where is my coolant going?!

[coolcooltracy]

I have been having an oil leak problem and my Dad believes he knows what the problem is and is waiting on warmer weather to fix it.. but in the mean time my coolant has been running low every other day i have to refill it.. i noticed it since i started adding the Prestone coolant that says "DO NOT ADD WATER" to it.. the kind ive used before was the regular kind that you DID have to add water to..

so idk do you guys think thats the problem bc there is no leak. the reservoir tank is possibly about 2 years old..

the oil leak shouldnt have anything to do with it right??

[brettski]

Is there any sign of coolant under the car or in the engine bay?

Is the engine oil showing any signs of contamination from coolant?

Is the car running smoothly?

[rivroshaun951]

I am not a professional. This is just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Check to see if there is a sweet smell in your car. Or wet carpet floor stains inside the car. I would place a piece of cardboard under your vehicle and wait over night and see what types of fluids are leaking (lazy mans way).

And yes there are a few way's that coolant can be contaminated by oil. Oh and last thing. Does your heater work? even when the coolant is topped off.

[coolcooltracy]

Originally Posted by brettski

Is there any sign of coolant under the car or in the engine bay?

Is the engine oil showing any signs of contamination from coolant?

Is the car running smoothly?

I'm not 100% sure if there is or isnt a puddle.. but from looking under, theres only an oil puddle (thats bc my oil has been leaking for a while)

No white on the dipstick

Besides the oil leak and my tires needing to be rotated, the car is running fine..i just topped off the coolant this morning and driving home from work, the light came on!!

[coolcooltracy]

Originally Posted by rivroshaun951

I am not a professional. This is just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Check to see if there is a sweet smell in your car. Or wet carpet floor stains inside the car. I would place a piece of cardboard under your vehicle and wait over night and see what types of fluids are leaking (lazy mans way).

And yes there are a few way's that coolant can be contaminated by oil. Oh and last thing. Does your heater work? even when the coolant is topped off.

I personally wouldnt call it sweet, but there is a distinct smell when my heater is on even when i put the circulation for inside only, on.. my fiance said that it was the coolant.. no wet stains.. my heater DOES work, but what happened today was i topped off the coolant and drove to work, on the way home right when i turned on the heater, the coolant light came on... . i pulled over and it sounded like fluid was splattering out of the cap but there physically wasnt any fluid.. i was thinking maybe jus air..? but didnt try to refill it bc engine was hot and i wasnt about to burn myself.. drove home kept the heater off and thermostat was at normal, but the light would go on and off a few times..

[Lord Vader]

If you added coolant to it, you need to bleed the system. Air is probably trapped in the system. Their is a bleed screw next to the expansion tank cap.