Help - Backward coolant levels.....

[jimbob_s]

Hi all,

I'm experiencing something odd with my coolant level. I checked it yesterday when it was cold and it was a lot lower than the normal min-mark. I checked it again when it was warm, and I could see no coolant in the header tank at all....

I topped it up to the min mark, and took it for a run, but when I checked it warm again, it was maybe an inch or 2 BELOW the min mark.

Anybody got any ideas as to what could be going on here? I cant see any evidence of leaks, oil contamination etc...

Cheers
James


>> Edited by jimbob_s on Monday 8th August 19:38

>> Edited by jimbob_s on Monday 8th August 19:54

[jrchannon]

Age of car?

Mileage?

Possible Head Gasket Failure - what you're describing is the first symptom which I experienced.

[jimbob_s]

Car is a 98, with 46k miles

I topped up the coolant to the min mark last night, and after a stop-start drive home in traffic, it appears to have used the lot... Not looking good is it...

The car did have a problem with the inlet manifold gasket before I bought it, but this had been fixed. I'm hoping it's a re-occurrence of that, rather than the head gasket :-/

[cuzza]

Sounds more like a leaking hose - check in the engine bay and all the rad pipes, also look under the car for puddles of coolant.

Is there any water on the dipstick or under the oil filler cap or even any mayo type stuff?

[S Works]

Agree with cuzza - if it was HGF the temp would be going all over the place and you'd be spreading the contents of the engine on your sarnies.

Sounds like a leak in the system if the temp is not going

[rfoster]

Sounds like it's probably a leaking hose if it's getting through that much coolant. As Lord Scuffham pointed out to me recently, it could be the inlet manifold gasket although unlikely if it's recently been replaced. You can check this by removing the spark plugs from cylinders 1+4 and checking for signs of corrosion. If there's moer on either of these than on spark plugs 2+3 then it could be that gasket again. I had this only recently and the engine ran lumpy when starting for 10 seconds or so, and then I experienced a fair amount of smoke from the exhaust for another minute or so (which was the coolant being burnt off.)

[jimbob_s]

I had a good look round this morning. No apparent signs of leaks or puddles, and filler cap and dipstick are fine...

It's got to be going somewhere though :-/

Engine seems to be running normally, temp got up to 100 on the way home yesterday, but that it was 7 miles of walking pace traffic in the heat...

[jrchannon]

I initially had coolant diappaearing with no temp changes.

Soon find out if it's HGF - as it can only get worse.

Checking for pools of coolant after it's been parked up overnight and the system topped up is a good suggestion.

[cuzza]

YOu might not get puddles of coolant if it's only a minor leak that opens when the system is hot and therefore pressurised. Best thing to do is get the coolant tested by a garage - if there are exhaust gasses in the coolant then it's HGF.

[jimbob_s]

Thanks for the help guys.

Well, I filled the header to the min mark again this eve, and let the car idle for a while, until the temp had reached about 45 degrees. The coolant level had dropped about half an inch by that point, so I switched it off.

Still no idea where it's going, so I've booked her into Sinclairs for investigation next week.

No Elise this weekend though