Quick coolant question (diagnosis :-P)
07-05-02, 07:12 PM
#1
RE-Amemiya in the blood
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 1,386
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Quick coolant question (diagnosis :-P)
Hey, sorry about bothering you guys with another coolant question. I searched all the questions and couldn't find my main question/answer anywhere. I just want a quick idea of what it might be because I haven't had the chance to get a good look under the car yet. The "Add coolant" light has come on twice now. Each time it came on, the meter was at C (cold) and it was right when I started the car, if I shut the car off and restart it everything is normal. I figured the coolant was low, but I checked and everything seemed fine. I added more to be sure, as soon as it went above full it started leaking all over the ground, which I'm assuming is the overflow tank? Question is, is the overflow tank part of the main coolant tank and if not where is it located in relation to it. Also, could this be something else? I'm assuming that the light is coming on from this leak which is probably losing a bit of coolant every once in a while. Thanks a lot, any help is much appreciated! -Joe
07-05-02, 07:19 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 274
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ok,
You might be in a little bit of danger here, but hopefully not. The overflow tank is on the front passenger side of the car, right where you add the coolant to. And like it's name implies coolant from the system "overflows" into it.
When the car get's hot it will normally push a little bit out and it goes to the overflow tank. When the car cools down it will suck it back into the system from the overflow tank.
Thanks how it's suppose to work.
Now you could have one of two things going on.
1.) The path from the overflow tank has a hole or a crimp into preventing sucktion from happening and pulling the coolant back in to the system after the car cools down.
or
2.) The other thing it could be (which I hope it's not) Is that your coolant seals in the engine are going bad. The combustion pressure is forcing air into the coolant system which is displacing the coolant into the overflow tank. If you keep adding water to the system and it keeps getting low coolant buzzer and your overflow tank keeps literally overflowing... that is not good and you will probably look at an engine rebuild
The reason that I know is that I have been in the exact situation.
Good Luck
Matt
You might be in a little bit of danger here, but hopefully not. The overflow tank is on the front passenger side of the car, right where you add the coolant to. And like it's name implies coolant from the system "overflows" into it.
When the car get's hot it will normally push a little bit out and it goes to the overflow tank. When the car cools down it will suck it back into the system from the overflow tank.
Thanks how it's suppose to work.
Now you could have one of two things going on.
1.) The path from the overflow tank has a hole or a crimp into preventing sucktion from happening and pulling the coolant back in to the system after the car cools down.
or
2.) The other thing it could be (which I hope it's not) Is that your coolant seals in the engine are going bad. The combustion pressure is forcing air into the coolant system which is displacing the coolant into the overflow tank. If you keep adding water to the system and it keeps getting low coolant buzzer and your overflow tank keeps literally overflowing... that is not good and you will probably look at an engine rebuild
The reason that I know is that I have been in the exact situation.
Good Luck
Matt
07-05-02, 07:41 PM
#3
RE-Amemiya in the blood
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 1,386
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm pretty sure it's not option 2...let's hope anyway. It overflowed when the car was cold as in it just leaked right out, so I'm thinking the tank is cracked or something? Could this still cause the light to come on?...
07-06-02, 03:48 PM
#5
Full Member
Pay no attention to the plastic overflow tank. The coolant level in the tank is irrelevant to the safe level of coolant required in your engine. The coolant buzzer is your best friend because if it goes on its because there is no coolant in the top of the water filler neck which is a good indication of a lack of coolant in your system, regardless of the level in your overflow tank.
You need to open up the water filler neck (the one with the hand on it that says NEVER OPEN---wait until your engine has cooled, about 15 minutes from shut off) and check the level there. if you can't see coolant down the hole than you are definitely low. Fill up with coolant/water here and then replace cap and coolant buzzer should stay off. if it comes back on its because there's some air in your system and just repeat process above until it does not come back on---this may take several iterations, depending on how well you burp the system as you are filling it.
You need to open up the water filler neck (the one with the hand on it that says NEVER OPEN---wait until your engine has cooled, about 15 minutes from shut off) and check the level there. if you can't see coolant down the hole than you are definitely low. Fill up with coolant/water here and then replace cap and coolant buzzer should stay off. if it comes back on its because there's some air in your system and just repeat process above until it does not come back on---this may take several iterations, depending on how well you burp the system as you are filling it.