Missing coolant mystery?

[Catastrophe]

Ok... For the past few days I have had my "Low Coolant" light come on. Every time I check the reservoir, it's emptyand I fill it to proper level AGAIN... The radiator is always full "Right to the top". There are no puddles where I park, although I did notice green coolant leaking down from the right side of the front fender "Towards the outside of the engine bay" a couple days ago... I saw it dripping down, as I was walking towards the car. The radiator doesn't appear to be leaking either...

I think either my reservoir is cracked/leaking or maybe a hose to it came loose...

Do I need to take out the battery to get the reservoir out for close inspection?

 

[Camarok]

Does it smell green?! :evil_gri: Could be that coolant is leaking from somewhere burning off onto something really hot or manifold?! evaporating mysterously!?

Are you "exhausting" white smoke

Otherwise i really don't know

 

[Catastrophe]

It was definitely "GREEN"... That's the first thing I noticed, because the sun was shining right on the small puddle. It seemed to just drip off the right side of the front fender ( Just ahead of the passenger side tire, and equal to where the reservoir area would be right above it )

* Also--> No white smoke whatsoever from exhaust or engine............

 

[N3FOL]

Coolant Mystery

It was definitely "GREEN"... That's the first thing I noticed, because the sun was shining right on the small puddle. It seemed to just drip off the right side of the front fender ( Just ahead of the passenger side tire, and equal to where the reservoir area would be right above it )

* Also--> No white smoke whatsoever from exhaust or engine............

Check the condition of your lower radiator hose especially the clamps. Make sure everything is nice and tight. Good Luck.

 

[projectSHO89]

A pressure tester from AustoZone's Loan-a-tool program will help you find the source of the leak very quickly.

About a $90 refundable deposit.

Steve

 

[Dual Plenum92]

check the bottom of the reservior around the bubble of plastic. i have had the same problem and i found a little crack after taking out the reservior and examining it more closely.

DP92

 

[morpho18]

i've just recently been having the exact same problem. Last Saturday I flushed the coolant from the car and replaced it with all new. I made sure to look everywhere for leaks, and just couldn't find any. If there is a puddle under my car, its very small, and under the right front side of the car. Definitely not a big enough puddle for the amount of coolant being lost. Is there anything on the front end of the motor that can't be seen with the ***** eye that is leaking? maybe getting trapped in the timing belt covers? I'm really in a pinch here. I've been trying for the past 4 months to get my SHO problem free to make it a reliable daily driver, but with summer approaching, a low coolant mystery isn't very comforting.

 

[NoFlipping]

I just went thru this same thing. Turned out to be a water pump with the slowest leak I've ever seen. Couldn't really tell it was leaking except for the reserve tank needing to be refilled every few months. I took a close look undern the hood - no leaks - until I pulled the splash guard away far enough to see behind the damper pulley. I showed just the slightest residue of a dried coolant drip.

The pump was working fine - no noise/ no temp issues. I think it was just one of the 0-rings degrading (it was all still factory equipment). After nine years, I guess it was just time for rubber failure. I just had to do the valve covers/plugs and the oil pan, as well. So I figured, "I just did the top, why should the front be any different?" So that got done last week as well - pump, CPS, belt, cam and front oil seals.

I think that often it's hardest to see the early vs. the later stages of failure in the rubber parts like these. I, at least, tend to react to/look for the catastophic failures. I think I just got lucky finding this one.