Where is my coolant going?

[muppet]

Ok, i know its a stupid question but I am stuck, or just hoping its not a head gasket issue. I have no visible leaks anywhere. New water pump and the front of the engine is dry. There is no fog happening inside or wet floor boards, so i dont think its a heater core. And I have no white smoke in the mornings or at any time, at all. WTF? Oh, and before we go farther its a e34 with an m20. So any ideas that are not a head gasket?

[Devil Inc]

Nothing in the oil?

[muppet]

Nothing in the oil?

Nope, forgot to add that too. The oil is over 1000 mi. from last change and is still good with no milkshakey-ness.
And the coolant leak is draining the resivoir in about 4 days@ 30mi/day

[Hallen]

Is it an automatic? Is the coolant line to the tranny leaking?

Are all your freeze plugs in good shape?

OK, so the freeze plugs are a way remote possibility.

[muppet]

Is it an automatic? Is the coolant line to the tranny leaking?

Are all your freeze plugs in good shape?

OK, so the freeze plugs are a way remote possibility.

Nope its a 5-speed, so no cooler lines...

and freeze plugs are good. no signs of coolant leaking anywhere on block.

[xLibelle]

last time you filled the system, you didnt purge all the air and as you drive, its been dropping down. you fill it up and the engine drinks it down. it will stop asking you to top soon.

just a guess.

[kenika65]

^ good advice

[muppet]

last time you filled the system, you didnt purge all the air and as you drive, its been dropping down. you fill it up and the engine drinks it down. it will stop asking you to top soon.

just a guess.

I hope that is it, but its been a month since I bled the system and it has taken over a gallon or so. I appreciate all the help and dont mean to just shoot all your answers down. I just cant figure it out.

[jlevie]

If you have gone through that much coolant, the problem isn't the result of a less than perfect bleed.

The first thing to do is to pressure test the cooling system.If there's a leak you'll see the fluid or you'll know there's a leak because the system won't hold pressure. If the system passes a pressure test you have to consider the possibility that there's a small head gasket leak that is pressurizing the cooling system to the point that the cap lifts, which will dump coolant overboard via the vent line. That may only happen at speed and will leave no trace as to where the coolant went. A simple check for this is to chalk the inside of the vent line and see if the chalk is still there the next time you have to add coolant.

[JayH]

Bad seal on radiator cap is a possibility.

[thereisnoyun]

checkthe connection of the lines closet to the block under the manifold. You will have a hard time locating the leak, if its evaporting and covered in grease.

[black88is]

check under carpet on drivers side, you may have bad heater core, tube, or o ring

[twright]

You can sometimes find a leak by driving the car and getting it fully warmed up. Shut off the car and leave the hood closed for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes, open the hood and look everywhere with a strong light.

The reason for this procedure is that the system temperatures and pressures are highest after shutdown, and the leaks will show up then. If you wait any longer, the leaks might evaporate and leave no trace.

Good luck!