On Jul 3, 6:14*am, jim beam <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
> BT wrote:
> >
> > Original radiator. And still in good condition according to the
> > dealer. All hoses are fine too. Their hypothesis is that the
> > thermostat went bad.
>
> if the thermostat goes bad, the gauge will show. *if the coolant level
> drops, the gauge frequently won't. *as grumpy says, with the engine
> cold, you need to regularly check coolant level in the radiator, /not/
> the expansion reservoir - any leaking means the bottle stays the same,
> but the coolant in the radiator disappears.

Good call. The last time I checked the radiator itself was about 4
weeks ago when I did an oil change. It was fine at that time. And the
dealer said the coolant level was fine when they checked it. They also
couldn't find anything wrong with the thermostat, but suspect it was
stuck at some time, which may have caused the damage. This would be
the original thermostat. How long are they expected to last?

I dunno. It seems like the head gasket just gave up the ghost because
of age or something. Do they have an expected life-span?

BT