Coolant buzzer went off, cant see leaks or smoke
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From: Philly | PA
Coolant buzzer went off, cant see leaks or smoke
Alright, my coolany buzzer went off when I started my car today. Wierd, I thought to myself since I havent seen any leaks or smoke in who knows how long. So I added some water and when on, everything seems fine. But, why did this happen?
Rotary Freak
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: Ames, IA
Slow leak?
Where did you add water? The reserve tank, or the main fill cap (after letting the engine cool)?
If the coolant buzzer goes off and you haven't messed with the cooling system for a while, you have either a leak or a bad sensor, usually a leak. Get the engine nice & warm, take a high powered flashlight, and find the leak. Most likely it'll be the hose going from the firewall to the driver's side of the engine, or one of the hoses under the intake manifold.
-=Russ=-
Where did you add water? The reserve tank, or the main fill cap (after letting the engine cool)?
If the coolant buzzer goes off and you haven't messed with the cooling system for a while, you have either a leak or a bad sensor, usually a leak. Get the engine nice & warm, take a high powered flashlight, and find the leak. Most likely it'll be the hose going from the firewall to the driver's side of the engine, or one of the hoses under the intake manifold.
-=Russ=-
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From: Philly | PA
Originally Posted by Syonyk
Slow leak?
Where did you add water? The reserve tank, or the main fill cap (after letting the engine cool)?
If the coolant buzzer goes off and you haven't messed with the cooling system for a while, you have either a leak or a bad sensor, usually a leak. Get the engine nice & warm, take a high powered flashlight, and find the leak. Most likely it'll be the hose going from the firewall to the driver's side of the engine, or one of the hoses under the intake manifold.
-=Russ=-
Where did you add water? The reserve tank, or the main fill cap (after letting the engine cool)?
If the coolant buzzer goes off and you haven't messed with the cooling system for a while, you have either a leak or a bad sensor, usually a leak. Get the engine nice & warm, take a high powered flashlight, and find the leak. Most likely it'll be the hose going from the firewall to the driver's side of the engine, or one of the hoses under the intake manifold.
-=Russ=-
I had a cardboard box under my car for a week straight, 2 weeks ago, didnt see any spots from the radiator area. I guess I throw the box under again.
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From: Philly | PA
also, the motor seems to warm up quicker than normal, which probably means that the coolant isnt full, so Ill be adding more tomorrow afternoon
rad cap off
start engine cold
heater on full
add coolant
let sit
repeat?
rad cap off
start engine cold
heater on full
add coolant
let sit
repeat?
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From: chicago land
if you were low on coolant, thats why the buzzer went off. check the normal things like bubbles in the coolant while its running, or any light colored smoke from the exhaust. and of course loss of coolant
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From: Philly | PA
Originally Posted by arghx
I had that problem and I did the bleeding procedure. It fixed it.
Here's the procedure I recommend, based on the info in the FSM and successfully doing this dozens of times over the years.
1. Make sure both the engine and radiator drain plugs are installed. Obvious I know...
2. Remove the filler cap (on top of thermostat housing), radiator cap and (on S4's only) the bleeder on the side of the top radiator neck.
3. Begin filling the water/coolant mix through the radiator neck until it reaches the top, then replace the radiator cap.
4. For S4's, continue filling through the filler neck until the bleeder overflows, and replace the bleeder cap. Don't overtighten it or you'll ruin the plastic plug.
5. Continue filling though the filler neck until the water/coolant reaches the top.
6. Start the engine and let it idle. The water level will probably drop a bit when the engine starts as the pump pushes the water into air pockets. Keep topping up the system as necessary.
7. Keep the engine running until the thermostat opens. You can tell when this happens as there might be another drop in water level, and the top radiaor hose will start to warm up.
8. When no more air bubbles are appearing in the filler neck, replace the filler cap.
9. Fill up the overflow bottle to the correct level.
10. Go for a test drive, keeping an eye on the temp gauge. Make sure the engine reaches full operating temp.
11. On your return, once the engine has cooled down, recheck the level at the filler cap (not the radiator cap) and the overflow bottle.
I have not once had a low coolant warn after performing this procedure.
