late night help - where'd my coolant go?
09-06-2004, 12:24 AM
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late night help - where'd my coolant go?
I started my car this morning, and immediately my coolant light went on. While I've been dutifully ignoring my brake pad light, this one I thought I'd better check. Sure enough, the tank was bone dry!
The car had been sitting undriven for about 24 hours, so I checked underneath - no puddles. Being super-paranoid, I checked my oil - the level was fine, and it didn't look like there was any coolant mixed in (although I don't know what that would look like).
FWIW, when I changed my oil 2 weeks (1500 miles) ago, the coolant level was fine.
So what are the possibilities? Give me worst case, best case, and most probable. Also, could I just throw in pure distilled water to move the car a bit, or do I *need* to have a certain percentage of G12? (finding G12 on Labor Day will be fun...)
The car had been sitting undriven for about 24 hours, so I checked underneath - no puddles. Being super-paranoid, I checked my oil - the level was fine, and it didn't look like there was any coolant mixed in (although I don't know what that would look like).
FWIW, when I changed my oil 2 weeks (1500 miles) ago, the coolant level was fine.
So what are the possibilities? Give me worst case, best case, and most probable. Also, could I just throw in pure distilled water to move the car a bit, or do I *need* to have a certain percentage of G12? (finding G12 on Labor Day will be fun...)
09-06-2004, 07:28 AM
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You can top it off with distilled water for now.
The only issue you would have with water is if the temps got below freezing...the mixture would be more susceptible to freezing, which could result in a cracked block.
Anyway, if you don't see signs of fluid leak below, check the coolant expansion tank. Sometimes the fittings that the hoses slip over can develop a slight crack. When the engine gets warm, coolant escapes in the form of vapor, which might explain why there is nothing on the ground. That's the first place I would look. If you see any white crusty substances, that's dried up coolant residue.
Anyway, if you don't see signs of fluid leak below, check the coolant expansion tank. Sometimes the fittings that the hoses slip over can develop a slight crack. When the engine gets warm, coolant escapes in the form of vapor, which might explain why there is nothing on the ground. That's the first place I would look. If you see any white crusty substances, that's dried up coolant residue.
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