damange or risk of running low on coolant?

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from a friend's CRV; 2-3 month ago, the coolant was drained and then 1 bottle of Honda coolant was added. now just found out there is no coolant in the reservoir, but observation from radiator cap still it looks pretty full. so maybe there is a minor under fill of coolant? he also mention the car's coolant temperature gauge is normal all these time, and the car was driven short distance (10-15km/trip, and 20km max) a few times each month in winter only. we now wonder what is the risk or maybe damage that could happen to this CRV. thanks
 
Overheat damage with aluminum block and even aluminum head / iron block engines is rapid and severe. It doesn't take long with low coolant levels for Very Bad Things to happen. Iron engines are more forgiving, but can still be damaged. Running an engine with low coolant is a BIG risk, and shouldn't be glossed over.

The good news here is that so long as the radiator was "almost full," there's almost no chance of damage- the coolant in the reservoir bottle is just that- reserve capacity to keep air from getting drawn in when the engine is shut down and the coolant cools down and contracts. Top off the reservoir to the correct level and keep an eye on it to be sure its not leaking coolant somewhere.
 
My understanding is parts in the radiator, engine, water pump, etc can oxidize if you run low on coolant. That why you start seeing brown crud in the coolant.
 
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i tell him to double check again, and don't drive the car until both radiator and reservoir are both in full mark. i am going to check mine after i got home.
does low coolant cause temperature to raise (i mean, will it reflect on coolant temperature needle on Honda's car?)
 
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