Coolant level keeps dropping - leak?

[abie915]

Is it normal for coolant to be "used up"? I noticed at 20k miles that the coolant level had dropped slightly below the MIN mark on the expansion tank, so I refilled it using the recommended 50/50 coolant mix to slightly above the MAX mark.

The car is now at 28k miles, and the coolant level has dropped a little below the MAX line. So that means its dropped by about 1/4" after 8k miles / 6 months.

Is it normal to lose a little coolant over time, or is this a sign that there is a leak somewhere? Its still under warranty so its not a big deal, just want to make sure that I'm not overreacting and being an automotive hypochondriac

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[DivineStrike]

It's not normal, mine does the same thing, but it's a little inconsistent. There's a tsb for one of the coolant lines but mine was fine.

 

[abie915]

Thank you [MENTION=7590]DivineStrike[/MENTION]! I assume this is the TSB you are referring to.

My car was built around this timeframe, so this TSB might apply. I'll take this to the dealer tomorrow and see what they say.

 

[mustang1]

sounds like a slow leak. Either out of the engine, or into the engine oil or a cylinder.

 

[Niz55]

my water pump has a slow leak and i am replacing it myself this week. Bought the original part from rockauto for $58

 

[Joebroni]

From an owner and engineer perspective, it's not normal.

As a technician, it's normal. Pretty much every car that comes through no matter the manufacturer needs the coolant topped off at the service intervals. I worked for Honda for years and coolant always needed to be topped off at services. They use a non-sealed overflow tank and the water evaporates over time.

I now work for Audi who uses a sealed pressure tank design like Ford and coolant always gets topped off every 10k. Generally it will drop 1/2"-1" between services. My car is the same way. I have worked on used Lexus, Mercedes, Nissan, Buick, Acura, BMW, etc, and always top off the coolant when I do used car inspections.

Unless you have a leak you can see, overheating, or just consuming a ton of coolant, there is nothing to worry about. Especially not 1/4" in 8000 miles.

 

[Competition Orange]

I've had to top mine off twice in just under 19k miles. No smells, no leaks.

 

[Genxer]

Funny, but I had to top mine off once when it didn't have many miles on the odometer, but since then the level has been fine. Maybe it worked out some trapped air?

 

[Monopoly]

Funny, but I had to top mine off once when it didn't have many miles on the odometer, but since then the level has been fine. Maybe it worked out some trapped air?

+1 This

Same deal with mine. Before I stored it two months ago the coolant level dropped just a tad below MIN line cold. Car has 2410kms (1497 miles).
I'll top it up and see if it drops again.

BTW what type of factory coolant do these cars use?


Also...I just replaced my SI engine last month. The head gasket had a really slow leak(i think since i got it with 7k miles) coolant always dipped slowly till recently i had to top it up every other day or it'd be bone dry. 106,000miles later and I swapped a new engine into it... $4700 :S I think the gasket was always leaking since it was new. Even though it passed compression tests before the engine oil turned into milk chocolate on the filler cap and internals.

 

[DivineStrike]

Turns out my leak was from the radiator, at least that's what they changed. I haven't driven it enough to know if I still have an issue. Pretty sure it's fixed though. No coolant smells since I got it back last week.

Mine has leaked since it was delivered FYI. So a bad radiator from the factory.

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