Just noticed my wifes Lexus coolant bottle was down about 3-4 ounces. It is stillfactory fill and the car has 55,000 miles. I was wondering of there is any standard for normal coolant loss? Any ideas?
What is "Normal" coolant loss?
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Good question. All I can tell you is the coolant in the expansion bottle in my '06 Camry I-4 is now about a half-inch above the low mark after 3.75 years. That's for the coolant level in the expansion bottle when the car is cold (been sitting overnight). When driving, I guess the coolant expands and the coolant's level in the bottle rises to about 2 inches above the low mark.
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Mine was about 2" below the hot line when hot. It was at the hot line when new.
Keep an eye on it, make sure the cap is tight on the overflow bottle.
I've had caps go bad, and not hold pressure, and the coolant would slowly evaporate an ounce or two over a matter of weeks.
I've had caps go bad, and not hold pressure, and the coolant would slowly evaporate an ounce or two over a matter of weeks.
I notice the coolant level goes down in the Fall then next Spring it will increase as the weather warms up when checking my Saturn with a stone cold motor. On the RX300 the factory fill was too low. This is with less then 30,000 miles. I ended up just buying some Toyota coolant and now it is OK. Not sure why it was so low? The owner (my landlord) did not open the hood for the first 5 years, so I don't think she had anything to do with it.
My car is equiped with a pressurized coolant tank, no cap on the radiator, and the level stayed the same (at max line) for 80k KM.
With an overflow tank, where the cap does not have to hold any pressure, it is possible to lose some coolant to evaporation and few ounces per 50k miles does not sound out of line at all.
With an overflow tank, where the cap does not have to hold any pressure, it is possible to lose some coolant to evaporation and few ounces per 50k miles does not sound out of line at all.
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
My car is equiped with a pressurized coolant tank, no cap on the radiator, and the level stayed the same (at max line) for 80k KM.
With an overflow tank, where the cap does not have to hold any pressure, it is possible to lose some coolant to evaporation and few ounces per 50k miles does not sound out of line at all.
My Camry's expansion tank is part of a pressurized system, too. Do you guys think almost one tankfull of coolant loss is too much for 3.75 years and 27,000 miles? If so, what do you think might be causing it, and what steps should I take to stop the loss--I never see any leaks anywhere.
The manual says the original factory fill of pink coolant can go 10 years, and to refill every 5 years thereafter.
Do you think I should do a radiator drain and fill (not flush) once a year beginning now, after only 3.75 years?
Also, do you think air is getting into the pressurized system? If so, won't that lower the life of the coolant?
My car is equiped with a pressurized coolant tank, no cap on the radiator, and the level stayed the same (at max line) for 80k KM.
With an overflow tank, where the cap does not have to hold any pressure, it is possible to lose some coolant to evaporation and few ounces per 50k miles does not sound out of line at all.
My Camry's expansion tank is part of a pressurized system, too. Do you guys think almost one tankfull of coolant loss is too much for 3.75 years and 27,000 miles? If so, what do you think might be causing it, and what steps should I take to stop the loss--I never see any leaks anywhere.
The manual says the original factory fill of pink coolant can go 10 years, and to refill every 5 years thereafter.
Do you think I should do a radiator drain and fill (not flush) once a year beginning now, after only 3.75 years?
Also, do you think air is getting into the pressurized system? If so, won't that lower the life of the coolant?
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For the first 60K, before my car was ever touched by a mechanic, the level never changed at all. Now it loses an ounce every couple months. No noticable leaks, no coolant in the oil. Hopefully it's the radiator cap that was removed and reinstalled.
I don't seem to lose coolant in the overflow tank gradually. In other words, the loss is not a slow, imperceptible, gradual loss. When the tank is observed cold, the level seems to stay constant for a whole 3 to 5 months at a time. Then, suddenly, after 3 or 5 months, it drops by an inch or two over a very short period of one to three days. The coolant level in the tank then stays at the new lower level for another 3 to 5 months. Then, almost overnight, it again drops another inch or two. The loss over these last 3.75 years has never been gradual, but punctuated by sudden drops.
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If your camry has the same setup as my inlaws Echo, then the overflow cap is not pressurised, you can easily unscrew the cap while the system is hot with no hissing, it's just an overflow tank.
My cap actually states the psi rating on it and you will hear the pressure release when you unscrew the cap while hot/warm.
