nataku

I have a wierd coolant problem at the moment. So about a month ago, I went to start my car, and after it started, the add coolant light came on. So naturally, I turned it off and checked the coolant overfill bottle, and it was empty, so I filled that up along with the radiator. Although I didn't fill the radiator all the way to the top (I didn't know it was supposed to be completely full).

A week later, I parked outside my friend's house, and came back after a while and started my car, then had the same problem, low coolant buzzer, and I checked again, and it was low again. So this time, I filled up the radiator to the top and the overfill bottle to the full line (I read up on filling coolant after the first time).

about 3 weeks later (today), I'm parked in front of the same friend's house, and I go to start my car again, and AGAIN, the add coolant buzzer came on, and I checked again, and it was empty.

Each time I check for spillage and there was none on the ground or around the engine bay. Anybody have any idea what's going on? My engine's pretty new, rebuilt with about 15,000 km on it. Where would the coolant go? it makes no sense, unless someone's stealing it or something, but that wouldn't make sense either

hondahater

iTrader: (2)

ever think maybe it's beeing burned? Have you been having any problems with your car smoking?

MattB

yeah when coolant hits something thats about 200 degrees it will evaporate pretty quickly. just because it isnt showing up in the engine bay doesnt mean it wasnt there at some time. easiest way to fix it would be to use that crappy radiator sealer. its temporary and it messes up your radiator in the longrun. but if you lazy then have fun with that. check coolant lines. personally i had a leak on the coolant line that goes right across the BAC valve. check that. check all your coolant hoses. you kinda gotta just look around and find the problem. sometimes you might be able to turn the car on and hear it burning off as it leaks onto something hot.

look in the coolant section of the FSM. it will help you find out where all the coolant lines are.

Hot_Dog

Sometimes coolant leaks are difficult to locate, especially if it's a slow leak. I've had a similar problem like yours, which turned out to be my radiator. The radiator, which was the original 90 GXL radiator, would slowly seep from the side when under pressure. This lead to my needing to refill the radiator, with about a pint of water, every couple weeks. I wasn't able to visibly spot any leaks when I pressure tested the system even though the pressure gauge would drop very slowly. I suspected the leak was the radiator since the right hand side was noticeably wet. I replaced the radiator, and that solved my problem. Apparently, the Mazda radiators are constructed from two coils, which are clamped together by the end tanks. I suspect that mine was leaking where they were clamped together. Hope this helps.

Hot_Dog
90 RX7 GXL
02 Acura RSX-S

hondahater

iTrader: (2)

only thing is, what I gather from what he said it's not every couple of weeks he has to refill a pint. He said it is completely empty after only a few days. One thing you may want to do just for ***** is fill your radiator all the way up and leave the cap off. Unplug your egi fuse and start cranking your car. Check to make sure bubles and coolant don't start spewing all over the place.

Therotaryrocket85

If there arent any bubbles then ill tell you about what happened on mine. I live in texas where the high today is 101. Anyways since i bought my car ive had to add mabe a cup at the most to the overflow tank about once every 2 weeks. I figured its normal since its so hot out. Well ive never smelled anything nor have i seen any leaks and i checked it over with a fine tooth comb. One day last week i was out in the sun with the hood opened and the way the sun was i saw moisture and got to looking at waaaay down in there right under the waterpump ive got a hair of a leak that im assuming is coming from the weap hole on the pump. The trail looks very crusted and looks like its been doing it for quite sometime and i think i bought it like this. Anyways the leak is so minute that it only leaks about a cup every 2 weeks. So needless to say ive got a new waterpump and gasket ready to go on it. I thought id looked it over for every little thing but somehow this managed to slide past my eyes. And the funny thing is i guess since its hot down there it would evaporate before it got a chance to land on the ground because my garage floor is bone dry. and the skid plate under there is dry also. Seems like coolant leaks are hard to find on these cars thats for sure. Good luck with it, i hope it something simple.

Tech_Greek

Well, my upper heater hose that runs from the block to the firewall has a leak you can't tell is there unless you rev up the engine, then it sprays out (almost like the clamp isnt tight enough) but I don't want to tighten it anymore than what it's already at.

Anywho, if you car DOESNT smoke at start up (white) then you're safe to say you've got a coolant leak externaly of the engine.

- Tech

nataku

hmmm, good points guys, I didn't think about a slow leak or it burning up. However, I haven't noticed any sort of visible leakage anywhere, and I figure if my tank is empty in a matter of weeks, maybe I should see something, right?

And how come it always happens when I'm turning on my car. If I was low on coolant while I'm driving it should buzz at me then, right? From what it sounds like to me, most people who have coolant leaks are leaking coolant faster when there is load put on it, so it seems unlikely that mine would keep occurring when my car is not on.

But in any case, I'll check all the lines closely and everything to see any sign of visible leakage.

Tech_Greek

They sell UV die and at night grab a black light and you'll see real quick where it's going (even it's going out the exhaust where you usually CANT see).

Are you having a hard time starting?

I know mine got worse and worse on my first gen, I would have to top the rad off every month and it got to a point where I couldnt start it and if I did then oil + coolant will literally POUR out of the exhaust...

- Tech

nataku

nope, no trouble starting. My mechanic pointed out that the rad cap may be the problem too, I'm gonna replace that and see if there still is the problem, if so, I'll have to do a more in depth search for a leak. Good idea on the UV dye!

Sideways7

iTrader: (7)

If it leaks out while the car was sitting, then it would be low when you start the car, and not when you turned it off.

nataku

yeah, but there are no puddles or wet-ness on the ground anywhere. I've put on the new rad cap, and I'll be back in a couple weeks and let everyone know how things go. A couple weeks is usually how long it takes for it to run out

RoadRaceJosh

I don't know if I'd wait a week. When my radiator cap went bad the engine wouldn't draw coolant back in from the overflow. You're emptying the radiator and the overflow right? I'd take the car to a radiator shop and they'll probably pressure test the system for free. This reminds me. My overflow hose needs replacing.

nataku

alright guys, update:

NO problems so far, it's been 24 days, over 3 weeks, and no losing coolant. I'm assuming the new rad cap fixed it. I'm still gonna keep a bottle of pre-mixed coolant in my car for a little while, just in case

deadRX7Conv

I had the same problem and used an Autozone radiator cap. It only lasted 4 weeks before failing.
I replaced the Autozone plastic-ish radiator cap with a AdvanceAuto metal Stant cap while I wait for the delivery for the OEM cap.

I recommend the Mazda radiator cap. It lasted 14 years. I will use the Stant cap until it fails. My worst Stant failure is when a Stant thermostat failed in 7 weeks.

The cooling system is a place NOT to save money or cut corners. Definitely use OEM Mazda parts!