Hey guys,

I recently bought my first s2k - an '05 ss w/ 58k about 3 weeks ago. Driving it around town it has been great and I've had no issues.

I recently took it on its first long(er) trip, approximately 3 hours of driving, mostly highway. When I was almost to my destination I noticed beads of coolant leaking up from the cracks between the hood & fender. Engine temp was still at normal levels - I parked about 20 minutes later and opened the hood to see coolant basically everywhere. I found that the cap on the radiator was very loose - I could turn it by barely touching it, it is supposed to be pressurized and tight right? I checked the reservoir and it still had about 1/5 of a tank left. I checked all the hoses and they all seem tight and i can't see any of them cracking. The fan seems to have blown the coolant everywhere so it's hard to tell where the source is...

I re-tightened the cap and was able to make it home with no further issues. The cap was still tight when I got home, though it was hard to tell if any additional coolant had leaked during the return trip since it was already all over the engine bay.

Anyone have any idea how I can figure out the problem? One additional note - is that I installed a k&n CAI about a week ago, in case it is relevant, though I don't think it is...

I don't have a great pic, but here is one that shows how far the coolant was sprayed:

 

Get a pressure tester and pressurize the cooling system via the radiator fill. This will tell you if you have any leaks anywhere or if it was simply a result of your cap being loose. Good luck!

 

This happened on my truck. The radiator cap has to be tightened until it can't be turned anymore, then you have to push down on it and get it over the "hump" to lock it on the other side of the hump.

Otherwise, when the radiator lifts (~20 psi or whatever) it will spew coolant through the seal and all over your engine.

If it's in the correct position, you should not be able to tighten or loosen it normally, you have to physically depress the cap and get it over the hump before it will loosen.

 

Thanks both - I'm going to clean my engine bay and make sure the cap is tightened based on your description jkelley and see if I can tell if some coolant is still leaking out... I should probably pressure test the radiator to be safe, though I don't particularly want to spend $100 to get the kit if that isn't the problem :\ since I won't really have much other use for it.

 

You can "rent" a pressure test kit at most auto part stores. By "rent" I mean you leave a deposit for the entire cost of the kit ( in case you swipe it). You get a full refund when you return it. Call around; I use a local Riley's for all kinds of things.

Utah

P.S. They do this service for many tools in hopes you will buy what you need from them after you diagnose the issue.