Im loosing coolant out of the overflow while driving and then my car gets hot the needle moves 3/4 way to the hot side. hasnt got to the red yet. Im not sure why but when the car is off it looses coolant like crazy out of the over flow through the cap. also i noticed that if the car sits long enough say over nite it will start up and idle as if it is missing and go away. No coolant in oil and no white smoke YET. Is this a possible sign of gaskets going bad?

 

i did some further research and found that while the car is parked and the car is warmed up the coolant trickles out of the over flow cap at a slow steady stream. im going to go see if a new cap will fix this but i dont think it will for some reason. also the radiator hose going to the water pump feels like its plum full of pressure and doesnt seem as if its getting through. so i think that the thermostat may be bad too. is it easy to dothe thermo stat on the north star?

 

92... good! hopin for you that'l fixer..... good luck
rick

 

i did replace the thermostat and good thing i did the old one was shot i could use my fingers to open the thermostsat. the new one seemed to fix the problem and i saw the coolant and it seemed to be in good shape no debris floating around and its still the nice orange color. I also found out the guy at the auto parts store used to be a GM tech for cadillac down in Texas. He also told me it sounds like a thermostat problem too. He also said another common problem on the Northstar is that where the waterpump meets the block there is an aluminum plate (Cady dealership part only) that is between the pump and the block that will warp and cause the coolant to leak. I never knew that so that was helpfull, he also said he could look at my car if i cant figure out the problem.

 

Don't forget to put the supplements back in.

 

I hope the stat was the issue .. it doesnt sound right to me , but it could be. If the problem continues, read our FAQ on the subject ..

I cant say it enough .. ignore the color and change coolant if it is older than 24 months .. the protection in the coolant gets used up simply by being in contact with metals and its color does NOT change with the loss of protection. What follows can be expensive, including gasket damage.

...

 

I more or less have flushed out the coolant and found that the leak happens when im driving and is comming from the pulley on the water pump when too much torque is applied then it leaks but at idle its fine no leaks. Thats why i was having such a hard time finding this leak So right now as soon as it gets warmer i will replace the water pump but for now i am only driving it to and from work which is about 3-4 blocks.

 

I dont really recommend flushes .. drain and replace coolant works just fine.
if you have replaced a gallon of fresh coolant, it will be fine.

The pump leaking, I believe .. much more likely than a stat on this issue.