RXRodger

iTrader: (2)

If they put orange in, it is possible they incorrectly put the GM Dexcool stuff in it. Thats not good, but I don't think that is your problem. You need to drive it more and see what the coolant level does. You have sufficiently bled the system, so yes you may have a little air trapped but once again that doesn't sound like your problem. It is hard to tell based only on what you have described but it is sounding more and more like a head gasket. Just go drive it for a longer trip, take some water in case it runs hot. You are going to have to hammer on it some to put it under load. When you get home, if it bubbles and when it cools down if you are low on coolant, I would say there is a good chance it could be a head gasket. Drive it, let us know what you find out.

xt1956

I had a family medical emergency yesterday and couldn't try to locate a coolant pressure tester. A mechanic I know in another state asked me to run the car with the radiator cap off and see if there are any bubbles, and there weren't. He then asked me to turn on the a/c and see if there were any bubbles in the coolant at the uncovered radiator, and there still weren't. He seemed to think this was enough to conclude that it's probably not the head gasket. Do you all agree? Or is it not that simple?

He said it could be the cooling fan or fan relay not working. I know that the entire time I was running the car trying to bleed it for a couple hours, the large fan behind the radiator was on the entire time, from the time I turned on the car to the time I turned it off. Gotta go down to the hospital now (an hour away) to pick someone up and will have to wait until tomorrow to try driving it longer. Driving a rental car right now.


RXRodger- When you say "hammer on it some to put it under load" do you mean drive it hard? And when I'm driving it, do you mean to do this with the air conditioning on? Or with the a/c off? Or with the heat on? Which one? How long or how far should I drive it to do this test?

scsexy

iTrader: (1)

Yeah that's conclusive enough you would see bubbles forming if you had combustion going into the cooling system. I still say heater core bubble and really turn left and right hard back and fourth with the heater going.

If your seeing the fan work its working.. its not going to turn off during driving.

xt1956

I went out last night & drove about 15 miles. Made hard turns, hard braking, all with heater blasting. Temp gauge stayed at just below halfway. When I got home & turned off the car - no bubbling in the reservoir. This morning coolant levels in radiator and in the reservoir are the same, no coolant loss. The problem with reservoir bubbling was only occurring when I run the a/c instead of heat. Will have to try driving with a/c on after work today.

xt1956

Been back & forth to the hospital past couple days. Finally got the chance to drive the Lexus today. Went 20 miles with the a/c running through my neighborhood here... bumpy limerock roads, did some quick turns, hard braking & generally mostly bumpy, winding hilly roads through this heavily wooded area. Temp gauge was steady at halfway, no overheating the entire time.

When I got back there was a little bit of bubbling in the reservoir (coolant was expanded 2/3 up the reservoir bottle), and some of the coolant had spilled over. Later after cooling down, checked & saw that the reservoir had lost some coolant (was at the minimum mark), but the radiator was still full to the top.

Am I good to go?? Or do I still keep looking due to the loss from the reservoir?

xt1956

Should I continue looking for a problem due to the loss from the reservoir?

scsexy

iTrader: (1)

If i'm right about there having been an air bubble, then it seems like coolant from the overflow replaced the air in the system.

xt1956

I have driven the car just a couple more times. If I don't use a/c, coolant remains steady in the radiator & reservoir.

If I use the a/c, when I get home, the coolant is almost to the top of the reservoir and I hear the bubbling sound in the reservoir, radiator, and upper hose. The next morning, the coolant in the reservoir is back down to the minimum line, and the radiator is full.

Car does not overheat, temperature gauge remains steady at halfway or a smidgen under.

I never had that bubbling sound before, so it still concerns me.

scsexy

iTrader: (1)

Idk man the heater is what use's coolant the A/c doesn't affect the cooling system at all besides putting more load on the motor but that would be the same as driving hard or uphill

xt1956

I have driven the car a few more times with the a/c on, and once was a 100 mile drive. All seems to be ok. Radiator is still full.

xt1956

Still going good multiple trips with a/c on over 5 days and radiator coolant still full. Problem solved. Thank you to all who gave input! It is much appreciated!