards.

If the cooling system wasn't filled correctly you could get some overflow. If the thermostat wasn't opening correctly you could get some overheating which would cause overflow. You could also get overflow if the cooling system cap isn't holding pressure properly.

A pressure tester should be used to check the system to see if it can hold pressure and that the cap can hold pressure. A temperature check should be made to see if the coolant is getting to hot. The thermostat can be removed and checked to see it is operating correctly.

If a pressure tester indicates the system isn't holding pressure then the system should be checked for external leaks such as bad hoses, etc. If none can be found a leaking head gasket is a possibility.

Bill

 

[RaineMan]

It is possible that your thermostat may be stuck and not allowing the coolant to circulate properly. With the engine warm the upper radiator hose should be hot and the bottom one should be cooler. If they're not then something is wrong.

Also, you may just have an air bubble in the system. If you don't do a thorough bleed when you refill the coolant you can trap a bubble and as the air expands and contracts with changing temperatures it can cause the coolant to overflow.

Finally, if you are worried about the head gasket check the oil and exhaust. If coolant is mixing in the oil will be milky and not the normal brown color. Also you may get sweet smelling white smoke out of the exhaust... sure sign of burning coolant.

How many miles and what engine in the vehicle?

 

[Malibu00]

Thanks Bill for reply,another thing is he used an after market coolant also I've driven car for ten years and never had a coolant problem ,could the after market coolant be an issue ,do u know if it need s the dealer coolant thanks Alex

 

[Malibu00]

Thanks Raineman, the car has over 200,000 miles 250 or so,never noticed any white smoke and it didnt over heat just spilled the water when I parked after a sghort drive its a 2000 malibu 3.1 litre engine. Correction sorry folks I meant the car has 230,000 kilometers

 

[RaineMan]

After market coolant as in what? Green stuff, pink stuff (dexcool)? Some coolants are universal these days and will mix with anything.

Go out to the car (once it has cooled down) take off the radiator cap then start the car. Let it run for 10-15 mins or so... long enough to get to temperature. While the car is running keep an eye on both the temp gauge and the coolant level inside the radiator.

If the level in the radiator goes down then you have an air bubble, which will work its way out of the system when you run the car with the cap off. Just keep topping it off as the level goes down and it will be fine.

Also keep an eye on the temp gauge... if it spikes then you have other problems.

 

[Malibu00]

Thanks Raineman I will do as you say as soon as I get the car back fronm Mechanic today hopefully

 

[RaineMan]

Hopefully if the car is back with the mechanic he is smart enough to do that himself.

Thus why if it's something I can fix myself I always take my cars (out of warranty) to a big name shop and not just some "shade tree" mechanic. You pay more for the service, but some of those guys with a shop in their back yard are bad news.

 

[Malibu00]

Well the cars home now and I took it for a drive the water guage went up a bit ,it is late in evening so will check tomorrow ,I will heed your advice Raineman to try to find a more reputable mechanic BIG NAME SHOP thanks for wisdom

 

[dpopeck]

For about $12, you can pick up a Haynes manual for a 2000 Malibu and it shows you where the 2 coolant bleed screws are. They're very accessible from the top - just 2 little brass screws you can turn with a small screwdriver.

As others have said, it's also possible he overfilled it both times. If overfilled, it will drain off the excess. That's what the one hose is for coming out of the fill tank.

At this point, if it's not overheating I'd be tempted to not do anything and drive it for a week or two, and see if it continues to lose coolant. You can visually see the coolant level in the fill tank to confirm it's not low. Just keep an eye on the temperature guage, especially if you get stuck in a traffic jam on a hot day.

 

[Malibu00]

Thanks dpopeck .I went to the shop and drove car home didnt even tell them ,so its sitting in driveway( poor girl)I drove it a bit and the water meter is going up a notch or 2, I drove a little faster and the meter went down a little (maybe low coolant)havent had chance to check(had to run back and forth from hosp(family not well))well I got a shop manuel ,just need some time to check things ,thanks all will keep posted when able, Good day,someone asked about coolant will update

 

[Malibu00]

Hi guys , was able to look at it a little ,tried the smell the exhaust it smell a little sweet,dont see any white smoke just clear exhaust ,felt hose( upper)it was soft and cool after it warmed up it was hard and hot ,the overflow had boiling noises coming from it,the water guage went up a few notches ,someone asked about the coolant earlier well when I took it to mechanic I asked what coolant he was going to use and he said he would put one similiar to whats in it,he said as long as color was same its ok but the manual says to use dex-cool,so I'm wondering if they didnt put the proper coolant or changed it properly and it which caused the problem ,shoot.thanks again all

 

[Malibu00]

Hello again, I ha d the manifold (upper)changed a few yrs back becuase these cars (or engine) have this problem because of the dexcool eating it ,so they were supposed to have replaced it with an improved gasket but noticing now that theres a wet spot near the manifold at front so not sure if its having same problem again but dont see oil in the overflow like it did when it was bad B4 Thanks also should I take car for a good run and see what happens

 

[Malibu00]

just noticed that I may have posted this in the wrong section Sorry

 

[elcompaLalo]

just noticed that I may have posted this in the wrong section Sorry

No problem, moved it.

 

[Malibu00]

well heres update folks,I spoke to mechanic and he said they flushed the coolant out and that because it wasnt done for some time it may have flushed out all the gunk which may have disturbed the head gasket ,does that sound reasonable

 

[ChicagoMalibu2009]

It could be -- The main thing is that, like everyone else said it may have been overfilled.

The coolant level will rise when the engine is hot and fall when it's cold, if you are just "checking the level." If it's low after "sitting overnight" that may not be a cause for concern. Check it every morning atfer sitting and compare those values. Heck even make a dot on the tank with a sharpie. It its tough to see with the dried up fliud. shine a flashlight right against the tank(contents will illuminate). Thats what they meant by over a few weeks.

If not overheating, and not dropping beliw the lowest "morning" point, it may be overfilled.

There are some mechanics who fill it like they used to, where not too much expansion space was needed and cars lost some over time. won't have to refill for a while. Thats still true, but now with the hose to prevent overflow it may appear as this type of leak.

Touch to tell for sure from the info so far.
Also, make sure you don't drive without coolant at all as part of a "test". Should never be below morning level. if it is, stop right away on THIS test.
And dont sniff TOO much exhaust even if it does smell sweet

 

[RaineMan]

If the mechanic put dex cool in it then the color should be pinkish or orange.

 

[Malibu00]

thanks guys for following my nightmare,dont think he used dexcool which i believe is a dealer coolant thats recommended ,I know its not the usual one I buy at the dealer ,its a universal coolant he used ,if they screwed up the coollant change by not doing it properly ,air pocket or wrong coolant or low coolant could that have caused this nightmare,when i spoke to mechanic and questioned him that I owned car for 10 yrs without a coolant problem he asked me if I was insinuating that he caused problem, I said to him that it only happened after they changed the coolant ,he said with the milage on car and it never having a coolant change b4, it may have been done once,he said everyone blames him when things go wrong.My big ? is can i I tackle the head gasket if it comes down to it ,I'm a bit of a backyard Mechnic,not that I'm itching to do it.

 

[Malibu00]

I'm going outside now to warm it up and see whats up,I'll mark the level ,thanks again