Pinto Car Club of America

I moved the yellow Pinto from the patio to the driveway for a possible sale. However, when it gets barely warm it pukes out about a quart of antifreeze. What's up with this? How do I solve this? It's been doing this since I drained the antifreeze to install a sensor and filled it back up.

Well, obvious possibility is too much coolant.

Did you burb the system when you refilled it after emptying it?

Are you using an overflow bottle?

Probably all way too obvious, but all I can come up with right now.

Russ

How do you burp a Pinto?

Just start it up without the cap and run it for a short while, traped air should rise to the top of the rad. Or the problem could be a blown head gasket. Pull the spark plugs to check for this. If the plugs are wet with coolant there is your problem.

If you're not using an expansion tank, then topping the radiator will cause it to push out quite a bit of coolant when the engine comes up to temp.

A blown head gasket can manifest as foamy coolant and possibly an exhaust odor from it as well.

On other Ford's at least it helps to raise the front of the car while burping. Oh, turn the heater on MAX also. That burps the whole thing.

And yes to the spitting out if you fill it to the top without a expansion bottle. the actual fill mark is what, an inch or two below the top on the cars that didn't have the expansion stuff. I didn't know that until recently.

If you have the cap off the radiator if the fluid looks bubbly when it is moving there is air coming from somewhere. Probably a head gasket leak if you've burped it.

Russ

If the thermostat is now stuck closed you could just be boiling over. How water vapor takes up allot more volume than just antifreeze. worth a try.