If you can smell coolant when the engine was really warmed up, like extensive stop and go with AC on, and could not find any leaks, that means some of it is evaporating from the overflow tank.
The coolant can go 10 years, the Echo I mentioned, was made in 2000 and has over 200,000KM, coolant has never been changed (maybe topped off, I don't know) but is nice and pink in the overflow tank and through the radiator fill hole.
I would wait untill the level gotc close to the min. mark and top off with Toyota pink, or just top off now.
A radiator drain and fill will always be good if you want to do this, but not necessery.
My cap actually states the psi rating on it and you will hear the pressure release when you unscrew the cap while hot/warm.
If you can smell coolant when the engine was really warmed up, like extensive stop and go with AC on, and could not find any leaks, that means some of it is evaporating from the overflow tank.
The coolant can go 10 years, the Echo I mentioned, was made in 2000 and has over 200,000KM, coolant has never been changed (maybe topped off, I don't know) but is nice and pink in the overflow tank and through the radiator fill hole.
I would wait untill the level gotc close to the min. mark and top off with Toyota pink, or just top off now.
A radiator drain and fill will always be good if you want to do this, but not necessery.
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Any real loss is unacceptable.Its going somewhere,either internal or external seepage.Many times there is no loss at all but the conditions when it was checked may not be identical.
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
If your camry has the same setup as my inlaws Echo, then the overflow cap is not pressurised, you can easily unscrew the cap while the system is hot with no hissing, it's just an overflow tank.
My cap actually states the psi rating on it and you will hear the pressure release when you unscrew the cap while hot/warm.
I think the '06 Camry's coolant system must be pressurized because I see "108 kPa" written on the radiator cap along with a warning not to open the cap when hot.
If your camry has the same setup as my inlaws Echo, then the overflow cap is not pressurised, you can easily unscrew the cap while the system is hot with no hissing, it's just an overflow tank.
My cap actually states the psi rating on it and you will hear the pressure release when you unscrew the cap while hot/warm.
I think the '06 Camry's coolant system must be pressurized because I see "108 kPa" written on the radiator cap along with a warning not to open the cap when hot.
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The Toyota Super Long Life coolant does have issues with evaporation-my wife's xB lost about 4 inches worth from the expansion tank in about 3 years, had to add more-you may just be losing it due to evaporation from the expansion tank, but testing/replacing the radiator pressure cap is always a good idea.
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
If your camry has the same setup as my inlaws Echo, then the overflow cap is not pressurised, you can easily unscrew the cap while the system is hot with no hissing, it's just an overflow tank.
My cap actually states the psi rating on it and you will hear the pressure release when you unscrew the cap while hot/warm.
If you can smell coolant when the engine was really warmed up, like extensive stop and go with AC on, and could not find any leaks, that means some of it is evaporating from the overflow tank.
The coolant can go 10 years, the Echo I mentioned, was made in 2000 and has over 200,000KM, coolant has never been changed (maybe topped off, I don't know) but is nice and pink in the overflow tank and through the radiator fill hole.
I would wait untill the level gotc close to the min. mark and top off with Toyota pink, or just top off now.
A radiator drain and fill will always be good if you want to do this, but not necessery.
Are you sure your Echo isn't the Long Life Red-I thought that was only good for 5 years. The Super didn't come out until '04.
If your camry has the same setup as my inlaws Echo, then the overflow cap is not pressurised, you can easily unscrew the cap while the system is hot with no hissing, it's just an overflow tank.
My cap actually states the psi rating on it and you will hear the pressure release when you unscrew the cap while hot/warm.
If you can smell coolant when the engine was really warmed up, like extensive stop and go with AC on, and could not find any leaks, that means some of it is evaporating from the overflow tank.
The coolant can go 10 years, the Echo I mentioned, was made in 2000 and has over 200,000KM, coolant has never been changed (maybe topped off, I don't know) but is nice and pink in the overflow tank and through the radiator fill hole.
I would wait untill the level gotc close to the min. mark and top off with Toyota pink, or just top off now.
A radiator drain and fill will always be good if you want to do this, but not necessery.
Are you sure your Echo isn't the Long Life Red-I thought that was only good for 5 years. The Super didn't come out until '04.
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
....but testing/replacing the radiator pressure cap is always a good idea.
