2007 Equinox losing antifreeze
Thread Starter
CF Beginner
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 4
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From: Virginia
2007 Equinox losing antifreeze
Hello all,
I've been losing coolant in my '07 Equinox for a while now, but don't know where its going. No visible puddles or spots or smells. I have to fill it about every month or 6 weeks. It will be fine while moving, but if I'm in traffic, the temp gauge will shoot up and the fans will be running like crazy. Then I know to add more and it's fine for a while. Any thoughts on where it's going? Do I need to replace hoses? Something more serious?
Thanks!
I've been losing coolant in my '07 Equinox for a while now, but don't know where its going. No visible puddles or spots or smells. I have to fill it about every month or 6 weeks. It will be fine while moving, but if I'm in traffic, the temp gauge will shoot up and the fans will be running like crazy. Then I know to add more and it's fine for a while. Any thoughts on where it's going? Do I need to replace hoses? Something more serious?
Thanks!
CF Pro Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 981
Likes: 83
There are two things that most likely could be causing you to lose coolant.
The first possibility is a bad coolant lid. If it isn't maintaining the appropriate pressure the coolant will boil prematurely. It will boil out of the reservoir either through the cap itself or through the overflow hose. Replace the coolant lid and the problem will go away
The second possibility is a worn water pump that is weeping coolant which indicates that it must be replaced. If this is the problem, you should address this immediately. Eventually the pump will catastrophically fail causing you to rapidly lose most of the coolant in the cooling system in a matter of minutes if not seconds. If this happens while driving down the road, the engine may overheat and cause permanent damage requiring extensive engine repair. Replacing the water pump is a fairly easy task, but you must remove the air box and the upper right engine mount to gain access to it. The engine must be supported before removing the mount.
The first possibility is a bad coolant lid. If it isn't maintaining the appropriate pressure the coolant will boil prematurely. It will boil out of the reservoir either through the cap itself or through the overflow hose. Replace the coolant lid and the problem will go away
The second possibility is a worn water pump that is weeping coolant which indicates that it must be replaced. If this is the problem, you should address this immediately. Eventually the pump will catastrophically fail causing you to rapidly lose most of the coolant in the cooling system in a matter of minutes if not seconds. If this happens while driving down the road, the engine may overheat and cause permanent damage requiring extensive engine repair. Replacing the water pump is a fairly easy task, but you must remove the air box and the upper right engine mount to gain access to it. The engine must be supported before removing the mount.
Thread Starter
CF Beginner
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Virginia
In case you're curious as to what the issue was...I replaced: plugs, wires, coolant lid, couple leaking hoses, intake gasket (and there was a bunch of oatmeal looking crud in there 
) I was STILL having problems. Got fed up trying to do it ourselves so took it to a shop...Head Gasket. Luckily it was covered by my extended warranty. Heads were pressure tested, came back good, and I haven't had any problems with losing coolant or losing heat. (Knock on wood...)
) I was STILL having problems. Got fed up trying to do it ourselves so took it to a shop...Head Gasket. Luckily it was covered by my extended warranty. Heads were pressure tested, came back good, and I haven't had any problems with losing coolant or losing heat. (Knock on wood...)