My car just started overheating last night(96 disco with black coolant tank).

I popped the hood and saw hot coolant spewing from the seam on the tank.

Is the car overheating because of the tank leak, or is the tank leaking a symptom of a bigger problem?

Thank you in advance!

 

Not to hijack my own thread, but I have a question.... it's getting chilly up here in the northeast, and soon will be downright cold. I am currently running Rotella 15-40, would you recommend something lighter like 10-40 or 10-30 for the winter ? It's oil change time.

 

abran - it is overheating because of loss of coolant. Don't drive until resolved. You could easily be a gallon or more low. Once coolant is so low that it is not touching the temperature sender, you'll think things are not that bad. But they are much worse, steam does not carry away heat like water.

As for oil, many use 15W40 year round, and some in the frost zone use 5W40 Rotella. It is the first number that makes cranking easier. I'm not sure how much difference you would see in 10W vs 15W.

 

Thanks Savannahbuzz! I'm off to the junkyard..

Abran

 

Thanks, I'll do a little research on the 5W. Always been concerned about the level of protection that actually provides at startup

 

Got the white / translucent $46 aftermarket tank and cap from AB today, ordered it with standard ground UPS and it came next day ! It's like Christmas in October. Definitely has a cheaper look and feel than OE, but fits fine and seems to be holding its own. Will be keeping a watchful eye on it tho