Radiator leak and starting problem ???

[andybs]

Hi,

While driving 99 camry, 4cyl, 165,000 miles on freeway, there was some hissing sound as if there was flat or some belt was being released, I pulled over immediately within seconds.

Tires were okay, opened hood, there was some smoke near belts but all exposed belts were intact, engine oil/tranny oil levels were okay, large radiator hoses were fine/radiator reservoir was full, looked under car there was leaking of fluid. Checked again found there was no fluid in radiator, then thought of starting car, made little noise but will not start. Do not know, what is going on, any prompt advices to this challenging problem please ?

Thanks

[RIP]

Hi,
Could start with filling the radiator and pressure test the system with a hand held tester you can sign out from an Autozone or the like. It will pressurise the system and hopefully reveal exactly where the leak is. If the radiator has a pinhole you can have it repaired. If its cracked, repair is iffy.

You may have blown a headgasket. Did you notice any white smoke out the tail pipe as you pulled over? Not always but many times exhaust will blow through the gasket into the cooling system so fast that the pressure overwhelms the radiator cap vent valve that is supposed to vent pressure/coolant into the coolant bottle. Pressure has to go somewhere so the weakest point in the radiator bursts. This may explain the empty radiator, full coolant bottle, and no start. If this is the case you have to have the gasket and radiator replaced and maybe the head if it's warped or cracked.

Your water pump may have siezed and taken out your timing belt. If so, the pump case may have cracked, draining the radiator, leaving the coolant bottle full, and keeping the car from starting. Happened to my daughter a few years back. Pour some water in the radiator and watch for a leak at the pump. You probably don't have one but open the distributor cap, watch the ignition rotor and see if it rotates as you crank the engine. If it doesn't, the timing belt is broke. A high speed spin noise instead of the normal cranking noise as you crank the engine indicates the same. If this is the case, your engine should be fine after replacing the water pump and timing belt.

[andybs]

Thanks RIP for taking time to reply to my post, I looked desperately for solution yesterday. Your third paragraph nalied the problem, it was water pump bearings which gave up probably causing pump to wobble and worn the timing belt, draining the radiator, leaving the coolant bottle full, and keeping the car from starting. I am lucky to have engine fine and running now, otherwise this thing came out of the blue with no warning i.e. any leaks from water pump and caused lots of challenges.
I appreciate you guys valuable input to help thousands of people in these tough times.
Thanks

[alltoyotalexus]

Can you tell me approximate which area of the radiator compartment the leaks come from? To be honest, it could be a simple as a bad coolant hose and a leaking valve cover gasket. However, it could need a headgasket. I would recommend you to place a dye in one area at a time. For example, the cooling system. After driving the car, they could recheck it with a black light and the dye will glow and help them identify where it is coming from. After that, they could do it with the engine oil. Don't allow them to do both at the same time.

[RIP]

Originally Posted by andybs

Thanks RIP for taking time to reply to my post, I looked desperately for solution yesterday. Your third paragraph nalied the problem, it was water pump bearings which gave up probably causing pump to wobble and worn the timing belt, draining the radiator, leaving the coolant bottle full, and keeping the car from starting. I am lucky to have engine fine and running now, otherwise this thing came out of the blue with no warning i.e. any leaks from water pump and caused lots of challenges.
I appreciate you guys valuable input to help thousands of people in these tough times.
Thanks

Happy to help. Consider changing the water pump anytime you change the timing belt. I've read that recommendation many times.