[2fast4u]

i have changed the cap at time of flushing and the cap gasket looks clean. anyway based on your replies it seems quite normal that evaporation takes place. I too use the readymade 50:50 mix gallon.

The funny part is that prior to the flushing i never ever used coolant whatever coolant was there was in the coolant reservioir the rest topup was just tap water and the water level of evaporation was very less - i used to check the radiator level once in 3 weeks. probably maybe it was clogged but it worked MAYBE or it survived without any damage to engine.

Now i keep checking the level every 3 to 4 days of driving.

[2fast4u]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

better to use distilled water in order to avoid all the salts and stuff. evaporation yes will happen to an extent, as in a minor top up every 5000 kms is ok (usually done in the reservoir tank)

(last check was some 8to 10 days prior - driven about 1400kms ) when i checked i was surprised to see that the coolant reservoir was below low and in the radiator I could see the tubes. Started the engine and revved to see if there was any air lock - none - so topped up reservoir with approx three quarts to Max and about 2 ltrs in the radiator.

how do you explain this strange behavior.
Revved the car idle to approx 5000rpm to check if there is any leak - None.
I even checked the Engine Oil cap it is clean so no internal leak or head agsket probs.
ive started keeping a gallon of the stuff now.

[risga]

Modern automobiles have a closed loop cooling system and hence evaporation losses are minimal. When the engine heats up to normal operating temperature, coolant in the radiator expands. The cap has a pressure release opening and the extra volume is pushed out into the reservoir. When the engine cools down, part of this coolant is sucked back into the radiator.

Why dont you check the fluid in the reservoir twice: 1) when engine is cold & 2) when engine is at operating temperature

Do take a couple of readings over the next few days and post your findings. We should be able to help solve the problem.

When the engine is hot, fluid level in reservoir should be between low and high. If you over-fill in cold state, when engine is warm, reservoir will be overflowing.

[vivekiny2k]

Originally Posted by 2fast4u

how do you explain this strange behavior.

pressure check the cap, and the rest of the system individually. i think they pressurize it and wait for 10-15 mins to see if there is any considerable change in pressure. even the new/serviced parts may be faulty.

regd the evaporation, it should only happen thru the reservoir, i think normal frequency of refill would be once 4-6 months that way.

evaporation thru any other system will be faster and can get you in trouble if you drive for couple of hours.

from my own experience, cap seals the opening, as well as it allows the bleeding of coolant into the reservoir. if gasket fails, it will evaporate into the atmosphere. if the bleeding valve fails, it will bleed everything into the reservoir, which will spill out the excess, and then rest of it will be bled out in vapor form.

clue: fill the reservoir and the radiator system properly, drive for an hour, and when HOT, check if you hear (and feel) bubbling/boiling in the tubes. it shud not boil in a pressurized system. if it does, somewhere u have a leak. if your reservoir is overflowing, it's the bleeding valve failure.

[2fast4u]

7th June as mentioned in previous post topped the reservoir to MAX and filled the radiator too. Did 37 kms. Did not use the car entire day yesterday Friday,

checked today morning Sat. and the coolant Reservoir is below LOW and also Radiator coolant water has reduced. Topped up again both Reservoir with three quarts and this time radiator with about 1 quart.
It has now consumed a Full 5 ltrs in 3 months.

There is NO leak, No bubbling, with engine raised also No leak or spray that can be detected, engine running with cap opened the coolant mix water in radiator is flowing nice and fast, no head gasket leak either.

let me know if there is more info that is required to find the root cause.

[Gurkha]

Originally Posted by 2fast4u

7th June as mentioned in previous post topped the reservoir to MAX and filled the radiator too. Did 37 kms. Did not use the car entire day yesterday Friday,

checked today morning Sat. and the coolant Reservoir is below LOW and also Radiator coolant water has reduced. Topped up again both Reservoir with three quarts and this time radiator with about 1 quart.
It has now consumed a Full 5 ltrs in 3 months.

There is NO leak, No bubbling, with engine raised also No leak or spray that can be detected, engine running with cap opened the coolant mix water in radiator is flowing nice and fast, no head gasket leak either.

let me know if there is more info that is required to find the root cause.

Do a pressure test, if you don't see leaks, that means engine is sucking the coolant, that happens with a damaged head gasket or wrapped head. Do you see white smoke from your exhaust? Specially when starting up cold engine?

