Help me to clarify S5 TII vert weird coolant problem
03-10-22, 02:55 AM
#1
Full Member
Thread Starter
Help me to clarify S5 TII vert weird coolant problem
Hello
I bought my S5 TII vert in 2016!
I changed all the coolant 2 times in these years, last coolant flush 2.5 years ago!
I drove the car very little for the last 2 years (about 1000 miles). Last time i flushed the coolant i put the coolant in the reservoir tank about 0.5 cm over the upper mark). In the last few months i simply didn't drive the car but i started once a month idling the engine for about 40 minutes.
Last time i noticed that the coolant level in the reservoir tank dropped "a little" from above 0.5 over the upper mark to exactly the upper mark level!
Also when i start the car after a pause of 30 days it smokes "very little" for the first 2 minutes when cold then stopped smoking at all after 2 minutes!
Should be worried that a coolant seal is about to leave or is this behaviour normal?
Or do you think that a coolant seal isn't completly damaged but has a slighty deformation so when the engine warms a little the seal expands and blocks any loss of coolant in the combustion chamber!
One more detail: i did a champagne test with a "Lisle funnel". I have no bubbles when engine is cold. When engine is hot i have a single small bubble every 30/35 seconds.
What do you think about this?
Thank you for your support!
Oh one last strange thing: i put in the coolant system "a green" coolant that it is perfectly compatible with old alu engine basements. After 2.5 years the coolant colour changed from dark green to a green/blueish color! What does it mean? Is possibile that this colour change is caused by a contamination with exhaust gas?
I bought my S5 TII vert in 2016!
I changed all the coolant 2 times in these years, last coolant flush 2.5 years ago!
I drove the car very little for the last 2 years (about 1000 miles). Last time i flushed the coolant i put the coolant in the reservoir tank about 0.5 cm over the upper mark). In the last few months i simply didn't drive the car but i started once a month idling the engine for about 40 minutes.
Last time i noticed that the coolant level in the reservoir tank dropped "a little" from above 0.5 over the upper mark to exactly the upper mark level!
Also when i start the car after a pause of 30 days it smokes "very little" for the first 2 minutes when cold then stopped smoking at all after 2 minutes!
Should be worried that a coolant seal is about to leave or is this behaviour normal?
Or do you think that a coolant seal isn't completly damaged but has a slighty deformation so when the engine warms a little the seal expands and blocks any loss of coolant in the combustion chamber!
One more detail: i did a champagne test with a "Lisle funnel". I have no bubbles when engine is cold. When engine is hot i have a single small bubble every 30/35 seconds.
What do you think about this?
Thank you for your support!
Oh one last strange thing: i put in the coolant system "a green" coolant that it is perfectly compatible with old alu engine basements. After 2.5 years the coolant colour changed from dark green to a green/blueish color! What does it mean? Is possibile that this colour change is caused by a contamination with exhaust gas?
Last edited by Venturer; 03-10-22 at 03:04 AM.
03-12-22, 05:55 AM
#3
Rotary Freak
Based on your description I wouldn't worry about anything.
The slight change in level could be due to a few things. A bubble working itself out of the system into the overflow, a change in temperature causing the fluid to contract slightly, evaporation (our coolant bottles are vented so it does evaporate super slowly). More likely a combination of the above.
Steam on cold starts is often due to moisture that accumulates in the exhaust overnight, let alone 30 days. Two minutes of steam is not unusual.
When the car is warmed up, a bubble or two is not unusual either. Since the coolant is not pressurized when using the Lisle funnel, it is able to boil which can cause that. Under normal conditions with the rad cap on, the coolant is pressurized and can't boil.
I wouldn't worry at all about those symptoms. If the coolant has changed colour I might change it though. No idea what's going on there, but Mazda FL-22 is relatively cheap from the dealer.
Time to worry is when large bubbles come out, coolant is dropping steadily and consistently with no apparent leaks, large clouds of white sweet-smelling steam from the exhaust, temp gauge climbing, etc. If you're worried about it you could get an exhaust gas testing kit and use that.
The slight change in level could be due to a few things. A bubble working itself out of the system into the overflow, a change in temperature causing the fluid to contract slightly, evaporation (our coolant bottles are vented so it does evaporate super slowly). More likely a combination of the above.
Steam on cold starts is often due to moisture that accumulates in the exhaust overnight, let alone 30 days. Two minutes of steam is not unusual.
When the car is warmed up, a bubble or two is not unusual either. Since the coolant is not pressurized when using the Lisle funnel, it is able to boil which can cause that. Under normal conditions with the rad cap on, the coolant is pressurized and can't boil.
I wouldn't worry at all about those symptoms. If the coolant has changed colour I might change it though. No idea what's going on there, but Mazda FL-22 is relatively cheap from the dealer.
Time to worry is when large bubbles come out, coolant is dropping steadily and consistently with no apparent leaks, large clouds of white sweet-smelling steam from the exhaust, temp gauge climbing, etc. If you're worried about it you could get an exhaust gas testing kit and use that.
07-04-22, 02:43 PM
#4
Full Member
Thread Starter
Hey i just back into this thread because i need more infos
First thank you very munch for your explanatiom.
I m not worried at all about a gasket damage but......I don t understand why if i start the car every 30/40 days i see the level is dropped a litttle from the past month.
But then the level is still the same for a week. It starts dropping afterr 2 weeks or more with the car parked
If i start the car every day the coolant won t drop.
Why? What do you think about this? Evaporation into the reservoir tank? Or a little gasket in the system that hardens over time and so leaks a little after few weeks while when engine is hot it softems?
Here the ambient temperature in summer is about 30 35 celsisus every day. It s damm hot.
I have no more smoking since i start the car with this ambient temperature (last time it smoked after a long parking was with 18 celsius).
Thank you
First thank you very munch for your explanatiom.
I m not worried at all about a gasket damage but......I don t understand why if i start the car every 30/40 days i see the level is dropped a litttle from the past month.
But then the level is still the same for a week. It starts dropping afterr 2 weeks or more with the car parked
If i start the car every day the coolant won t drop.
Why? What do you think about this? Evaporation into the reservoir tank? Or a little gasket in the system that hardens over time and so leaks a little after few weeks while when engine is hot it softems?
Here the ambient temperature in summer is about 30 35 celsisus every day. It s damm hot.
I have no more smoking since i start the car with this ambient temperature (last time it smoked after a long parking was with 18 celsius).
Thank you
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