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Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHCoolant loss on freeway - what should I expect?
Reported or suspected cause
specific joint failure and relatively cheap
Reported cause
No successful repair reported for this finding.
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Suspected cause
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Reported fixes
Read evidence and context
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Discussions that report identifying a cause
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Reported cause
My issue was a specific joint failure and relatively cheap to fix - at least before I learned the coil packs were cracked & flooded, causing misfires under throttle.
Leading evidence: 'specific joint failure and relatively cheap' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'specific joint failure and relatively cheap' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Replace along' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
My belt was ruined thanks to a partially tightened tensioner pulley & the fix was $25 plus an elective replacement of the secondary tensioner pulley (changed from plastic to steel).
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
It ended up being about $4500, since I had a few other things - squeaky drive belt rollers, intermittently faulty oil pressure switch, low temperature thermostat - replaced while they were in there anyway.
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Suggestion
Have to replace some power steering hoses due to leak(unrelated) so all told it will be just about $2000.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
My belt was ruined thanks to a partially tightened tensioner pulley & the fix was $25 plus an elective replacement of the secondary tensioner pulley (changed from plastic to steel).
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
It ended up being about $4500, since I had a few other things - squeaky drive belt rollers, intermittently faulty oil pressure switch, low temperature thermostat - replaced while they were in there anyway.
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Suggestion
I'm curious about item #3, because on a normal car, if the alternator fails, the battery can continue to run the car for a potentially long time - I'm guessing anywhere from 30 mins to several hours before the battery gives up.
These are separate views of the same evidence. Frequency alone does not establish a fix, and these counts must not be added together.
specific joint failure and relatively cheap
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
Read evidence and context
Discussions that report identifying a cause
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Reported cause
My issue was a specific joint failure and relatively cheap to fix - at least before I learned the coil packs were cracked & flooded, causing misfires under throttle.
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
28 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261026T052503Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
A couple hours ago, I exited I5-SB at El Toro road, almost made it to the light, my engine died, and a bunch of steam started spewing from the deck lid. After getting a push to the gas station (in neutral) I called AAA, arranged for a flatbed tow to Callas Rennsport, and took a look in and under the back.
My accessory belt is shredded (and it was fine when I checked 2 months ago) and I have no coolant in the expansion tank.
I figure, best case scenario I need a new coolant pump (which is sitting in a box on my desk and was going to be tomorrow's project, of course), coolant lines (not sitting in a box on my desk), and belt (sitting in the box with the coolant pump).
There were no funny noises until a "thunk" on the off ramp, and it's been behaving beautifully for the couple thousand miles since my last oil change. I had the IMS Solution installed last fall so I'm not too worried about cam shenanigans.
What sort of additional damage might I be looking at?
if this was a blown coolant res or hose your belt would be fine, did you closely watch your temp gauge prior to failure?
Guessing perhaps your water pump failed badly or maybe you ran over debris which shot up into the underside took out a hose and shredded the belt.
It was hovering around 180F every time I looked, including right when it stopped. What I don't know is *why* it stopped...
Here's hoping that's all it was!
Do you have any engine codes? Any idea how long the car ran at max thermostat temp (~221F) after the belt went out? Do you know which coolant pipe failed?
I've had a coolant fountain in the engine compartment (February this year) but I pulled over and shut it down before the coolant dropped to the point of triggering the warning on the dash. My issue was a specific joint failure and relatively cheap to fix - at least before I learned the coil packs were cracked & flooded, causing misfires under throttle. An OBDII code reader was very helpful in limiting risk & getting it back healthy.
Another time when a belt was getting chewed up I noticed some funny idling & discovered the problem early. My belt was ruined thanks to a partially tightened tensioner pulley & the fix was $25 plus an elective replacement of the secondary tensioner pulley (changed from plastic to steel).
Neither of these things caused serious damage, but the coil packs & plugs needed replacement due to being old & compromised by coolant. The more information you can get, the better those more informed than me can help. gl
No codes on the dash beyond "low coolant" and the oil check returned full; I don't have a durametric, my OBD reader is at home, and the car's at Callas. The car couldn't have been at 212 more than a couple minutes - I remember it being at 180 when I merged from I-405 to I-5.
No idea which pipe or anything - it wasn't one of the ones I could see.
Sorry I don't have much information - this caught me quite flat-footed.
Tony did my IMSS; I saw no reason to find someone else to work with since he's local.
Honestly the timing is pretty good; I'm on business travel for the next couple weeks so I don't need the car then anyway.
My guess is:
1. Your water pup seized which shredded the belt.
2. The thunk was the shredded belt hitting things in the engine bay.
3. The coolant is down because it leaked/blew out via the shaft and weep hole of the pump.
Update!
1) Water pump bearing failed and impeller fell to pieces.
2) Belt got all sorts of caught on errything.
3) The car stopped because voltage dropped too low for the spark plugs to fire.
4) They were able to find all the pieces of impeller right there in the cavity.
5) Hoses etc are fine.
Phew!
No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!
And in case it hasn't been said enough already, if you don't know the last time your water pump was changed out, change it now. They're not kidding about the sudden failures, and I got incredibly lucky that all the bits and pieces were right there instead of clogging some coolant port in the head.
Has everything been repaired? I'm curious about item #3, because on a normal car, if the alternator fails, the battery can continue to run the car for a potentially long time - I'm guessing anywhere from 30 mins to several hours before the battery gives up. That seems like time enough to get the engine quite hot.
I just had a very similar experience tonite. Had to get it flat bedded to my local shop and need to wait until Monday before i find out more. What did this cost you ?
Oof, sorry to hear that.
It ended up being about $4500, since I had a few other things - squeaky drive belt rollers, intermittently faulty oil pressure switch, low temperature thermostat - replaced while they were in there anyway. Just the water pump-failure-related parts and labor came to about $2500.
Just heard back and it was indeed the water pump. Need to replace along with thermostat. Have to replace some power steering hoses due to leak(unrelated) so all told it will be just about $2000.
It was done by a shop that knows what they are doing. Paying for knowledge and the comfort of knowing it was done absolutely right.
but yeah, water pump, t-stat, coolant and gaskets is maybe $500 of parts. That leaves ~$2000 labor for a water pump. That seems rich to me.
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