[2fast4u]

Originally Posted by Gurkha

Do a pressure test, if you don't see leaks, that means engine is sucking the coolant, that happens with a damaged head gasket or wrapped head. Do you see white smoke from your exhaust? Specially when starting up cold engine?

i did check exhaust - No smoke at all start or throttle, the head gasket does not have any leak as if it would then the engine cap inside would give the indication. right.
yes i feel pressure test is the last thing that i have to do. parked in one place for over 24 hrs and theres no trace of leak ground.
thanks to all for you contribution in assisting.

[Gurkha]

Originally Posted by 2fast4u

i did check exhaust - No smoke at all start or throttle, the head gasket does not have any leak as if it would then the engine cap inside would give the indication. right.
yes i feel pressure test is the last thing that i have to do. parked in one place for over 24 hrs and theres no trace of leak ground.
thanks to all for you contribution in assisting.

Coolant is green or orange, so easy to see if there are leaks, in your case, since there are none as you say, the only other way out is through combustion chamber, happened to my Bolero so I know first hand. Whats your weekly oil consumption by the way?

[2fast4u]

Originally Posted by Gurkha

Coolant is green or orange, so easy to see if there are leaks, in your case, since there are none as you say, the only other way out is through combustion chamber, happened to my Bolero so I know first hand. Whats your weekly oil consumption by the way?

as my average driving is about 7k kms 1 month - I change oil every 2 months and between changes I have never topped up. from the Max level on dipstick its down to just a little below MAX but never reached the LOW mark.
Also last Oil change did not show any white residue if coolant was getting mixed in comb chamber. hope I am right in my check???

the coolant is Green in color.

[Gurkha]

Originally Posted by 2fast4u

as my average driving is about 7k kms 1 month - I change oil every 2 months and between changes I have never topped up. from the Max level on dipstick its down to just a little below MAX but never reached the LOW mark.
Also last Oil change did not show any white residue if coolant was getting mixed in comb chamber. hope I am right in my check???

the coolant is Green in color.

Only a used oil analysis will reveal coolant in oil, actually if it enters the combustion chamber, it usually burns off leaving little residue in oil. You must do a pressure test whenever possible to find out the culprit. Do you have the Altima with the 2.4L engine? Thats a nice car.

[mithun]

Can I use battery water in lieu of the Distilled water ?

[Gurkha]

Originally Posted by mithun

Can I use battery water in lieu of the Distilled water ?

Ideally battery water and distilled water are same thing but since distillation process is costly affair, most just sell filtered water and pass it off as distilled here in India.

[vivekiny2k]

2F4U,

1. did the problem of losing coolant so fast start only after ur coolant service?
2. did you notice in change of level in the reservoir. does it bleed any amount at all?
3. did ur temperature gauge run into red zone? my car took around 30-40 miles of running before that happened.

4. it takes around 15 mins for the engine to get hot. higher revs do not matter.

let it get hot, check the hoses (they shud get tight because of the pressure), the fan should start running if the car is stationary. temp guage shud go to half position.

then check if it's bleeding any coolant out in reservoir. if ur rservoir is getting empty, i am sure it is sucking it back in when getting cold.

if you do not see any evidence (boiling, white smoke, white residue in oil, leaks), i still think you are losing it (slowly) to the atmosphere, cud be the cap, hoses, or the engine block itself.
but let's make sure the rest of the functioning is fine.

[2fast4u]

hi all,
checked the coolant reservoir today morning and found it a little lower than Max. Without losing any time went to garage did a pressure test and at 14PSI found the culprit.
The metal pipe that connects the engine block and the radiator hose has a very tiiiiiiiinnnnny hole and the damn problem starts after around 14 psi. The spray could not be detected because it passes between the heater outlet hose and the alternator down to the ground.. just perfect!!!

The tinnnny hole on this pipe is right at the engine block (whether a brazing or welding job - dont know) but there is very less access and will be couple of hours job to get some stuff off to reach it.

Right now I have used Kwik Seal to arrest the leak. will get the job done this weekend.

Thanks to all!!!
vivek too.
Gurkha @its a RB20det inline6 2ltr

[wolfinstein]

Is it normal to sometimes, hear steam or phisssssssssss noise from the Coolant Tank.

There were some black residue type blotches in the tank, I filled in the reduced coolant with water and drive on.