I have a 2003 X-Type

I'm experiencing overheating. Right now, I put water in the reservoir tank because it runs out in a day or so. Is there a certain type of antifreeze that I should be using? Coolant Test was done and no leaks anywhere. Was told it could be the engine going bad. Don't understand that logic.

I've replaced several things like
Radiator
Water Pump
Coolant Cap
Coolant Reservoir
Thermostat
I have some codes that came up. Bank 2 sensor. Cylinder sensors. Misfire

Do any of these codes have anything to do with this overheating?
P0300 Random
P0305
P0306
P1316 Misfire Excessive Emissions Fault
P0430 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold Bank 2

 

Joker7, what part of Maryland are you in? I am down south (south of Waldorf) and if you need help, I can assist you.

As for your issue, I find what you saying making a bit of sense, but it can only lead to one thing. This is where we are going to do 2 tests and see if we can possibly rule it out.

The first test is pretty easy, take the car for a test drive, get it up to temp and then with the engine still running, put the car in park, set the e-brake and then get out and look at the exhaust. Do you see a bit of white smoke/steam coming out? Yes/No It may not be a alot, but do you see some?

Next test (may want to do it before you do the above test): With the engine cold, open the hood, fill the expansion bottle to the hot mark if not slightly above. You want to see the coolant running past the opening in the expansion bottle. With the cap still removed from the expansion bottle, start the car and let it idle. Looking into the opening, do you see bubbles going by? I am not worried about the 1 every minute bubbles. This is going to be fairly obvious (1 every second or so). This is where you may want to also borrow from the local auto parts store a combustion leak detector. In short, it is going to see if you are getting exhaust gases out the expansion tank.. The tester will be in short a 1" diameter tube that you are going to put in place of the expansion tank cap that you are going to fill with a special fluid. As any gases pass through the liquid that you put in the tube that are exhaust gases, it will cause the fluid to change colors.

If you want a test that would confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt, then that would be a compression test of the engine. This is where you would need to remove the intake, remove all 6 spark plugs and then create a little rig to electrically roll the engine with the starter. You then install a gauge into each cylinder (one at a time) and roll the engine for a few seconds (roll until the pressure stabilizes). This will give you a pressure reading of that cylinder. Write down the number and repeat for the next cylinder. The fact of having a high or low number is not of much consideration (within reason) on a well used engine. What you are more interested in is consistent values. Your engine even with say 100K plus miles on it should develop about 150-190 psig in each cylinder. I think what you are going to see is that cylinder 5 is going to be down around say 100 psig when all the others are up at 175 psig. The general rule of thumb is the highest and lowest cylinders should be within 10% of each other. On a well loved engine, you can give it up to say 20%. But, if you are pushing that 20% mark with 5 cylinders being very close to each other and only 1 cylinder being a stand-out, then that stand-out cylinder is your problem child and in this case, you would be looking at a failing head gasket.

Assuming this is the case, what you are seeing is as the cylinder fires, the pressure in the cylinder is above that of the coolant system and it pushes a small amount of exhaust into the coolant system. Then, as the cylinder tries to suck in fresh air and fuel, the pressure in the cylinder drops below that of the coolant system, so, you allow a small amount of coolant to go into the cylinder. This can lead to misfires and when the water goes through the combustion process, it turns to steam and will normally be seen as white "smoke" coming out of the exhaust. BUt, some is normal on a cold exhaust system. that is why you need to get the car up to temp. The extra water in the cylinder drops the cylinder temperature significantly and does not let the exhaust get quite as hot. So, it can be seen leaving the exhaust normally. BUt, this is also a bit based on how much coolant you are losing over a short period of time.

If you have questions or concerns, please let me know.