MX-3.com

Ok, so after my car overheated yesterday (see http://www.mx-3.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=40778) I decided it was a good thing to go get it tested for leaks and the sort. I had a compression test done, and a pressure test for the cooling system. The compression test came back great, 175 PSI on all 4 cylinders. The colling system test came back, and I was told theres a possible leak in the system somewhere. They used some sort of dye to see if it was the head gasket. It came back negative. I was told its one of three things.

1) The water pump isnt working effectivly and needs to be replaced.
2) The head gasket is leaking (Godhelp me if it is)
3) The block is cracked (I need a rope, and something sturdy to hang it from)

Its running fine right now. I checked the coolant level tofay after I got home from work, and it was still full after filling it up last night. The temerature guage is just slightly higher then what it normaly was before it overheated (You wouldnt even notice it unless you look at it daily like I do) The engine is running smoothly, but the vlave cover gasket leaks a bit into cylinder #4's plug well, nothing too major and very slow, just needs to be cleaned out every 4 months or so (What else is new, prevents rust!).

I thought I would come and get a second opinion from those who know this these cars the best. What do you guys think?

warped headgasket? Could be that its warped allowing slow coolant leaks, but still holds compression. Cant be 100% though.

Good luck on teh fix.

change thermostat

One other thing I forgot to mention. My fan never turns on. I've never hear it kick in, and while idleing while working on it, even when hot, it never kicks in. Is there a relay somewhwere that controls this?

most likely the reason you overheated in the first place is that you fan aint working. Yes there is a relay, but the location you will have to refer to the shop manual online. Good luck

It could be a hairline crack in the rad end tanks. It took monthe to find this one and it would only spray steam/ fluid when the engine was revved up above 3500 for a few seconds.

That fan is definatly the first place I would be checkin, especially if a lot of your driving is in town under 40 MPH or a lot of stop and go. I've only delt with a couple of headgaskets in my short life on this earth, but usually if your headgasket wants your attention, it will start mixing your oil and antifreeze... giving you a nasty looking radiator and hershey's syrup on your dipstick. Not fun at all.

Is it losing any coolant? If you check it cold, is it lower than usual? Have you done anything with the coolant over flow lines that run to the overflow bottle recently?