Prius (2004-09) :: Inverter Coolant Level Dropping But No Visible Leak
Dec 20, 2014
Just noticed my level is about an inch below the full mark, it was fine at the last oil change, no leaks that I can see....nothing on the ground.
View 8 RepliesJust noticed my level is about an inch below the full mark, it was fine at the last oil change, no leaks that I can see....nothing on the ground.
View 8 RepliesChanging my oil today, been awhile since I had the hood open for an inspection a year maybe about 5 - 6K miles
It's been about 2 years since the prior owner had it in for a service, I recall they had it in right before we purchased it in August 2008
I live in Miami Beach where it's HOT
I noticed the inverter coolant level is no longer at full It's hard to see where it's at, actually
It's not below low, and it seems to be at least up to the bottom of the double seam that wraps around the tank, but I can't see where it levels off behind the seam
Should I be concerned enough to take it in to the dealer and pay them to hunt around until they find a small leak, or is it normal to lose a small amount of coolant over the course of a couple years
Should I just buy their high priced Toyota Super Long Life Coolant and top off the extra 1/8-1/4" or so until it's at FULL?
Have a small coolant leak. The level is dropping and I can smell it but I cant find it. The radiator was new at 100K miles and the heater core is bypassed. No evidence on or near the hoses, water pump or radiator. Getting ready to replace all the hoses because they are overdue but I would like to find the leak(s) first.
View 5 RepliesI have a '98 Honda Civic with 230K miles on it. Last month, I suddenly saw few drops of coolant on my garage floor. I opened the hood and saw coolant splashed over the engine. I opened the coolant reservoir and it was empty. Surprisingly, the car never overheated and neither did the temp needle go up. I took the car to the mechanic (Honda shop) and they said that the radiator is leaking. I replaced the radiator and after driving for couple of weeks, the same issue re-occurred.
The coolant ran low in the reservoir and there was coolant splash over the engine. I took the car back to the shop and they said that the hose was not properly installed. They fixed it and said there is no sign of leak. I have been driving for a week now and check the coolant routinely. I have noticed that the coolant level has again dropped significantly. But, after the last fix, I do not see any visible sign of leak. There is no evidence of coolant anywhere under the hood. I am not sure if there is something else going on now. Is there something else I should check?
My 2001 Prius with 134k miles has been running great but leaves a small amount of coolant on the ground after parking. I've had to add approximately 8 ounces per 100 miles.
View 13 RepliesI'm a new owner of a used 2008 Prius. Car only has 67K miles and other than the leak, appears to be in good shape.
I noticed the coolant was low in both reservoirs, filled it up (with the proper SLLC), but a day or so later the check engine light came on. Took it to mechanic (dealer is 2 hours away), he read and cleared the codes, then found the leak. Appears to be leaking where the lower hose attaches to the pump, so not sure if it's the pump or the hose that's the problem. I've also noticed that the pump seems a bit noisy for a few minutes after shutting off the car (of course, I'm new to the Prius so not totally sure what "normal" sounds like).
I have a 2005 Cadillac CTS with a 2.8 V-6. I have changed the Mobil One oil when ever the oil life has hit 50% since the car was new. I have 122,000 miles on the car now. In just the past few months I have noticed the coolant level going down at a rate of about 1/4 inch ever week with no visible signs of any leaks. I have pressured tested the radiator and the test comes back with no pressure loss. I also am losing about a 1/3 to a 1/2 quart of oil ever week with no signs of any leaks or smoke out of the exhaust pipe. I drive about 600 miles a week. My son is a tech at the local Chevrolet dealer. He has looked over the car and can find no visible cause for the fluid loss.
View 2 RepliesMy coolant level keeps dropping really low underhood and the light comes on on the dash, but I went and bought coolant, opened the hood, and the level was back to normal. Where is it all going? Should I add any when it's low if it's coming back? This just seems weird.
View 11 RepliesUp until my last oil change at 105,000 miles, I didn't notice any oil usage. When draining my oil, it didn't look like it was quite 4 quarts. After the oil change, I ensured that I had the engine exactly topped off to the upper mark on the dipstick. Around 600 miles later, I parked in the same location and have noticed that the oil level has dropped enough to notice. I am guessing that I will lose well over a quart between oil changes. Before I resign to the normal mechanical reasons (rings, cylinder wear, etc.)
The loss doesn't seem to be gradual which has me looking for other explanations. I also had a Toyota mechanic go over the car and replace the other fluids and filters at 100,000 miles (coincidence I think ).
