Menace

The coolant in the reserve tank seems to be disappearing. No signs of leaks from anywhere. But I noticed there is a little bit of crust on top of the reserve tank around the cap. I took it to the dealer and the system was pressure tested. Everything was normal I was told and sent on my way, but the problem persists. Can anyone help?

Metro273

The only other place it can leak from is internally, in the head gasket...

engifineer

Yep, that could be it. How long did they keep it pressurized and how long does it take to lose a certain amount?

If it is being burned, you may smell a sweet smell from your exhaust and/or see white steam in your exhaust depending how fast it is burning.

But I have seen very slow leaks that were tough to track down before, so it could still be a leak.

Dr_Isotope

iTrader: (1)

How fast are we talking? My coolant level in the overflow tank is down about an inch and a half since I bought the car about 18 months ago-- and that's normal. If you're losing that much in a month, it's definitely finding a way out somewhere.

Menace

I lost about an inch and a half in 2k miles. Does the pink crust on top of the reserve tank mean anything? The cap seemed like its on tight.

Prototype_xB

do you have lingering white exhaust fumes coming from your exhaust?

Dr_Isotope

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like the cap was knocked loose at some point, and you bubbled some over. It's not uncommon. Put in some more coolant, make sure the lid is on good and tight, and see if it happens again. I seriously doubt you have anything going dangerously wrong.

Menace

No white exhaust. Also, if the cap gets knocked loose I doubt if would pop back on, it takes a good push to set it back. I am just frustrated because no one (dealership) seems to know where its going. I had the same problem with the brake fluid. I had to comeback 3 times because they couldnt find any leaks. Then they decided to take a more in depth look because I called scion and complained. They found it was my master clutch cylinder, and it had to be replaced. I had 600 miles on the car at that time. Now this, god know how long it will take them to determine where the hell the coolant is going.

SiLvEr07Tc

have u checked your oil????? to see if the head gasket is leaking internaly????

Dr_Isotope

iTrader: (1)

If you really wanna find out if it's a worst case scenario, take off the coil packs, pull the plugs, and shine a flashlight down there. If you see a shiny piston, you've got trouble. If they're all black, you no longer have a worst case senario.

I still stick by the notion that it bubbled over out of the reservoir, due to a loose or faulty cap. It's just a good deal more likely than a year-old Toyota blowing a head gasket.

azepolyn

Gremils... usually



or quite possibly fairies... little bastages



to me ... if you dont smell it under the hood, don't see it in the exhaust, and there's nothing dripping below ... well it sounds good to me. Follow through with the Worst Case Scenario check. Otherwise ... start working your way up the chain with server management until you find someone that will actually take an "in depth" look or direct someone else to do the same.

LeroyJMC

Have you had any problems starting the car? Will it sometimes start to turn over, but stop? That's one sign of a blown head gasket.

Take silver07tc's advice. Drain your oil and take a look at it and see if it's normal. Take a good smell of it at same time to see if it's just a normal oil smell or not.

How long did they pressure test it? Just momentarily or give it a few mins?


Tracking down where the coolant is going can be a pain in the butt, but hey at least it's not electrical that'll make you go batty.

tCtech

i can almost guarantee it's the water pump. if you took it to the dealer i don't know how they would miss this. but it can be tricky sometimes.

i've replaced a lot of water pumps on the 4 cyl camry and even a few on highlanders. same engine in the tC so it's not suprising. on the left side where the serpentine belt is there is a pully bolted onto the waterpump. the coolant leaks out of the pump but can stay hidden inside the pulley and cake up so you never see it.

i would look real close in this area and maybe scrape around the pulley with a pic or something. if you get any pink crust then there you go.

i wouldn't worry about the cap, it's a common thing. and if your head gasket was leaking your oil would look like chocolate mouse. really creamy and thick.

Menace

Taking it to the dealer tomorrow, crossing fingers its not the head gasket. Will let you know what they say...

Menace

Ended up being the water pump... Thanks for all your input guys...