How does someone test the radiator pressure cap and the cap on the expansion tank? Does it take special equipment to test them?
....but testing/replacing the radiator pressure cap is always a good idea.
How does someone test the radiator pressure cap and the cap on the expansion tank? Does it take special equipment to test them?
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Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
If your camry has the same setup as my inlaws Echo, then the overflow cap is not pressurised, you can easily unscrew the cap while the system is hot with no hissing, it's just an overflow tank.
My cap actually states the psi rating on it and you will hear the pressure release when you unscrew the cap while hot/warm.
If you can smell coolant when the engine was really warmed up, like extensive stop and go with AC on, and could not find any leaks, that means some of it is evaporating from the overflow tank.
The coolant can go 10 years, the Echo I mentioned, was made in 2000 and has over 200,000KM, coolant has never been changed (maybe topped off, I don't know) but is nice and pink in the overflow tank and through the radiator fill hole.
I would wait untill the level gotc close to the min. mark and top off with Toyota pink, or just top off now.
A radiator drain and fill will always be good if you want to do this, but not necessery.
Are you sure your Echo isn't the Long Life Red-I thought that was only good for 5 years. The Super didn't come out until '04.
It might be, I don't know as it is my FIL's car
, but right now it looks pink when dropped on a white paper towel. If you are correct than it's way overdue, but knowing my FIL it will not be replaced until something in the cooling system fails, it's just the way he is, I don't bother anymore with trying to change his ways.
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I think the '06 Camry's coolant system must be pressurized because I see "108 kPa" written on the radiator cap along with a warning not to open the cap when hot.
I was talking about the overflow tank in your toyota, and that cap is not pressurized, as it just holds extra coolant when the system gets hot and coolant expands.
My car does not have a radiator pressure cap, instead the coolant tank is pressurized and coolant flows through it all the time.
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
If your camry has the same setup as my inlaws Echo, then the overflow cap is not pressurised, you can easily unscrew the cap while the system is hot with no hissing, it's just an overflow tank.
My cap actually states the psi rating on it and you will hear the pressure release when you unscrew the cap while hot/warm.
If you can smell coolant when the engine was really warmed up, like extensive stop and go with AC on, and could not find any leaks, that means some of it is evaporating from the overflow tank.
The coolant can go 10 years, the Echo I mentioned, was made in 2000 and has over 200,000KM, coolant has never been changed (maybe topped off, I don't know) but is nice and pink in the overflow tank and through the radiator fill hole.
I would wait untill the level gotc close to the min. mark and top off with Toyota pink, or just top off now.
A radiator drain and fill will always be good if you want to do this, but not necessery.
Are you sure your Echo isn't the Long Life Red-I thought that was only good for 5 years. The Super didn't come out until '04.
It might be, I don't know as it is my FIL's car
Quote:
I think the '06 Camry's coolant system must be pressurized because I see "108 kPa" written on the radiator cap along with a warning not to open the cap when hot.
I was talking about the overflow tank in your toyota, and that cap is not pressurized, as it just holds extra coolant when the system gets hot and coolant expands.
My car does not have a radiator pressure cap, instead the coolant tank is pressurized and coolant flows through it all the time.
Ah, thanks, KrisZ. That's good info. It never occurred to me that the radiator might be pressurized but the expansinon tank (that's connected to the radiator by a thin hose) might not be pressurized.
It makes sense that the coolant might be escaping from the plastic overflow tank. How can we stop the evaporation from the plastic tank? And isn't it odd that the cold coolant level stays constant for 4 or 5 months at a time, then almost overnight an inch or two suddenly disappears. The sudden disappearance is repeated about every 4 or 5 months.
SuperBusa mentioned a similar experience when he wrote:
"2005 Toyota Tacoma with OEM pink coolant. The reservior tank did go down some in the first 20K miles. Topped it off and has been holding steady for awhile now."
It makes sense that the coolant might be escaping from the plastic overflow tank. How can we stop the evaporation from the plastic tank? And isn't it odd that the cold coolant level stays constant for 4 or 5 months at a time, then almost overnight an inch or two suddenly disappears. The sudden disappearance is repeated about every 4 or 5 months.
SuperBusa mentioned a similar experience when he wrote:
"2005 Toyota Tacoma with OEM pink coolant. The reservior tank did go down some in the first 20K miles. Topped it off and has been holding steady for awhile now."
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