coolant level problems

2001 INFINITI I30
170,000 MILES • 6 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
Avatar
JACK DAVIDSON
  • MEMBER
  • 41 POSTS
Having odd coolant level problems w/ '99 Acura 3.2TL: can't find a leak in any hoses anywhere, or out of water pump. No problems w/ heater core nor steam/water from tail pipes. No problems on short trips. but when driving 100m, have to add ~~ 0.5 gal to radiator before going again. Kinda weird.
Jul 7, 2011 at 5:33 PM
Advertisement
Avatar
CARADIODOC
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 34,308 POSTS
You can add a bottle of dye to the coolant. After the coolant loss occurs, search with a black light. The dye will show up as a bright yellow stain that you can follow to the source of the leak.
Jul 7, 2011 at 7:45 PM
Avatar
JACK DAVIDSON
  • MEMBER
  • 41 POSTS
Adding water last night, and the cap actually broke aprt in my hand; i.e. the spring/plug/cover broke away from the cap itself. the plug and spring both fell into the radiator and had to be retrieved. Could this the problem of the disappearing coolant? Could the coolat go out thru the reservior hose into the reservior and out thru the top when under high pressure? And then evaporate quickly before we got a chance to see it?
Jul 8, 2011 at 7:29 PM
Advertisement
Avatar
CARADIODOC
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 34,308 POSTS
Sounds like you're referring to the radiator cap which has a pressure relief valve that will maintain up to 15 pounds of pressure on the cooling system. For every pound of pressure, the boiling point of the water in the coolant is raised three degrees. Since it's common for the coolant to get well over 212 degrees, it's possible the water is boiling out of the system and leaving as steam.
Jul 9, 2011 at 12:25 AM