Coolant valley leak questions? Sort of stuck at Cruise Moab (1 Viewer)

[gr8ful]

Hey all,
We’ve got our 2011 go 460 at Cruise Moab, and we are losing coolant. I replaced the radiator last summer, so I’m just guessing coolant valley leak. But I don’t know for sure.

Is there any way to confirm without just tearing things apart?

Also is it safe to drive back to boulder Colorado if we just take it easy & keep topping off the coolant, or do we risk a catastrophic failure of some sort?
Thanks
Abe

 

[MrTorgue]

Check down both sides of your transmission for signs of fluid leak. Also, and the pink crusty stuff around the back of the engine.

I ran 7k+ miles on a small coolant valley plate leak as long as you have plenty of fluid and you aren't losing a bunch it's safe to drive on. Obviously that's a dynamic variable based on how much is leaking from that AND any place on or around the water pump/thermostat.

 

[Acrad]

Do you see any pink stains on rear of transmission bell housing? If not ...you'd have to take intake manifold or use a borescope..

If it is coolant valley you should be fine to drive while keeping coolant up.... if something like a head gasket then I wouldn't.

Are temps normal? Do you have a tool to monitor temps via OBD? Does oil look normal and not milky?

 

[r2m]

With all due respect, while reminding you that all the radiator and cooling system does is just keep the engine cool. So on that note, the only thing you should be concerned about when driving, either 10 miles or 10,000 miles is just keeping an eye on your engine temp. If you are loosing fluid, depending upon how fast/far you're loosing fluid keep a proportionate amount of fluid and keep it in the back of your vehicle while traveling. There's no limit how far you can drive with any kind of fluid leak so long as you don't let the engine get too hot.
If you have an OBDII dongle and phone app, you can monitor very accurately your engine and transmissions temperatures. If it starts getting a little warm, pull over, let it cool down and add more fluid.
In short, if you're only loosing a wee bit of fluid, you'll be fine going home and tending to it at home.

 

[swild]

An endoscope can let you see very clearly. You just have to place the camera far in the back behind the intake manifold and you'll be able to see pink crud. The rear drivers side might be the easiest entry into that area with the endoscope.

 

[Acrad]

Does OP know how much they topping off and and at how many miles? I had assumed it was catastrophic coolant loss that would have to be replenished at a excessive amount on drive back home.

 

[MrTorgue]

Does OP know how much they topping off and and at how many miles? I had assumed it was catastrophic coolant loss that would have to be replenished at a excessive amount on drive back home.

^ great question