Ford - Explorer :: Coolant Expansion Tank Empty While Hot And Cold - Radiator Leak?
Oct 7, 2012
2007, 4.0L, Explorer, 113,000 mi. Week ago noticed coolant expansion tank empty while hot and cold. Looked inside ex. tank and looked like it had not seen any action in a while. Looked inside radiator and coolant level was about 1 inch to 1.5 inches below bottom of rad. cap would be...approx. level with rad. seam, where black plastic top of rad. attaches to metal portion of rad. I filled expan. tank to "cold fill" line. Kept an eye on it while doing light, around town driving. The expan. tank level (cold-fill) didn't change.
Friday, my wife returned from work (30 mi., interstate drive). After being parked for 45 mins, went out to find fluid puddle at very front of car. Expansion tank was empty. Looked in radiator, and it was about one inch to inch and a half below bottom of rad cap...about level with rad seam, where the black plastic top is attached to metal. I topped off the rad. this time, along with filling expan. tank to cold-fill line. Turn car on, and after warming up coolant starting coming out from what appeared to be the seam at the top of the rad., where the black plastic portion meets the metal part of the rad.
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Last week during a hot/long day on the road, my engine temp gauge started fluctuating between 1/2 and almost 7/8 on the gauge. The weird thing was that it was fairly stable most of the time, but every 10 minutes or so, it would heat up, and spend bout 15 seconds at the high mark before dropping down again. It didn't seem to be related to rpm, A/C operation, or driving intensity. When I got home, and let it cool down, I checked the coolant level. I couldn't see any coolant in the radiator, but the expansion tank was nearly full. I guess the low coolant level can explain the symptoms above, but I can't figure out what is happening to the coolant.
I took the car to a mechanic and had a pressure test, which didn't show any leakage. I had a new thermostat and radiator cap installed. They flushed the system, and tested the hose between the expansion tank and radiator. After driving the car home, the coolant in the radiator had already dropped to the point where I couldn't see it, and the expansion tank was 3/4 full. Now, I am planning to keep track of the levels of both reservoirs (and refilling the radiator of course) to see if the fluid is leaking, or if it is just not returning from the expansion tank. Hopefully this bit of knowledge should locate the problem.
The successful pressure test leads me to believe that it isn't leaking externally. However, I'm wondering if there is a small enough leak that wouldn't be detected by the pressure test, but is significant enough that it would allow air in when the engine cools instead of pulling the fluid back from the expansion tank.
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I just noticed this morning that the coolant tank (close to radiator) is empty. The other coolant tank level is normal. Big surprise! I thought they are connected, and coolant can flow between them.
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1999 Honda CRV. Just took a 3-hour highway trip. Before trip I topped up coolant reservoir which was a little low, but radiator was full. I did notice some dried white spots on the front of valve cover and spark wires. Wasn't sure what it was, but now realize it was coolant residue. Probably only 1-2 cups were missing from the reservoir, so the leak had just started.
After 3 hour trip, checked engine compartment again. This time the reservoir was totally empty (radiator still full) and the engine was well sprayed with greenish coolant residue. The radiator was cool by the time I checked it, so the leak source wasn't obvious, but it looks to be coming from the seam where the plastic top meets the aluminum.
I will replace the radiator when I get home, but first have to drive the 3-hour return trip. Will it be OK as long as I start full of coolant and keep an eye on the temp gauge?
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I was driving my 2008 Santa Fe last week (before I went on vacation) and noticed the the A/C wasn't coming through quite a cool as usual (almost felt like the vent was on w/ no AC). Then after about 10 minutes of driving I noticed the thermostat on the car get to about the 3/4 line pretty close to the red lines.
Luckily I was home so turned the car off and popped open the hood. I noticed the reservoir tank was empty and there was some coolant that dripped down on the fans & a small pool of coolant on the engine block right under where the oil is poured. (nothing has been dripping under the car)
I added a little coolant to the reservoir tank and the next time I turned it on and let it run for ~10 minutes, it was the same thing.
Anyway, I came back from vacation and opened the hood to try and identify exactly where the leak was, and ran the car for ~30 minutes, with A/C on full blast and the car didn't overheat or leak anywhere. Coolant tank was still full from when I filled it the first time.
What could have caused the leak/overheating in the first place?
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2008 Ford Explorer 4x4. 70,000 miles. Still under warranty. Took a lengthy trip and when we got home I notice a small transmission leak in the front around where the front seal is. No dipstick to check the fluid level so I dont know how much or how long of a leak. Called the Ford dealer and the mechanic told us that sometimes the transmission gets hot and leaks because of expansion! Is this for real?? I've never heard this before. I'm figuring bad seal.
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I have a 02 cavalier 2.2 it just started leAking coolant when in a drive thru. Steam started coming up from hood. When I looked under the hood the expansion tank was hissing and it looked like the antifreeze was coming out of the overflow tube at the top of the tank. What should I do? It is sitting still at the parking lot
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Changed coolant expansion tank and coolant, engine lite came on. Scanner says coolant problems. What can it be. ECU is not recognizing new tank.
Car passat 1.8, M/T, 05, coolant was changed with the pink coolant from dealership, system was flushed and bleeded. Car is NOT overheating, temperature is showing as usual.
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Have a 2002 V6 in the family that's losing coolant at a rate of about an expansion tank every 3 -4 weeks.
I have searched all around with a flashlight, don't see any signs of coolant residue near the radiator, expansion tank or cap, water pump, or heater core connections. Heater core does not smell like coolant. Exhaust does not smell sweet or does not steam once the car is warmed up.
I pressure tested the cooling system on up to 18-20 PSI and still can't find any evidence of anything leaking out anywhere.
