zaebis

Folks,

Can anybody enlighten me on this? I just had my radiator replaced (after the accident) and since then I keep replenishing my coolant. First (after rad change) I filled it on full and after about 300 miles the bottle was empty, then I added some to make it on 'full' line again and not it is on 'min' line after 250 miles!? I can see no leaks though. So I was wondering if this is a natural process that after radiator change it takes some time to bleed the cooling system (and therefore frequent need to add coolant) or should I suspect something else? I already added at least 2 quarts so far.

brubenstein

Usually when there is air in the system you can hear a gurgling sound from the coolant and sometimes the temp reads high. If the fluid level stabilizes I would assume that it was just air. If you have to keep adding fluid then it is going somewhere, and something has to be fixed.

Daniel B. Martin

When the new radiator was installed the technician should have completely filled your cooling system. Assuming he did this, you should have no need to replenish the coolant tank.

If your engine is losing coolant it is through an external leak or an internal leak. An external leak should be observable, though some are not easily seen such as a water pump leak. An internal leak may be the result of a bad cylinder head gasket or a cracked engine casting.

I suggest you continue to drive normally and add coolant as required. Check the engine oil dipstick (or drain oil at time of oil change) for any sign of coolant contamination. Search for signs of an external leak. Watch for white smoke in the exhaust which persists beyond the first five minutes of engine operation. Ten days from now post your findings on this forum.