So last night I was looking into the coolant expansion tank of the recently acquired 98 Leggy GT. The coolant was bubbling and looks frothy (err....like the foamed milk on top of a latte?).

 

Is that a sign of the ATF cooler leaking into the coolant passages? If so, what are the odds the coolant is leaking into the ATF (and tranny) as well?

 

Thanks

You have a Headgasket leak. Pretty common on the DOHC 2.5.

 

When cool, open the radiator cap, I bet there is little to no coolant.

 

Cheap route, replace with a 95 2.2 with EGR.

 

If it's been overheated for sometime, it's a gamble on just doing the HG as the bottom end may be damaged.

 

Black, oily stuff in the coolant tank = HG failure on the 96-99 DOHC, at least most of the time.

These usually dont get frothy.

 

Maintenance history?

 

Check radiator after cooled down.

 

Check oil and ATF for discoloration.

 

Radiator failure like you're thinking is rare.

 

HG's very common - but again doesn't make overflow frothy. Makes it full, smell like combustion chamber, and rad itself won't be full.

Previous owner claimed to have the headgasket replaced by a "friend", he left the headgasket kit packaging in the car. Anticipating a botched HG job I did a combustion gas test of the cooling system, stuck the gauge in the expansion bottle, pumped and the test fluid remained blue.

 

Forgot to mention that the ATF levels have been dropping during two short (<5 miles) drives I had done since purchasing the car :-\

 

Will check both ATF and oil again for signs of moisture

 

That being said, if it is indeed a botched HG job I'm not even going to wongleflute around with in, will just shoehorn a used EJ22 from a 95 into it

CHeck the brand on the HG wrapper. Because if it's some off brand if they aren't leaking now it's just a matter of time.