I'm going to change the upper and lower radiator hoses this weekend in the thought that maybe it's a pinhole leak once hot and under pressure (I pressure tested cold). Any common things I'm missing where it may leak?
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My 94 ford escort LX 1.9L is currently suffering from coolant loss. However I have not seen any drips anywhere from under the hood and the floor mats in car seem to be dry. The overflow tank is always full to fill line but after I drive it for a day after refilling the radiator back up cause its half empty for some strange reason and then come home for the day and the next morning its half empty again.
As a side note when I first start the car it runs fine but then I eventually notice a strange odor that smells like burning coolant and something else mixed to it thru the vents in the car even without heater on. The Radiator cap has replaced due to the original was leaking out coolant from under the seal and the heater works fine. I've have however been thinking lately that maybe there is leak some where in-between the firewall and heater core possibly but the floor carpet seems to be dry.
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Was under the hood today and noticed the coolant tank is completely empty. Car hasn't overheated or anything...just odd that it apparently wasn't filled correctly from the factory. It should be in the middle of the high and low markings, correct?
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I just purchased a 2015 sonata last Friday from a large non Hyundai dealer. An hour ago while upgrading my headlights i noticed the coolant reserve tank was completely empty. I am going to check the main radiator level tomorrow because the engine was still hot at the time. I am hoping it is not a blown head gasket, i did remove the oil cap and noticed a very small amount of greyish oil in the cap threads other than that it looked good directly under the cap and inside the hole. Should i call my local Hyundai dealer or just fill the tank back up? I am wondering if it just burned off over time and the original owner never filled it back up. Also what type of coolant is compatible?
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Over the last few weeks, I'd been smelling something. Today, I realized it must have been coolant. Today, my 225,000 mile, 2.3L 4cyl 5spd 1990 Camry started blowing smoke. When I parked, and gingerly touched the radiator, it was cool -- and empty. When I squeezed the upper hose, it crackled as if very dry. I drove the car about a mile and parked it at home.
When it cooled, I confirmed the radiator is empty -- except for a lot of reddish crud. A hint of the same reddish color on other engine parts MAY be from coolant spraying under the hood, but I'm not sure.
I couldn't tell from spots on the garage floor whether the coolant had leaked out there or not.
How should I proceed from here to address ... a) the leak, and b) any other damage caused by running the car dry?
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Why my 96 dodge neon is leaking coolant. I was checking my oil and I noticed the reservoir tank was half empty, so I assumed it was nothing out of the ordinary since it's a 17 year old car. When I filled it though, it came pouring out of the tube that sits right under the tank. I'm capping it off every day before I drive and it holds, but it's definitely got a slow leak. It seems to only hold it for 4 days of driving for an hour. My temperature gauge stays at the normal level, but you can smell the antifreeze burning and the engine's running hot. I'm not too mechanically inclined, but what could be wrong with it? I've recently installed a new alternator and clutch cable and found out my valve cover gasket is leaking. I really want to save this car instead of getting a new one.
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After sitting on a steep driveway for three years, no starting done all that time,I filled all tanks, started it up, drove it on and off 8 times for 50 miles, air in top radiator tank along with rusty water, dare we flush the system being 280k miles old with 40k on new radiator/ also is there a socklike screen over the fuelpump in the tank that may need cleaning to start quicker than two to three starter attempts?
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It has happened to me several times.. The car asks me for coolant but today the reservoir was almost completely empty... I have no leaks and my cooling systems is working fine so where does the coolant go?
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While servicing the bosses 121k 6.0, I noticed the coolant resevoir empty. It took 1 1/2 gallons to bring to proper level. Returning under truck to install drain plug, I noticed coolant coming from rear of the engine(right side). And of course Ford has changed the cooling system cap, so I wasn't able to pressure test it to pinpoint the leak. Started the engine and seen coolant coming from the left rear as well. I've been reading here to see what others have been seeing, (EGR cooler, head gaskets). With all the heat shields,not much room to look.
After work I did go and buy the adapter to test the cooling system. With any luck I will be able to see leak better.
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I've got some dripping of antifreeze on my 2000 Explorer. I figured maybe I'd try a recommended "stop-leak" product...
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Having an issue with my 03' Accent. I'm having an issue of my coolant tank filling up but it is not being drawn back into the radiator when the engine cools down. I have replaced the radiator with a new unit because the filler neck of the original radiator was damaged sometime in the past and the cap would not seal good enough to hold pressure . Looks like heat damage to me but I don't know for sure. The system now holds pressure but now I'm having the current issue. My first thought was a head gasket issue creating pressure in the system and forcing coolant into the tank.
The car has 155k miles and runs good overall and is not overheating. I performed a "block check" test using the chemical method that detects combustion gasses in the cooling system and that test was negative. I also pressure tested the system by pressurizing to 16 psi and was unable to detect any leaks anywhere on the engine / radiator and the pressure did not drop until I released it. I guess the next thing to try will be a compression test to see if I have any low cylinders. So, for whatever reason my cooling system is not creating enough of a vacuum to draw the coolant back into the radiator when it cools down. Does this sound like a head gasket issue? The pic is of the original radiator filler neck damage.
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While I was looking at my coolant level in the overflow tank yesterday I noticed pinkish coolant residue on the overflow tank cap and then looked at the radiator cap and it was covered in the same pinkish coolant residue.
2006 Cam LE 4 Cylinder, 52,000. Already done 2 coolant drain and fills--the Head bolt issue scares me.....
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After 150,000 miles, the radiator has developed a small leak. Question- do I have to remove the fan or can I just unbolt the shroud and push it back to slide the radiator out? I don't have that special wrench to spin off the clutch fan. 1997 Explorer 4.0 ....
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