I've got an '08 Cobalt. There is a large leak in my coolant system. The plastic reservoir is empty and if I add coolant and start the engine it all gushes out of a hole in a piece of plastic on the side of the radiator. Can I drive it to the shop if I watch the engine temperature or should I have it towed? Is the engine temperature measurement affected by the lack of coolant?
View 6 Replies2008 Santa Fe 2.7 105k miles Timing belt replaced two years ago at 80k miles I have no smoke, no sweet smell, no milk on oil dipstick, oil looks as clean as honey, no crustiness anywhere, no wet spots under hood or car. Yet my coolant reservoir was empty when I did my last oil change two mos. ago. I filled it up then. Today I checked it was just below the min. line. Car runs like a top, but I'm going to have a pressure test done today. I thought head gasket issues were very rare in these cars.
View 17 RepliesIt has happened to me several times.. The car asks me for coolant but today the reservoir was almost completely empty... I have no leaks and my cooling systems is working fine so where does the coolant go?
View 6 RepliesI have a 2006 3.5L Sante Fe. and i noticed there were coolant drips under the car and that my coolant reservoir was empty. In the engine bay below what i assume is the water pump i noticed the coolant pooling (See Photos). I am not sure if the seal is bad where the top radiator house connects to the water pump (circled in red, or if the thin metal line (circled in Blue) sitting in the coolant pool would have anything to do with it, since it seems to trace back to the radiator.
View 4 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 RepliesToday, I was greeted by a big red STOP! warning from my 2000 Passat 6 cylinder. The car drove fine last night. The coolant reservoir appears empty and has brown residue all over the inside. I notice for the first time that there is pink fluid on the floor -- I'm assuming this is the G12 coolant.
It's not a hot day, so I put in distilled water, turn up the heat and drive my Passat (trying to stay under 2k rpm) down to the dealer. They say that the coolant from the oil cooler leaked into the oil (and presumably, vice-versa).
I just purchased a 2015 sonata last Friday from a large non Hyundai dealer. An hour ago while upgrading my headlights i noticed the coolant reserve tank was completely empty. I am going to check the main radiator level tomorrow because the engine was still hot at the time. I am hoping it is not a blown head gasket, i did remove the oil cap and noticed a very small amount of greyish oil in the cap threads other than that it looked good directly under the cap and inside the hole. Should i call my local Hyundai dealer or just fill the tank back up? I am wondering if it just burned off over time and the original owner never filled it back up. Also what type of coolant is compatible?
View 6 Replies1999 Honda CRV. Just took a 3-hour highway trip. Before trip I topped up coolant reservoir which was a little low, but radiator was full. I did notice some dried white spots on the front of valve cover and spark wires. Wasn't sure what it was, but now realize it was coolant residue. Probably only 1-2 cups were missing from the reservoir, so the leak had just started.
After 3 hour trip, checked engine compartment again. This time the reservoir was totally empty (radiator still full) and the engine was well sprayed with greenish coolant residue. The radiator was cool by the time I checked it, so the leak source wasn't obvious, but it looks to be coming from the seam where the plastic top meets the aluminum.
I will replace the radiator when I get home, but first have to drive the 3-hour return trip. Will it be OK as long as I start full of coolant and keep an eye on the temp gauge?
I noticed recently that I have a coolant leak in a used car that I got a few months ago. I've been driving this thing pretty regularly at this point, but I haven't noticed any overheating. The engine temp stays shy of the midpoint line on the meter, both at speed and in idle.
The coolant reservoir was empty a little over a month ago, so I filled it up. A few days ago, I took a look at it, and it was empty again. I refit a hose that was a little loose and decided I'd just wait and see what happened after driving it some. Over the past few days, I've noticed slight decreases in the coolant level each day.
Today was no different, except that after I drove for about 15 minutes on probably the hottest day of the year so far (about 95 degrees, don't know if that matters at all), I noticed there was coolant sprayed on the hood. I opened the hood and there was quite a bit of coolant pooled on the far left of the radiator top, right between the coolant reservoir and the radiator pressure cap. What's going on here?
1,500 miles ago my car had it's 30k service. Today, i got "CHECK...". At home this evening i checked the inverter coolant reservoir, it was empty. I've added 1L of de-ionised water (which got it to full, and i see turbulence in the fluid) until i can get the correct fluid.
View 13 RepliesHad overheating issue with the wife (she doesn't monitor fluid levels like she should). Now you can't operate it for more than a day or two before the reservoir is super low to empty. Mechanic coolant is going into the engine, probably through the intake manifold. Says investigating further will cost a ton. What can I do cheaply to figure out what's going on before I give up? I followed her when the engine was started from cold & could see water vapor (more than I would expect) in the exhaust until when I figure the engine reached full operating temp. It has about 225k and is the 6 cyl engine, btw.
View 1 RepliesI was driving my 2008 Santa Fe last week (before I went on vacation) and noticed the the A/C wasn't coming through quite a cool as usual (almost felt like the vent was on w/ no AC). Then after about 10 minutes of driving I noticed the thermostat on the car get to about the 3/4 line pretty close to the red lines.
Luckily I was home so turned the car off and popped open the hood. I noticed the reservoir tank was empty and there was some coolant that dripped down on the fans & a small pool of coolant on the engine block right under where the oil is poured. (nothing has been dripping under the car)
I added a little coolant to the reservoir tank and the next time I turned it on and let it run for ~10 minutes, it was the same thing.
Anyway, I came back from vacation and opened the hood to try and identify exactly where the leak was, and ran the car for ~30 minutes, with A/C on full blast and the car didn't overheat or leak anywhere. Coolant tank was still full from when I filled it the first time.
