Losing coolant

AMALTHEA

MEMBER
2005 TOYOTA CAMRY
2.4L
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
165,000 MILES

Was slowly losing coolant. Definite pink sludge at weep hole of water pump, replaced it. Bled air out, drove great for almost two hundred miles then coolant reservoir empty. Thought it was air pocket, filled reservoir, about another one hundred plus miles found it empty again. Pressure tested, not losing pressure, not able to see any wet areas. But did see crust at top of radiator along where plastic and aluminum meet. Replaced radiator and cap (Denso). Drove round trip today of ninety miles and two hours, coolant reservoir almost empty again.

No evidence of oil in coolant or vice versa. No white smoke.

3 Replies

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,916 POSTS

I would add a small bottle of dark purple dye to the coolant, then check a day later with a black light. The dye will show up as a bright yellow stain that you can follow back to the source. Be sure to look inside the tail pipe.

Auto parts stores will have the dye, and those that rent or borrow tools should have a black light.

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Monday, May 22nd, 2017 AT 7:46 PM

AMALTHEA

MEMBER
5 POSTS

Dye led me right to the oil. Removed valve cover and a big puddle sitting right between 2 and 3. Do you know of any links to replacement? Looks like the bolts are also an issue, so looking for a write up or video that touches on repair (heli coil?) As well as timing chain removal

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Thursday, May 25th, 2017 AT 5:26 PM

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,916 POSTS

Hold on a minute. If you removed the valve cover, you would be in by the camshaft and rocker arms. There has to be oil there. If you're referring to a trim cover on top of the engine, that's a different story. It is somewhat common to find oil in some of the spark plug tubes on some engines. There are rubber O-ring seals to replace, along with the valve cover gasket. The dealer is the best place to go for those parts to be sure you get the right ones.

I prefer manufacturer's paper service manuals for repair procedures, but you can also buy an online subscription for just your vehicle. The two that independent shops use are AllData and Mitchel-On-Demand. You can find a link to Mitchel at the top of this page if you click on "Repair Guides".

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Thursday, May 25th, 2017 AT 7:44 PM