Coolant

[turney998]

Hello.
The car is a 2000 pontiac grand prix
I recently put some Prestone in it because it was running low.
After the Prestone was put in,everything was fine,so i decided to put some more just to make sure it was topped off.
The next day,i hear a kncking sound while driving,and smoke while it was being parked at a shopping mal.
Did this happen because i put too much coolant in?
Drove it again around the underground,and didnt hear anything but maybe thats not a good enough test.Going to take it to my mechanic later this week.
Thanks.

[dsmuts]

To much coolant won't hurt a thing. You need to find out where your coolant is going. It could be going inside the motor and that would be very bad.

[mystic231]

Check around the base of the intake manifold and the coolant elbows. You'll probably find them damp with coolant. Probably needs a head gasket and new coolant elbows. Our '98 had a rotted elbow and a cracked intake replaced this summer.

EDIT: I meant "lower intake gasket" and typed "head gasket". It should read "needs lower intake gasket and new coolant elbows".

[NegativeOne13]

Check around the base of the intake manifold and the coolant elbows. You'll probably find them damp with coolant. Probably needs a head gasket and new coolant elbows. Our '98 had a rotted elbow and a cracked intake replaced this summer.

Head gasket? Wuttttttttttttt?OP.... pretty sure your engine is on it's last leg. Plastic upper intake manifold+plastic lower intake manifold gaskets = no good. Both known to leak coolant into your crankcase after a while it not properly addressed. Dorman makes a reinforced UIM that is supposed to a good update. As well GM makes metal lower intake gaskets that should be the last you need to replace. But if you hear a knock and smoke out the exhaust it's time to invest in a new engine. Go to junkyard... spend couple hundred bucks, buy updated gaskets spend another couple hundred. Engine will last for the life of the car... not the tranny on the other hand.

[NegativeOne13]

Oh and if you don't know... coolant in crankcase = bad. Probably spun a bearing, take a video and post it on here. And no you can't simply replace the bearings.

[turney998]

The mechanic found the knocking sound.
It was in the rear tire,a bearing was knocking and he got rid of it.
The gasket tubes have been replaced as of yesterday.
$260 for the job,including labor.
Thanks for all the advice

[dsmuts]

Gasket tubes? Do you mean coolant elbows?

[turney998]

Gasket tubes? Do you mean coolant elbows?

Yes.
Sorry,should have clarified more.
I guess they are one in the same thing.
Thought that was assumed.
Thanks for the replies.

[johnpstuart]

hi turney,
sounds like a head gasket is going on you.. just curious, what kind of coolant is in your rad. If its that reddish ,orange Dexcool, that is one of the reasons intake manifolds and head gaskets fail. that stuff needs to be thorougly flushed out of your engine and entire cooling system, and replaced with regular or all make and model prestone. and by the way, you cannot mix dexcool with any other antifreeze, it will turn into brown sludge. my son blew his head gasket for that same reason. if,and when you decide on a repair or engine replacement and dexcool is in your cooling system, flush that evil stuff out of there!!
Good Luck with your car- i hate hearing stuff like that. ( i think there is a class action law suite against GM for using Dexcool in all there cars)

[Scottydoggs]

dex coolant has nothing to so with gasket failure. the brown snot is from air having contact with the coolant. (look inside your over flow tank) gasket failure such as the lim gaskets is because they are plastic.

blown head gasket, you over heated the piss out of the engine, aka ran it out of coolant, not dex coolant.

the only true statement you made is not to mix dex with other coolants.