What could have caused the leak/overheating in the first place?
I have a 1985 Chevy 2500. after sitting for about 3 or 4 months the rearmost brake fluid reservoir is empty. Does the rear reservoir supply fluid for the front or rear brakes?
View 14 RepliesNoticed this leak today a few days after parking the Ex (V10) -- not a daily driver. Crawled under the Ex and checked under the hood but I could not find an obvious sign of where the leak is coming from.
I checked the coolant plastic reservoir and its on MIN -- I believe that where it should be when the engine is cold. I noticed that these trucks do not have a cap directly on the radiator. That plastic reservoir, is that where I would top off the coolant?
Is there a spot on these engines where it would commonly leak? Should I try to put some dye on the coolant and/or possibly pressure test it?
2000 Chrysler 300M with 142K miles. Was a very reliable car until recently.
Problem began with boiling coolant in the reservoir tank. Then began to lose coolant at a high rate. I tried stop leak products and replaced the coolant frequently for a couple months. Some of it kind of worked, but the problem always returned. The car drives fine for about 10 highway miles then begins to steam out from under the hood on the passenger side. It gets about half way up the temp gauge, but does not really overheat. I usually stop when it steams out, let it cool, replace the antifreeze, then do it all over again. I've also tried a bunch of other things too, e.g., radiator flush. None of it worked.
The mechanic wants to replace the radiator. Says the system does not have pressure so there's no real way to determine if there are leaks in the engine. But he does know that the radiator is no good. I'm okay to replace radiator, but don't want to do it just to find out ten minutes later that I have a blown head gasket, which I would opt not to fix. I have read the tell tale signs of a blown head gasket, such as coolant in the oil, but there is none. My exhaust is white, but it's 5 degrees outside and it doesn't look whiter. I have seen some coolant on the ground at times.
Why my 96 dodge neon is leaking coolant. I was checking my oil and I noticed the reservoir tank was half empty, so I assumed it was nothing out of the ordinary since it's a 17 year old car. When I filled it though, it came pouring out of the tube that sits right under the tank. I'm capping it off every day before I drive and it holds, but it's definitely got a slow leak. It seems to only hold it for 4 days of driving for an hour. My temperature gauge stays at the normal level, but you can smell the antifreeze burning and the engine's running hot. I'm not too mechanically inclined, but what could be wrong with it? I've recently installed a new alternator and clutch cable and found out my valve cover gasket is leaking. I really want to save this car instead of getting a new one.
View 2 RepliesMy Chevy Malibu is having a bit of trouble.
When I drive on inclines my reservoir leaks. It did it way more when I lived up a hill, but since I've moved to a more flat area, I barely see it.
A more serious issue I am having is with my ignition/gear shift. When I try to turn the car off it will not go to the OFF position. If I wiggle the handle, it will then go off.
I have a 2005 Chevy Cobalt, 2.2L engine and am having a few problems. I believe I am losing coolant somewhere, but cannot ever see any leaks or anything on the ground where I park. I am having to top off the reservoir a couple times a month with water/coolant to keep the temperature from going up above normal (which I've found is around 190 degrees). I first noticed this when the temperature had reached 230 degrees! I also hear a sound like sloshing water in the front end when I first start and drive the vehicle. The sloshing usually subsides after I've been driving for several minutes. To top it all off I now have a bit of foam on the oil cap and the oil looks a tad bit cloudy.
View 10 RepliesWhile servicing the bosses 121k 6.0, I noticed the coolant resevoir empty. It took 1 1/2 gallons to bring to proper level. Returning under truck to install drain plug, I noticed coolant coming from rear of the engine(right side). And of course Ford has changed the cooling system cap, so I wasn't able to pressure test it to pinpoint the leak. Started the engine and seen coolant coming from the left rear as well. I've been reading here to see what others have been seeing, (EGR cooler, head gaskets). With all the heat shields,not much room to look.
After work I did go and buy the adapter to test the cooling system. With any luck I will be able to see leak better.
Ran my battery down on my car when I left my lights on and proceeded to work an 8-hour shift.
Came out and stuck my key in the ignition. Nothing happened, which is when I realized my plight. The dang ignition wouldn't release my key! This meant I couldn't get into the trunk by key. I pressed the (stupidly electric) remote trunk lock. That's where the jumper cables are! Did I mention it was below freezing and I wasn't dressed for sustained outdoor shenanigans?
Fortunately, I was able to flag down co-workers with jumper cables, after a time. We opened the hood--praises, they actually left a cable-actuated device on the car!--and got going. None the less, it was a close scare.
1) Why does the ignition "grab" the key without battery power?
2) How does one defeat 1)?
3) Is it necessary to store my jumper cables INSIDE the car?
4) What mental giant decided a trunk latch that's INOP with a dead battery was a good idea?
I have a decent working understanding of a lock cylinder--6 or so spring-loaded wafers that retract into the cylinder body, allowing it to turn--but I don't see how that requires current flow to work. If it's a "safety" feature, how do I disable it, permanently?
2008 Chevy Cobalt
The fan for my A/c and heat does not turn on anymore. The A/c and heating systems themselves do work because if I put my hand right up against the vent I can feel it. When I switch on the fan, there is no noise, no humming either. This happened over the course of two days where first the fan worked fine, then it took a little while to turn on, then it would only turn on if I put it on high and waited a long time, then it didn't turn on at all.
Since then I have not tried to turn the fan on for more than a few minutes to see if I can get it to work again because I'm concerned that the trapped heat or A/c might damage something inside (am I correct?).