1. Make sure both the engine and radiator drain plugs are installed. Obvious I know...
2. Remove the filler cap (on top of thermostat housing), radiator cap and (on S4's only) the bleeder on the side of the top radiator neck.
3. Begin filling the water/coolant mix through the radiator neck until it reaches the top, then replace the radiator cap.
4. For S4's, continue filling through the filler neck until the bleeder overflows, and replace the bleeder cap. Don't overtighten it or you'll ruin the plastic plug.
5. Continue filling though the filler neck until the water/coolant reaches the top.
6. Start the engine and let it idle. The water level will probably drop a bit when the engine starts as the pump pushes the water into air pockets. Keep topping up the system as necessary.
7. Keep the engine running until the thermostat opens. You can tell when this happens as there might be another drop in water level, and the top radiaor hose will start to warm up.
8. When no more air bubbles are appearing in the filler neck, replace the filler cap.
9. Fill up the overflow bottle to the correct level.
10. Go for a test drive, keeping an eye on the temp gauge. Make sure the engine reaches full operating temp.
11. On your return, once the engine has cooled down, recheck the level at the filler cap (not the radiator cap) and the overflow bottle.
I have not once had a low coolant warn after performing this procedure.
Opinions are like........
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 879
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From: Prov RI
If you have to add coolant, then the sensor/buzzer are working.
My problems with cooling so far:
radiator cap (doesn't last forever)
thermostat (doesn't last forever)
heater core hoses leaked (oil from filter will help rot the hose under the filter)
radiator hoses (bad/loose hose clamps or rotted hoses)
other coolant hoses (all will rot in time)
water pump (it only took 15years to fail)
belt (it slipped, if too tight, it shortens pump life)
radiator(plastic + aluminum=cheap)
overflow bottle cracked
overflow bottle's hose
For sensor problems, for some reason, I've seen them loose. Make sure its on snug and check for o-ring condition. And, the sensor connector can be corroded.
30k miles on a rebuild? The possibility depends on the owner. Did you maintain this vehicle well? Did you replace the above mentioned parts when the reman was installed?
Its tough to debug. My hose & pump leaks were slow enough to evaporate without leaving anything behind. I found one issue when I decided to replace them. The hose came apart with a tug when I tried to remove it.
Start by replacing anything that I mentioned above that you can afford. Use OEM parts everywhere possible if in your budget.
Nice pictures when visiting the autoparts store:
http://mazdatrix.com/bhose2.htm
http://mazdatrix.com/b9wpumps.htm
http://mazdatrix.com/b9.htm
http://mazdatrix.com/b8.htm
My problems with cooling so far:
radiator cap (doesn't last forever)
thermostat (doesn't last forever)
heater core hoses leaked (oil from filter will help rot the hose under the filter)
radiator hoses (bad/loose hose clamps or rotted hoses)
other coolant hoses (all will rot in time)
water pump (it only took 15years to fail)
belt (it slipped, if too tight, it shortens pump life)
radiator(plastic + aluminum=cheap)
overflow bottle cracked
overflow bottle's hose
For sensor problems, for some reason, I've seen them loose. Make sure its on snug and check for o-ring condition. And, the sensor connector can be corroded.
30k miles on a rebuild? The possibility depends on the owner. Did you maintain this vehicle well? Did you replace the above mentioned parts when the reman was installed?
Its tough to debug. My hose & pump leaks were slow enough to evaporate without leaving anything behind. I found one issue when I decided to replace them. The hose came apart with a tug when I tried to remove it.
Start by replacing anything that I mentioned above that you can afford. Use OEM parts everywhere possible if in your budget.
Nice pictures when visiting the autoparts store:
http://mazdatrix.com/bhose2.htm
http://mazdatrix.com/b9wpumps.htm
http://mazdatrix.com/b9.htm
http://mazdatrix.com/b8.htm
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From: Philly | PA
Originally Posted by deadRX7Conv
If you have to add coolant, then the sensor/buzzer are working.
My problems with cooling so far:
radiator cap (doesn't last forever)
thermostat (doesn't last forever)
heater core hoses leaked (oil from filter will help rot the hose under the filter)
radiator hoses (bad/loose hose clamps or rotted hoses)
other coolant hoses (all will rot in time)
water pump (it only took 15years to fail)
belt (it slipped, if too tight, it shortens pump life)
radiator(plastic + aluminum=cheap)
overflow bottle cracked
overflow bottle's hose
For sensor problems, for some reason, I've seen them loose. Make sure its on snug and check for o-ring condition. And, the sensor connector can be corroded.
