We all know how annoying the warnings are in our car. Since my t-stat was replaced I was getting, "bing" Check Coolant Level. Didn't look dangerously low so I put it off for a week. Was at the dealer yesterday and they topped it off for me, engine was warm. This morning, "bing" Check Coolant Level. Looks like the coolant is back down to where it was before adding some yesterday, even when the engine is warm.
Only thing I can think is the t-stat has a leak. But the coolant level doesn't seem to drop below a certain level. And I haven't seen any liquids on the ground where I park my car. Just trying to get rid of the annoying "bing". Suggestions?
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We all know how annoying the warnings are in our car. Since my t-stat was replaced I was getting, "bing" Check Coolant Level. Didn't look dangerously low so I put it off for a week. Was at the dealer yesterday and they topped it off for me, engine was warm. This morning, "bing" Check Coolant Level. Looks like the coolant is back down to where it was before adding some yesterday, even when the engine is warm.
Only thing I can think is the t-stat has a leak. But the coolant level doesn't seem to drop below a certain level. And I haven't seen any liquids on the ground where I park my car. Just trying to get rid of the annoying "bing". Suggestions?
Have you pulled the dipstick to see if the oil looks milky? Hopefully you dont have a blown headgasket.
Drew,did you change the t-stat by yourself or let a shop do it?
Most likely one of the o-rings in the t-stat housing was torn at install.
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I had a shop do it, the one that messed everything up and I really don't want to go back.. but looks like I'll have to get them to take a look at it again. Just when I thought I had everything fixed..
Is there an easy way to inspect if the t-stat is leaking? from above it looks fine, should I try to feel down under it?
Try following the three hard lines that exit the rear of the T-Stat housing and go into the manifold. If you are leaking there then there's a good chance you'll see some dried coolant residue in the area.
Also, check the coolant level when the car is cold. Make sure it's filled to the KALT line. There's a good chance that the system burped some time after the T-Stat and sucked a significant amount of coolant out of the overflow and into the system.
There's also a good chance that the cap isn't holding pressure anymore and you are losing coolant to the atmosphere.
Otherwise it could be any number of hoses, connections, or even the heater core.
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There's also a good chance that the cap isn't holding pressure anymore and you are losing coolant to the atmosphere.
So if there doesn't seem to be any leaks, it could be a cap problem? How do I check if the cap isn't holding pressure?
update: yesterday and today the car was warm and I could hear the pressure release when unscrewing the cap. I'm hoping its just a "burp" and it just needs some more coolant. Is there a coolant I can use from Autozone/Adv. Auto Parts?
So if there doesn't seem to be any leaks, it could be a cap problem? How do I check if the cap isn't holding pressure?
update: yesterday and today the car was warm and I could hear the pressure release when unscrewing the cap. I'm hoping its just a "burp" and it just needs some more coolant. Is there a coolant I can use from Autozone/Adv. Auto Parts?
If you haven't lost much then I would just add some distilled water to make up the difference.
Check with your shop to find out what kind of coolant they used and then get that for any major top-ups.
Caps can be pressure tested and there's a chance that an auto parts store can do this for you... otherwise your mechanic can do it. Off the top of my head I can't remember the specified pressure. I've seen vehicles where the cap is letting go a couple of psi below the spec causing issues like this. They still hold pressure, but not enough pressure.
You need to bleed the system per TIS. Top off coolant, turn heat on high, fan on low, run until you reach operating temperature, then shut of and let it cool down. Top off and repeat process until it no longer needs to be topped off. This happened with mine following a thermostat change, and the TIS bleeding process works like a charm.
--Peter
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