can coolant evaporate? or is it leaking?
11-10-2006, 10:02 AM
#1
can coolant evaporate? or is it leaking?
ive had my car for about 2.5 years, about a year ago i noticed the coolant level in the reservour was a bit low, i added about 4-6 oz. now i noticed the same thing, added about 4 more oz, but i dont see any leaks anywhere. is this normal? does it get burned off, or the water in it evaporates somehow??
11-10-2006, 10:23 AM
#2
No, coolant is not consumed...it is a closed, pressurized system.
So, it is going somewhere...either into the engine oil, which would be obvious by looking/smelling the oil on your dipstick or leaking through a pinhole in a hose/near a hoseclamp or by your radiator cap.
If your engine oil is milk chocolate brown and has traces of a milky white film, you likely have coolant leaking into your oil via a bad head gasket, cracked head or some other means (this is bad and expensive to fix). The more likely culpret is the radiator cap or hoses. Look for the obvious signs of coolant leakage (wet, green, sweet smelling liquid in the engine compartment/undercarriage) or the less obvious, and more likely, in your case (a slow leak), a white residue in the engine compartment. Typical areas are around the radiator filler neck or anywhere coolant hoses travel or are connected.
So, it is going somewhere...either into the engine oil, which would be obvious by looking/smelling the oil on your dipstick or leaking through a pinhole in a hose/near a hoseclamp or by your radiator cap.
If your engine oil is milk chocolate brown and has traces of a milky white film, you likely have coolant leaking into your oil via a bad head gasket, cracked head or some other means (this is bad and expensive to fix). The more likely culpret is the radiator cap or hoses. Look for the obvious signs of coolant leakage (wet, green, sweet smelling liquid in the engine compartment/undercarriage) or the less obvious, and more likely, in your case (a slow leak), a white residue in the engine compartment. Typical areas are around the radiator filler neck or anywhere coolant hoses travel or are connected.
11-10-2006, 07:52 PM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 601
Originally Posted by super6
ive had my car for about 2.5 years, about a year ago i noticed the coolant level in the reservour was a bit low, i added about 4-6 oz. now i noticed the same thing, added about 4 more oz, but i dont see any leaks anywhere. is this normal? does it get burned off, or the water in it evaporates somehow??
11-10-2006, 08:18 PM
#4
Originally Posted by Maxfli
No, coolant is not consumed...it is a closed, pressurized system.
So, it is going somewhere...either into the engine oil, which would be obvious by looking/smelling the oil on your dipstick or leaking through a pinhole in a hose/near a hoseclamp or by your radiator cap.
If your engine oil is milk chocolate brown and has traces of a milky white film, you likely have coolant leaking into your oil via a bad head gasket, cracked head or some other means (this is bad and expensive to fix). The more likely culpret is the radiator cap or hoses. Look for the obvious signs of coolant leakage (wet, green, sweet smelling liquid in the engine compartment/undercarriage) or the less obvious, and more likely, in your case (a slow leak), a white residue in the engine compartment. Typical areas are around the radiator filler neck or anywhere coolant hoses travel or are connected.
So, it is going somewhere...either into the engine oil, which would be obvious by looking/smelling the oil on your dipstick or leaking through a pinhole in a hose/near a hoseclamp or by your radiator cap.
If your engine oil is milk chocolate brown and has traces of a milky white film, you likely have coolant leaking into your oil via a bad head gasket, cracked head or some other means (this is bad and expensive to fix). The more likely culpret is the radiator cap or hoses. Look for the obvious signs of coolant leakage (wet, green, sweet smelling liquid in the engine compartment/undercarriage) or the less obvious, and more likely, in your case (a slow leak), a white residue in the engine compartment. Typical areas are around the radiator filler neck or anywhere coolant hoses travel or are connected.
11-11-2006, 12:40 PM
#6
Damn... I was about to post something just like that.... I recently realized my coolant level in the LOWER level line (at the coolant reservoir) and when I lasted checked (2 years ago) the level was the the MAXIMUM level line.
Not that much had "disappeared" but I wanted to know if it was normal. The coolant in the reservois looks shining green, not milky or oily.
Not that much had "disappeared" but I wanted to know if it was normal. The coolant in the reservois looks shining green, not milky or oily.
11-12-2006, 11:09 AM
#8
In my honda accord that i now sold, there was a radiator leak causing symptoms similar to what you are saying.
These radiators with their metal and plastic design tend to fail after sometime.
What you may want to check is the hoses etc to confirm there are no small leaks??
unlike my bmw that has an open cooling system and needs some coolant top up every 2-3 months, in my 6 months as a maxima owner i have not seen the coolant dropping its level even after 132K miles. The previous owner did do the radiator, t-stat and hoses at 120K as part of a small leak near the neck of the radiator.
These radiators with their metal and plastic design tend to fail after sometime.
What you may want to check is the hoses etc to confirm there are no small leaks??
unlike my bmw that has an open cooling system and needs some coolant top up every 2-3 months, in my 6 months as a maxima owner i have not seen the coolant dropping its level even after 132K miles. The previous owner did do the radiator, t-stat and hoses at 120K as part of a small leak near the neck of the radiator.
11-12-2006, 06:41 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 601
Originally Posted by ottomatic
Are you comparing coolant levels of two hot engines?
Or did you compare hot and cold levels?
It takes a while for all the coolant to drain back into the reservoir.
Or did you compare hot and cold levels?
It takes a while for all the coolant to drain back into the reservoir.
Cold or hot usually goes between min or high.
I rarely have to top up on services these motors. Same with the 5.5s. Now the 04s and up are a diff story and same with pathfinders and xterras or 2.5 altimas.
11-13-2006, 04:28 AM
#10
Originally Posted by NisTech
The coolant only drains back when it's hot at a certain PSI. Hotter =more psi then rad cap opens to let it out of the system.
11-13-2006, 06:27 AM
#11
Originally Posted by super6
so then coolant level may appear to be lower because its gotten colder outside?
So if i read UPPER Level during the summer, and now during the winter it is on the Lower mark, then it is normal?!
11-13-2006, 08:23 PM
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 601
it mostly fluctuates with engine temperature rather than outside.
Now if u have slightly overfilled that worst case scenario it will leak out of that dummy bottle if engine worms up really hot just a little. Nothing to worry. If it's slightly under low just top up. Not to worry on being perfect.
Roughly in 2-3 oil changes it shouldn't go down more that 2-3 fingers. That's what i ment
Now if u have slightly overfilled that worst case scenario it will leak out of that dummy bottle if engine worms up really hot just a little. Nothing to worry. If it's slightly under low just top up. Not to worry on being perfect.
Roughly in 2-3 oil changes it shouldn't go down more that 2-3 fingers. That's what i ment
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