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1999 Chrysler LHS "spewing" coolant from the reservoir
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Starion
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Nov 15, 2010, 3:01 PM
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1999 Chrysler LHS "spewing" coolant from the reservoir
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Year: 1999
Make: Chrysler
Model: LHS
Engine Size: 3.5-liter V-6
Miles: 179k
Hi! Basically my problem is thus: The coolant reservoir (I think it's called, from various Google searches that term seems to pop up the most) was "spewing", like a tea kettle going off, coolant. It was idling at the time, and had been doing so for about 5 minutes (was just making a quick stop at home to grab some supplies then head to work), after having been driven on the highway (65-70mph speeds) for about 2 hours.
There is a hole in the tank (where it was spitting from), but it appears to be a very "intentional" hole, i.e., it's not a puncture or a worn spot. Cell Phone Picture of the hole.
The major possible lead up is, well, that I hit a deer last week. The damage, though, had appeared mostly cosmetic (Overall Picture of the Damage). The speeds were high (around 65mph, on the highway) but we both turned in opposite directions and it was more of a glancing blow.
For now, the only thing I've done is let it cool off, then start it up again. Everything seems to be running okay. I ran the AC to max and let it sit for about 10 minutes; the dashboard temps went up slightly, but still below the "half-way" point on the gauge. If nothing else, I assume I need to replace the lost coolant, but if I don't know what caused the problem, it is of course just going to happen again.
EDIT: Also, I checked the spilled coolant and the oil; the oil is still black and the coolant appeared relatively clear/white. I don't know if it's important, but it was one of the things my initial Google wanderings brought up.
If anyone has any insight or suggestions, I would truly appreciate it. Thank you!
-Starion
(This post was edited by Starion on Nov 15, 2010, 3:06 PM)
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Sidom
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/ Moderator
Nov 15, 2010, 4:17 PM
Post #2 of 9
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Re: 1999 Chrysler LHS "spewing" coolant from the reservoir
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The coolant needs to be topped off and then going off the symptoms I would run the engine at idle and make sure the cooling fans are coming on without the assist of the a/c system.
You may need a new reservior, I don't recall any vents where your picture shows and that reservoir is part of the pressurized system unlike some reservoirs that are just overflow tanks.....
Just have to add this but you do realize that the color of oil shouldn't be black but more of a clear light brown to golden color?
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Starion
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Nov 15, 2010, 7:16 PM
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Re: 1999 Chrysler LHS "spewing" coolant from the reservoir
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(This post was edited by Starion on Nov 15, 2010, 7:19 PM)
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Starion
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Nov 15, 2010, 8:02 PM
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Re: 1999 Chrysler LHS "spewing" coolant from the reservoir
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Ack, sorry! I had a nice reply typed out, but when I hit post the only thing that posted was me quoting you. It looked silly, and I couldn't find a delete post button anywhere. So I did that until I could get back to the computer.
Okay, so, I've topped off the coolant, and let the engine idle for about ten minutes with the AC off. Silly question though...what am I looking for with regards to the "Cooling fans"? I know of one fan, that sits between the grill and the radiator, but that's about all I'm aware of (go super car knowledge). That fan wasn't spinning, though I don't know what temperature the engine has to get to before it spins up (ambient temperature, aka the outside temperature, was 55F, and at night, for what it's worth). I even drove it down to the corner gas station for a fill up; no spewing precious fluids, but when I got back the fan still wasn't spinning up.
I'm even more worried about that reservoir now, with it's inexplicable hole. It really looks like it's meant to be there, but also as you said, it doesn't appear to be just an overflow tank, so I don't know how it could maintain pressure. Could it have been plugged with something before?
As for the oil, yea. I completely misspoke, I really should have said "The oil looked like oil". It was changed last week, I would hope that it hadn't turned tar black already.
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Sidom
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/ Moderator
Nov 15, 2010, 8:22 PM
Post #6 of 9
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Re: 1999 Chrysler LHS "spewing" coolant from the reservoir
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Well it helps to have a scanner to be able to see the temp the computer sees but isn't totally necessary. Basically most cars fans will come on when the coolant temp reaches around 225°.
What you are looking for is the fan to come on by itself at that temp. If you turn the a/c on, this can cause the fans to turn on, you want to be sure the engine temp is turning the fans on not the a/c...
So you start it up and just let it sit and run, keeping an eye on your temp gauge. I would let it get all the way up to 3/4s before shutting the engine off due to no fans. You can't drive it because now you are getting cool air flow thru the rad so it may not need the fans...
Sitting there running, with no a/c the fans should come on when the temp gauge is somewhere around 1/2, let it go all the way to 3/4, if there is still no fans, then this is the 1st problem that needs to be solved.....
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Starion
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Nov 15, 2010, 10:06 PM
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Re: 1999 Chrysler LHS "spewing" coolant from the reservoir
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Aaaaannnnddd there's the first problem. Took about 45 minutes of idling, but yea, the radiator fan never kicked on. I start watching it past the 1/2 mark, and eventually shut down at the 3/4 like you said.
So more questions!
I'm not particularly car savvy at all, but I do build/repair computers for fun, including fan installs. Any chance of that experience generalizing over to here? You pretty much just plug the fan into a 4-pin molex connector (for most case fans, anyway) and screw it in. How much crazier will a radiator fan be? Could I buy the parts from a local shop (Pep Boys, etc), or is it pretty model specific? Could the problem be more systemic?
In the mean time, temps over the next 4 days aren't supposed to get above 65F, could the car manage without the fan for that long until I get to work on it on a day off (Thursday afternoon)? I suspect it could, since presumably it has for the last week (when I clipped the deer), but I'm not sure what "wear and tear" might be like by doing so. My driving is almost all highway, about 250 miles/day (with about 15 minutes in city).
I'm still not sure what the rapid expulsion of the fluids was about, I guess if that happens again with temps in the normal range (I was kind of freaked out, I regret not checking the temp gauge before I shut the car down), I'm in trouble.
Well, thanks for you're help!
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Sidom
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Nov 16, 2010, 9:37 PM
Post #8 of 9
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Re: 1999 Chrysler LHS "spewing" coolant from the reservoir
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Personally before I'd started chasing this problem down I would want to look at a data stream and verify for sure the temp is going up past 210° and the fans aren't coming on....... I've seen dash gauges get skewed before where they go up past 3/4 before the fans come on but the temp is range. If the temp is in range then you don't want to be taking the temp up that high..
If I remember you said the fans came on with the a/c so that would mean the fans are good. There is a couple of relays in the box under the hood for high & low speeds that comp ground when there are needed, you could try swapping them with similar relays in the box and see if that makes the fans come on....
The engine really needs the fans while sitting still. While driving you get air flow which is usually enough for cooling but it's risky driving with no fans and you would really need to keep an eye on the temp......
I rolled the dice once in a 115° heat when a cooling fan module went out. I had to go 70 miles on a busy CA freeway to avoid a tow bill (this was all while I was getting screamed at cuz of course the module failing was my fault  )..... I knew if I hit traffic I was screwed.. I got lucky & made it but knew the risk I was running...
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Nov 17, 2010, 3:33 AM
Post #9 of 9
(4265 views)
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Re: 1999 Chrysler LHS "spewing" coolant from the reservoir
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This is a 2 speed fan system low speed kicks at 216 and high speed at 230 so it's always possible that it's missing low speed only.
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