Coolant level low

Hi there,

Depending on when you look at the coolant, the level will change. There is a Max & Min level, anywhere in between will be ok. As the engine warms up the coolant will expand and fill the surge tank and when it cools it will be drawn back into the engine. As for the oil level, that will stay fairly constant, if it is a fraction over, that will not be an issue and i feel that the tech has taken the same view and left it alone.

here is a guide to help

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-is-leaking-coolant

Mark (mhpautos)

Bad head gasket. Thats the only reason for coolant in the exhaust.

It most likely is a result of overheating.

The head will have to be removed, re surfaced, pressure tested.

Roy

Good luck

Hi crusher1130,

What you are describing should be the Malfunction Indicator Light ( MIL, a diagram of an engine with the word CHECK).

When this light shows, an error either in the emission or engine control system has been detected and recorded. You would have to retrieve the trouble code to understand what is happening.

Most parts stores provides the service free, get scan done and let me know the exact trouble code.

Hi markdubi,

The radiator top tank is bad causing the leaks. This often happens when coolant level drops and instead of coolant, steam which has a higher temperature than boiling coolant is moving around in the radiator. This would cause the tank to burst over time.

You need to get a new radiator unless you are able to get a replacement top tank.

After replacement of the radiator, pressure test the syatem for possible leaks at other area in the system.

Doubtful but remotely possible. There should be what is known as a freeze plug or two on the back of the engine, but the person that did the work would have had to have been extremely ignorant and careless to damage it sufficiently to cause it to leak.

Hi there,

Thank you for the donation,

If there are no external leaks, it will be an internal one, I would get a head check done first, this is a simple and cheap chemical test to check for Co in the cooling system, if so it will be a head problem.

Mark (mhpautos)

From your pic it looks like the one pointed to with the arrow check all of yoru hoses however for being soft as they will leak if soft soon.

Thanks for using 2CarPros. Com!

This could be caused by a couple of different things. A leak could exist in many components that hold the coolant , i.E. Radiator, water hose, thermostat housing, water pump. Check all of these components to ensure there are no cracks, leaks or loose connections. Worst case scenario would be a cracked head and / or head gasket. This would allow coolant to leak into the engine combustion chamber and be burnt out the exhaust (white smoke indicates water / coolant). This condition would normally cause poor performance of the vehicle though.

Although a low coolant level will not normally cause a hard start, it could be that the vehicle was driven with low coolant causing the engine to overheat. Then after parking and trying to restart, it would indeed have a hard time since it had overheated. With more coolant added back to the system, it cooled the engine back to normal operating temperature and allowed engine to crank normally.

If your vehicle is at operating temperature with the radiator cap on then your hoses should feel stiff with pressure. Your cap should be rated in the area of 16psi. Your cooling system builds pressure because a liquid under pressure raises its boiling point. If this feature did not work then your coolant would boil almost everytime you drove it for more than 10 minutes. Just dont remove the cap EVER when the system is under pressure. As soon as you open it then the liquid immediately turns to boil/steam and shoots out like a bad out of hell.