Coolant tank empty?

[brad995]

Well here's the story. I was removing the coolant tank cap to paint it and I noticed the hose inside the tank was not all the way to the bottom of the tank, the end was bent up and was not submerged into the coolant. So I put the cap back on and pushed the hose down till it reached the bottom. The next day the tank is completely empty. Did it drain this quickly because the radiator couldn't get any coolant for all that time or do I have a leak?

Is there any special kind of coolant I should get? Are there even certain kinds of coolant? I have never added coolant to a car before.

I also want to replace the top radiator hose with a red one (nothing wrong with mine, it's all for looks). Where can I find one? I have searched all local auto parts stores and online and they only have black. I have seen a few people with them on here.

[Jeffylou87]

Your radiator just needed that coolant that it wasnt getting because of the hose being bent up.. Just add some more.. You should have the green stuff in there.. Go to your local auto parts store and get some more.. Make sure its 50/50 or pre-diluted..

[brad995]

Good, thats the answer I wanted to hear. :)

Thanks.

Now if anybody knows where to find a red radiator hose, that would be awesome. I'll keep searching.

[Serstylz2]

my overflow tank goes thru coolant every day. I stopped filling it.. i go directly to the radiator if i feel i need some

[732Galant]

^ x2. My tank is almost always empty. Well visually, if I pull the lid, the one hose is usually wet at the very end. I go straight to the radiator and the tank has been near empty the entire time I've had my 8g. Car has run fine, never overheats, nothing.

[brad995]

Well If I go straight to the radiator, how do I know when it's full? When it can't hold anymore? Do I fill it from that cap in the front? Obviously when the car is completely cold.

[732Galant]

This is what I do, don't do it if its wrong according to the other members lol. Fill from the cap in the front, I usually fill it right up until it covers the core of the radiator. Then I throw a bit into the tank just to be on the cautious side.

[brad995]

Well I think I may have a leak.

Here's what I did. I filled up the radiator till the top and then filled the tank till the full line. Today I noticed that my tank is almost empty. So I have to have a leak somewhere.

I quickly searched around to see if coolant was leaking and found nothing. My exhaust smells fine and no gases are coming out. My engine rides fine too. I also checked underneath the car in the morning after being parked all night and there were no wet spots so it's not leaking on the ground either.

So what the hell is happening?

[Fishboy55]

Well I think I may have a leak.

Here's what I did. I filled up the radiator till the top and then filled the tank till the full line. Today I noticed that my tank is almost empty. So I have to have a leak somewhere.

I quickly searched around to see if coolant was leaking and found nothing. My exhaust smells fine and no gases are coming out. My engine rides fine too. I also checked underneath the car in the morning after being parked all night and there were no wet spots so it's not leaking on the ground either.

So what the hell is happening?

Chances are you're not filling your entire cooling system.

1) Take off the radiator cap and start your car. Let it idle with the cap off.
2) Fill the radiator to the top
3) Wait for the engine to warm up enough to open the thermostat. You'll know the thermostat is open when the water sort of burps out of the radiator then the level goes down
4) Fill the radiator back up again and replace the cap
5) Fill the overflow bottle to the full line

[brad995]

Well I filled up the overflow tank 3 times now and I'm still losing coolant somewhere. It has to be a leak because it's not going into the oil, being burned, and I don't have a blown head gasket.

I did notice a few drops of coolant under the top radiator hose but nowhere near enough to empty that full overflow tank after one day. The leak has to be coming from somewhere else.I opened the radiator and it was full 2 tank fill ups ago.

There is also no coolant leaking onto the ground.

[4-G-rim]

Make sure your radiator is filled then fill your overflow tank with coolant.

Drive your car around for about 5 mins with a couple WOT pulls and finally let the car idle while you observe if there is any leaks underneath.

You should be leaking coolant somewhere and you should smell coolant if its leaking too.

[732Galant]

Mine honestly does the same thing. Never overheats, never has a problem warming up, cools down normally, I guess its just one of those things. There is never a puddle of coolant underneath my car, never a smell of coolant, no noticeable leaks, idk.

[brad995]

Make sure your radiator is filled then fill your overflow tank with coolant.

Drive your car around for about 5 mins with a couple WOT pulls and finally let the car idle while you observe if there is any leaks underneath.

You should be leaking coolant somewhere and you should smell coolant if its leaking too.

Well I can't smell anything. I never really noticed a smell from coolant unless it is being burned, which in my case it's not.

The radiator has been full and the tank is full up to the line. The tank still empties.

I'll check again for leaks tomorrow the way you described, I hope I find something.

[brad995]

I believe I have found the leak. I saw that it was wet on the rear motor mount and it looked like it was coming from one of the two hoses right above the mount. It was freezing today so I don't know which of the two is leaking or how big the hole is.

My question is should I patch the hole or replace the hose all together? I need to first see if it's a big hole or a tiny hole when I look better tomorrow.

Of course it could never just be the top radiator hose or something simple like that. Atleast it's not a major problem like a head gasket.

[ezekiel.glnt]

replace the hose with a brand new one. your coolant system is integral to ur car life. a new 1 should be under 20$. might as wll replace both, i would. (i believe those r for ur heater core)

[brad995]

Yeah I'm going to replace them both. What are the rear coolant hoses called that are right above the rear motor mount? Searching online for coolant hose I am only able to find the top radiator hose (which I'm going to replace too).

The car has gone through a half jug of coolant so they have to be replaced quick.

[brad995]

Sorry for the double post but I want to do this soon.

I now know the hose that is leaking is the heater hose. The other one doesn't seem too good either so I'm going to replace them both. What is the diameter of the hose so I know which one to get?

I know when I take the hoses off, coolant is going to come out. Whats the best possible way to drain this? Do I need to drain the radiator too? How much coolant do you think I'll need to replace? Will 1 jug be enough? Sorry I need to be babied through this, the actual taking the hose off and putting a new one on is the easy part.