Soooo strange - Coolant Level appears to be low constantly...

scottevest

scottevest

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You may recall, that I have previously complained about my coolant level apparently being low, for no clear reason. Well, it appears to be happening again.

Unlike last time, it is no longer emitting lots of white smoke out of tail pipe, which I thought might be related.

Symptoms:
  • not over heating
  • never getting down to nothing, but close
  • even after filling up just yesterday afternoon when not too hot and not driven much, today it is low again
  • no residue in the oil as far as i can tell
  • not leaking coolant
  • all hoses appear to be tight
  • not sure what else to say or report, other than there appears to be a cord/sensor that has nothing attached to it, see picture link below. Not sure if related or what that is for, but if relates to something that would warn me when it is out, i need to fix that asap.
  • should the level fluctuate a lot based upon driving conditions and heat?
  • has not been hot at all or driven more than 10 miles or so.
  • if all this means is that I have to add coolant regularily when i fill up, like i do adding oil every 2 tanks of gas or so, it is not a big deal
  • car runs great and temp level NEVER has gone above about 8pm if it were a clock

Any ideas would be much appreciated.
 

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Normal

heating and cooling cycles will result in very fine rust particals in the system. In turn that will change the color of the coolant. More important is that it changes the ph which is why it's normal to flush and refill with new.

The coolant level difference can be as much as two inches between hot and cold and should be above the large hose on the resevoir or at least a third of the resevoir. Turn the car on- wait a while, then check the level and you will see it rise.

Use a white or light colored cloth or paper towel and carefully go over the hoses, carbs, bottom of the manifolds, water inlet, water pump, and heater area. A small leak can be almost undetectable unless you wipe it with something absorbant.

Use a mirror for under the manifold. I've seen them corrode from tiny leaks. A hose will never seal against corrosion, it will just seep. In general from what you describe look for something that is above the bottom elevation of the tank since the level appears to lower and stop. Leaks from around the rear carb appear on the block behind the starter and are not easily seen.
 
Last edited:
one of the best tools I own is a coolant system pressure tester,
Borrow one or pay the local shop to test your system.
 
thanks for all the help

i am printing this out and bringing to my shop to go over this. I think i am worrying about nothing but would rather be sure.

I love this car.
 
In two years and 9000 miles I have not added a single drop of coolant. The level in the reservoir remains constant, the temp never goes above 4:00 and I have the original two row core radiator and it does get hot here in SoCal. Something is up.
 
correction

my level is never above 4pm either. I was typing from memory thinkin it was on the left not right.

I think i may be making something out of nothing. If you look from the passenger side of the motor, it appears to be above the valve entirely, but not by much. But if you look from drivers side, it appears much lower, perhaps it is slightly uneven AND maybe there is a small hole above the valve, and all is ok.

The oil thing is another issue, but think it is rings, etc. that i can have done next winter.
 
Scott,

if you have a bad headgasket or a cracked head - and coolant leaks into the oil, you will have foamy deposits in the oil - noticeable when you pull the dipstick. if you have oil that leaks into the coolant, you will have browner coolant / sludgy deposits in the reservoir tank. i highly recommend that you have the coolant system pressure checked per SFDon's recommendation. that's the best preventive test to know what's going on.

good luck,
scott
 
thanks. answers below ALL CAPS

See elow all caps

[/b]

rsporsche said:
scott,

if you have a bad headgasket or a cracked head - and coolant leaks into the oil, you will have foamy deposits in the oil

no foamy deposts [/i]

- noticeable when you pull the dipstick. If you have oil that leaks into the coolant, you will have browner coolant / sludgy deposits in the reservoir tank.

Not the case

i highly recommend that you have the coolant system pressure checked per sfdon's recommendation.

Wll do for sre

that's the best preventive test to know what's going on.

Good luck,
scott
Click to expand...
 
Could be as simple as the radiator cap.
They loose the ability to keep pressure in the system and little by little it comes out the overflow.
Cheap fix.
Also could be tested with the same equipment as the system pressure tester mentioned before.
 
Not to hijack the topic but for those of you whom the gauge is always at 4:00 pm position, if you have an infrared thermometer, could you take a reading of the thermostat housing so we can calibrate what temperature that is? Mine fluctuates from 4 up to 2:00 pm ( when not moving for a few minutes) at which point the temp is around 200.
 
I've had the same issue with my 2800CS. I know it's escaping out the radiator overflow hose when the cap decides to vent excess pressure. It has a rodded-out radiator and the original thermo-switch (non-visco) fan. The fan works as it's supposed to. The coolant temp does fluctuate and will climb towards red when sitting still, but can be brought down by increasing rpm (hence fan rpm). Static cold leak down revealed no leakage. I recently tried a new bleeding technique that may reduce future coolant loss thru vent cap.

In certain vintage Jaguars, it is considered normal for the expansion tank to belch out coolant until it reaches an equilibrium state, whereupon normal expansion / contraction will not cause any more to be expelled. But the cold / overnight level will be lower than the factory's initial fill level.

If your gauge doesn't creep past the 1/2 point you must have a decent working visco fan.
 
AH-HAH!

Let me add one more suspect... surprised no one pointed at it yet.

Look at the water pump shaft housing, from underneath. There is a ~3mm diameter hole there whose function is to let seal leakage escape. You want that hole to be dry, all the time. Wetness or a drip present indicate that the seal on the water pump shaft is failing. The pump will still function, but once the seal is bad, coolant will corrode the bearing and the fan will become wobbly.

Even with a failing seal, the pump will probably still push water through the system, sufficient to maintain a low engine temperature, until one day you leave it too long and the engine will quickly overheat. Been there, done that, got the tshirt, sticker and video.

New pumps run $45 plus, not a difficult job, but beware the bolts like to seize in the block then break off. THAT is a humbug. Tap the holes cleanly prior to reassembly and use liberal amounts of antiseize compound. IF this turns out to be the problem.
 
More information on Coolant Levels- still very low but seems ok

The mystery continues. I decided not to panic about it so long as the temp gauge remains low, regardless of coolant level, which now always seems to be very low. I think that perhaps there is a pin hole leak above the hose in tank, but that the radiator is getting enough coolant. I am just watching temp level, and carrying with me more coolant just in case. Am I correct in assuming that so long as temp gauge is ok, I'm ok, even if coolant level appears dangerously low at times.

The other thing I was thinking about trying was some of these Products, Preston Radiator flush and/or sealant. Thoughts?

http://www.tools2parts.com/Prestone...k=gdfV21593_a_7c1384_a_7c4726_a_7c4733_d_3596

http://www.amazon.com/Prestone-AS107-Super-Radiator-Flush/dp/B000BPSVWI
 
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