Uh Oh! Over Heating - Low Coolant

[PTCrews]

The car has been running great since the timing belt, water pump, etc. was replaced 7,000 miles ago.

The only unusual thing I noticed was there driver's floor was soaked a few times during the fall. I thought it might have be a leak some where and rain water was getting in.

Now I;m wondering if it could have been the heater core. I don't know where it is, but I assume it is on the driver's side.

Testing ahead...

I topped coolant off, and will check for moisture again.

I saw a couple of small drips by the radiator switches. I will monitor that area as well as, along with hoses and the reserevoir.

I will also eventually compression test it.

I sure hope if isn't a head gasket.

[LionPT]

The heater core is dead center behind the radio.

[JoeX]

If you find it is the heater core, evidence will be found under the carpet.
By pass the core in the engine compartment to be able to keep it running and not losing anti-freeze until it is repaired.

[rob302]

do(or did) you SMELL antifreeze in the car when you turn the heat on? i did for a year or more before mine went.

could have been water in the fall.

[PTCrews]

Originally Posted by rob302

do(or did) you SMELL antifreeze in the car when you turn the heat on? i did for a year or more before mine went.

could have been water in the fall.

I don't recall smelling antifreeze last fall when the driver's side floor was wet.

When the car started overheating recently, I smelled antifreeze on the outside of the vehicle.

One funny thing is, my son has been accusing me of farting in the car. LOL Recently, I started smelling an egg like smell as well.

I stop by a shop close to my house and they identified a leak in the radiator.

I will keep an eye on the coolant and swap out the radiator over the next week and keep you all posted.

[chuzz]

That rotten egg smell could be your catalytic converter. If you start losing power you'll need to check it and make sure it's not clogged or coming apart. What year and how many miles?

[rob302]

egg smell is good, means it's working(and working hard).

Originally Posted by PTCrews

One funny thing is, my son has been accusing me of farting in the car. LOL Recently, I started smelling an egg like smell as well.

the smell is the catalytic converter simply getting hotter and burning off deposits caused by cheap fuel or a light foot. i'm a big fan of beating on cars once in a while to clean things out. you might try a few tanks of gas from a different/better gas station and get a little more heavy footed high rpm time in. the smell should go away.

or... your MPG is under 20 and your o2's are original, it may be time to replace them. they get lazy with age. I'M NOT SAYING TO GO BUY PARTS but if it's in your budget and they're old, it might be time.

when i say lazy, i mean like the graph here. i changed the passenger side o2 on my mustang and not the driver side, then i drove around and analyzed my datalog afterwards. the yellow line is the original hego sensor, the white is a brand new replacement. you see the yellow line TRYING to respond, but the voltage most of the time never makes it to the o2 switching point. my calibration has the o2 set to switch from lean to rich at 0.3v, so all those little peaks at the bottom the car ignores, thinks it's running lean, and adds fuel until the peaks exceed 0.3v. on a PT i would guess the o2's switch somewhere closer to 0.5v so there would be even more of an effect.

not trying to play scientist and i'm not a mechanic, but i found this eye opening. i'd hear about it, but never actually had it sink in until i saw it.

^ even though that isn't working so good, it won't throw a code until the yellow never reaches the switching point.