I started loosing a bunch of coolant on my tdi which is still under 36k and there is no visible leaks anywhere
Took the car to the dealer last night to get it checked out and they were ready to send me back home telling me there is no issue since they don't see any leaks under the car
Either way after telling them that I have already gone through 2 gallons of coolant they decided to top off the coolant and ask me to drive 200 miles.
I drove 156 miles last night since I need to get this issue resolved and now the coolant tank is empty again... sitting at the dealer while I'm typing this.
So, the sideways coolant tank in the engine compartment, not the one next to the grill, but the one that is sort of between the air filter box and that shiny metal square
I have always thought that tank was slightly low, but it has a seam just about where the full line is, so I was never sure....finally about three weeks ago, I worked up my courage and put a few ounces of coolant in that tank. THEN it was up to the full line.
So, a few weeks after adding the coolant, I had the water pump recall done. Now the coolant level is back down to where it was before I added....so I am assuming that the correct level is just below that seam that seals the top of the plastic tank to the bottom part of the tank.
I am getting a slow coolant drip from my inverter . The very slow leak appears on the left side of inverter when facing the front of car with hood open . The connection point alum tube to coolant resevoir black rubber tube. The inverter coolant connection reservoir tube side is damp to the touch and has visible red goop buildup.......
View 7 RepliesPrius 2009 inverter coolant pump failure 51,300 miles....
View 8 RepliesBack in February, received a light and discovered that the inverter coolant reservoir was empty. I refilled the reservoir and cleared the code. Today, only 3 months later, the same thing happened. I don't see any wet hoses, puddles, or obvious signs of leakage. Where all my coolant is going? What steps should I use to properly troubleshoot...
View 8 RepliesI've had to replace my radiator twice due to it overheating. I am noticing coolant level going down but I'm not seeing any signs of an external leak. My garage is saying it is probably internal and going into the engine. Says I probably have to replace the head gasket but that will be very expensive.
Could I get some further feedback on what it could be and what else I could do? I am also getting a check engine light on a "lean mixture" issue. Not sure if they are related.
I have a 2006 Jeep Liberty (2WD), 149k miles, that has been using a lot of antifreeze lately. I am using a full 50/50 gallon mix about once a week. I do not have any visible leaks. My heater no longer works and I was not sure if that may be a cause. The check engine light is on, but has been since I purchased the vehicle in 2012. I thought it may be a gasket, but do not see any white smoke from the exhaust. I am not hearing any strange sounds, so I am perplexed.
View 5 RepliesMy 1999 mercury mountaineer 4.0 smells like coolant there r no visible leaks overflow is at the normal the temp gauge didn't go high and the cap is cold IM kinda confused...........
View 9 RepliesOur '03 Infiniti I35 lost large amounts of coolant each time on 2 long trips but when we did a pressure check, we couldn't get it to leak anywhere we could see and no visible signs of where it may have leaked while driving (no drip lines, puddles, etc.). We're not sure where the water pump is located, but have been told it's internal to the engine, so how can we tell if it's gone bad? Would the coolant burn off with no visible signs? We changed the radiator cap but no change. We use a trusted shade tree mechanic, but he's stumped.
View 7 RepliesMy original intention was to replace the engine oil in the car. I was in a hurry(yes....I know) I could not find the oil drain plug. I did find a large bolt which turned out to be a drain plug for the inverter coolant instead. The instant the fluid drained from the car, I knew it was not engine oil. I did not know the drained fluid was inverter coolant. It had the color of a transmission fluid but significantly less viscous.
View 17 RepliesMy 07 Prius is leaking transaxel fluid into the inverter cooling system. Transaxel fluid is sweating through the inverter coolant hoses. Before my taking ownership of this vehicle, it had previously been in a front end collision (that’s a whole other story). Anyhow – if I replace the radiator, should that take care of this problem? Are there any other ways these two cooling fluids could become cross contaminated?
View 16 RepliesMy 2002 has had a slow coolant leak for quite a while (maybe a quart a month). Now, however, I am losing over a gallon a week, but with NO visible leak!
The oil is clear, with no signs of antifreeze in it, so I am guessing the head gaskets are ok. But I am perplexed as to where my coolant is going!
After reading more threads in the forum, (which I should have done more thoroughly before posting,) it seems that I may indeed have a head gasket leak. From what I've learned, that would cause me to lose coolant through the exhaust while driving, and would explain why I don't see a visible leak anywhere. Am I on the right track? Before I replace the head gaskets, are there any other causes that may have a simpler fix??