unknowingly, i ran my car with no coolant. i have no idea for how long. how do i check for engine damage?

Question

i have a 90 mustang lx. it has always run "warm" and before i knew anything about cars, id just put water in because coolant seemed to disappear. i replaced the thermostat and water pump last year (water pump failed), and put in coolant. apparently the coolant must have all drained because recently i noticed there was little to none. the car still runs, and it seems to run fine. how do i know if there is engine damage? how can i check? i was planning on taking a big trip in the summer, but i want to know the condition of my engine

Answer 1

Stick you key in the ignition and turn it. If the engine cranks and the temperture gauge stays within normal limits, the engine is fine. As always, before any long trip, have the car checked out by a mechanic.

Answer 2

First, coolant doesn't just disappear - I have gone over 100,000 miles in the past with having to top off the coolant. If you can't find a leak (always check with a hot engine - that way you can find the small leaks that only dribble under pressure), then you may have a blown head gasket (when this happens, the coolant leaks into the cylinders and gets pushed out the exhaust pipe as steam - but hot enough and slowly enough that it isn't always visible.) Don't leave it - they can only get worse, and stop leak will not seal it.

Next, the engine. Do you leak oil? This is common with a major overheat, as the gaskets will dry out or burn off. If it runs smoothly, and keeps to the normal temperature range, you are probably safe.

Also, if you're going to do a big trip, then change your oil - and look at the old oil. Stir it up with a magnet attached to a screwdriver - make sure you stir the very bottom, too. Look at the magnet. If you see a lot of metal filings stuck to the magnet, then the bearings are shot. This is very bad, but better than having the engine die in the middle of your trip.

Good luck!

Answer 3

The first thing you need to do is check for a coolant leak. It has to be going somewhere. Add the 50/50 coolant mix to your radiator. Make sure it is full. Drive it for a day or two and check the coolant level. If it is low, look for leaks. Check the hoses for marks left by pinhole leaks. Check for a sweet coolant smell after letting it heat up to running temperature. If it is not overheating, you don't smell any coolant, and you don't see any leaks... you should be fine. Always take a gallon of water with you on any long trip, no matter how your car is acting. Also, the #1 reason most people get stranded is because of a bad battery. Get it tested for free at just about any major parts store the day before you leave.

Answer 4

i ran out of coolant and filled it up. Car ran fine this morning without overheating but I just checked it now and the coolant is low again. Its making a gurgling sound for around 2-3 seconds then stops gurgling. sounds like an air block in the coolant system. how do I fix this.

Answer 5

Chances are that if your engine is now running at normal temperature, your coolant level remains constant and you don't hear any unusual noises everything is OK.

If the coolant level still drops mysteriously, and it runs hot - you could have a blown head gasket or a cracked head. To be sure, have a compression check done on your engine and a pressure check on your coolant system.

Answer 6

There are specific tests done by mechanics to check for overheating of engines. One is the TK test in which the steam in the cooling system from normal operating engine is tested for CO emissions. A simpler test is removing the oil filler cap and inspecting for a toffee coloured sludge build up in the cap. At the same time checking if there is oil in the cooling system. If either is present, the engine's head gasket is most probably damaged by overheating.

Answer 7

an excellent mechanic ought to degree the actually coolant temp and evaluate it to the sensor reader on a specialist grade test device. If the temp is more beneficial than the test device exhibits, that ought to warrant replacing the sensor. If the actually temp is low and paired the sensor interpreting, then the placement lies elsewhere. The chilly commence difficulty exhibits that it ought to no longer the coolant temp sensor. even as the engine is chilly, the european runs the engine in "open loop" mode, and forces the ignition timing and air-gasoline mixture in accordance with an inner table of preset values. even as the engine warms up, notwithstanding,the european calculates the mixture and ignition from interpreting taken from a number of sensors a danger issues except the coolant temp sensor are: Vacuum leak or air leak between the air filter out housing and throttle body, undesirable thermostat sensor creep in the IAT, O2, and MAP/BAP sensors (if so geared up corroded or damaged sensor wiring. undesirable plugs or plug wires