30k miles on a rebuild? The possibility depends on the owner. Did you maintain this vehicle well? Did you replace the above mentioned parts when the reman was installed?
Its tough to debug. My hose & pump leaks were slow enough to evaporate without leaving anything behind. I found one issue when I decided to replace them. The hose came apart with a tug when I tried to remove it.
Start by replacing anything that I mentioned above that you can afford. Use OEM parts everywhere possible if in your budget.
Nice pictures when visiting the autoparts store:
http://mazdatrix.com/bhose2.htm
http://mazdatrix.com/b9wpumps.htm
http://mazdatrix.com/b9.htm
http://mazdatrix.com/b8.htm
My problems with cooling so far:
radiator cap (doesn't last forever)
thermostat (doesn't last forever)
heater core hoses leaked (oil from filter will help rot the hose under the filter)
radiator hoses (bad/loose hose clamps or rotted hoses)
other coolant hoses (all will rot in time)
water pump (it only took 15years to fail)
belt (it slipped, if too tight, it shortens pump life)
radiator(plastic + aluminum=cheap)
overflow bottle cracked
overflow bottle's hose
For sensor problems, for some reason, I've seen them loose. Make sure its on snug and check for o-ring condition. And, the sensor connector can be corroded.
30k miles on a rebuild? The possibility depends on the owner. Did you maintain this vehicle well? Did you replace the above mentioned parts when the reman was installed?
Its tough to debug. My hose & pump leaks were slow enough to evaporate without leaving anything behind. I found one issue when I decided to replace them. The hose came apart with a tug when I tried to remove it.
Start by replacing anything that I mentioned above that you can afford. Use OEM parts everywhere possible if in your budget.
Nice pictures when visiting the autoparts store:
http://mazdatrix.com/bhose2.htm
http://mazdatrix.com/b9wpumps.htm
http://mazdatrix.com/b9.htm
http://mazdatrix.com/b8.htm
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 33
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From: Charlotte, NC
My coolant sensor goes off for about 30 seconds or a minute after I park the car on a steep incline to one side (that is, for example, when I parallel park on a street with a lot of slope at the edge). It does not go off any other time and my coolant level does not drop. Be sure that you're actually losing coolant before you assume anything major is really wrong. You're coolant level can vary a teeny bit depending on the temperature of the engine and whatnot. And clearly the sensor can be a little finniky (spelling?). Anyway, I'm no expert, but that's my 2 cents.
I'm a boost creep...
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 15,608
Likes: 8
From: Auckland, New Zealand
Originally Posted by Mindspin311
Is this the proper procedure?
It says to remove the cap on the filler neck and on the Tstat housing, but I dont see one, am I blind?
It says to remove the cap on the filler neck and on the Tstat housing, but I dont see one, am I blind?
you prolly should just check the wire on the sensor prolly just came loose the same thing happend to me with my first gen the coolant light wasent turning off then i checked the wire, and it went off....check your overflow bottle too theres supposed to be a vacume after it cools that sucks the overflowed coolant back into the radiator....soo that might be the problem too....
good luck,
charlie
good luck,
charlie
I'm rotary for life!
Joined: Jan 2005
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From: Ottawa
This happend to me too, but my coolant was brown and dirty.
I did a coolant flush and put brand new green coolant.
The buzz was gone for a day then came back. I then took the coolant level sensor out and then add more coolant from the radiator cap till it leaked out of the level sensor hole then put the sensor back in and tightened it up and then toped off the collant and everything worked great, No more anoying buzzing noise.
I did a coolant flush and put brand new green coolant.
The buzz was gone for a day then came back. I then took the coolant level sensor out and then add more coolant from the radiator cap till it leaked out of the level sensor hole then put the sensor back in and tightened it up and then toped off the collant and everything worked great, No more anoying buzzing noise.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Seattle Washington
Would not properly bleeding my system cause the add coolant buzzer to come on often? Would it also produce a gargling noise after turning the engine off? (the coolant reservoir slowly fills up while it is gargling).
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From: California
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