kronicillusionz

And my coolant overflowed! I notice my coolant draining alot faster than when I previously purchased. The car was off overnight and wasnt turned on prior to the opening
Noob to cars and dont know if thats normal or not
anyone else have this?

ASCI_Blue

coolant systems are under pressure in theory at all times. overflowing should be normal. I really don't touch anything coolant related unless I absolutely have to.

Jan06xB

First you never take the radiator cap off - you check the overflow bottle and add only the Toyota coolant there and if you needs coolant then you take it in for service. Any contamination of the coolant will result in some serious internal engine damage electrolysis with the alloys etc in the cooling system. You don't want to mess with it AT ALL. The overflow was probably from the over flow bottle draining back into the radiator since it is probably higher than the cap height.

engifineer

Wow... messing with coolant isnt exactly rocket science, and is something anyone that can handle even and oil change can and should do for themselves. Taking it in simply because it needs coolant is pretty ridiculous unless someone truly doesnt know anything about servicing thier car.

I dont know why it would have overflowed after sitting all night. Is the outlet to the overflow free and clear? How much coolant spilled over?

If you replace coolant, the really important things to note are:

1) Dont do it while its hot (hopefully that is obvious)

2) Use either the Toyota premix or a good coolant mixed 50/50 with DISTILLED water. Not tapwater, which will create deposits and can promote electrolysis if a bad ground is present in the right place, meaning erosion of the cooling system. If the car currently has the premix, then use it to top off.

3) If you are losing coolant, you are leaking it somewhere. So if you keep having to top it off, you need to find out why.

Other than that, unless you dont feel comfortable messing with something like an oil change, then there is no reason to treat it like it is something scary to mess with.

engifineer

I just noticed.. you say something about noticing it draining? Do you mean you are having to add coolant because it is leaking, or are you referring to it moving to the overflow bottle? If it is leaking, you need to find out why. It can either be a leak externally or even a cracked head or blown head gasket, causing the car to burn coolant over time.

kronicillusionz

yeah I have to add coolant. Ive been adding regular coolant(not the toyota kine?) + water 50/50. I dont know, all this talk makes me worried. Should I just go in for a drain and replace?

sciontc_mich

sounds like you're diluting it, hence it's boiling off and you have lowered coolant.

It's more important to find out where the leak is coming from. Might be a ruptured radiator. Others have had a small rock smash into the radiator and make it lose coolant.

OldYeller

Coolant goes back and forth from the overflow receptacle. You should not need to be adding coolant all the time. You need to find out where it is going.......

Tomas

(I'm wondering if what the OP is seeing as 'draining' is the A/C drain... the cooling system should essentially be a closed system that rarely if ever needs 'topping up' in the overflow bottle.)

Tom

engifineer

It is a closed system. Even if he ran straight water it would not "boil off" and need refilling.

As most of us have said, if you have to add coolant, you need to find out where it is leaking.

sciontc_mich

okay, then how about a small stone that hit the radiator, and that's where it's escaping.

06scionsc

Check the water pump and see if you are leaking. Common problem on all newer toyotas runnnig the super long life pink coolant.

engifineer

When you are losing coolant, first check everywhere that coolant could possibly leak externally (hoses, gaskets, radiator, etc), you should be able to see where it has been oozing out. The other (hopefully not the culprit here) possibility is that coolant is being lost via a crack in the head gasket or head. If this is large enough, you will be able to smell a sweet smell in the exhaust, due to the burning coolant, and will notice white steam coming from the exhaust. If the crack is in the right place, you can end up with an over-pressurized cooling system which can spew on you when opened even if it isnt fully warm.

Now, obviously those are just the ways coolant can be lost and hopefully the latter is not the case. The slower you lose it, the harder it will be to find, especially if it is internal. The other issue with an internal leak is that it can get better or worse at different engine temps. If you run the engine with the cap off (take it off BEFORE starting the engine) and let it warm up you will sometimes notice bubbles in the coolant that keep popping up if there is an internal leak in the right spot.

But check around the hoses, all around the radiator, all inlets/outlets around the block and head, around the head and around the intake for signs of a leak first.

Jan06xB

He is in Hawaii so the first question is has the red temp light come on, is the radiator fan working overtime, are you using the A/C in traffic on very hot days?
I'm with Tomas on the a/c evaporator coil drain from under the car which should be just water condensation and not coolant.
The cooling system in an all aluminum alloy engine is very sensitive to ph level and contamination plus since it stays in the block for such a long time it must be very pure. Check the owners manual.
Do you get a lot of white smoke out the tail pipe when you first start up the engine that hangs around for a while in a big cloud? That would indicate a coolant leak into the cylinders.

engifineer

I am full aware of the importance of clean coolant.

My point is that it doesnt take a dealer (whom most of the time I wouldnt trust with a lawn mower, much less my car) to properly maintain the cooling system. It takes someone capable of changing fluids and not being careless enough to use dirty water or spill something into the radiator.

The AC part is a good think to ask though. Do you see something dripping from the car, or do you actuall check the coolant level and see it low? You should never add coolant unless you see it is actually low.

Jan06xB

Coolant is more sensitive in these Scions - they don't recommend mixing other types in with the Toyota brand.
There may be a warrenty issue here that's why I say take it in to the dealer - blown head gaskets are not something he can replace himself and the longer he waits the more potential the damage - coolant in the cylinders and oil etc.

engifineer

It is not just the scions, it has been that way for a long time. Aluminum engine parts and electrolysis has been an issue. For example, many ford pikups over the last 5 or so years have had issues with heater cores rotting out quickly due to bad grounds and electrolysis being set up in the system. So that is a concern. And you should always use the same type of coolant to add to whatever is already in the system. If you flush the system and use a different coolant, use a good one mixed with distilled water and you will be fine.

But like mentioned, if you are truly seeing the level drop, you should take it in under warranty. If warranty is out, find a good reliable private shop to take care of it unless you have the ability to fix it yourself. Replacing a head gasket is not that tough if you have spent some time under the hood, but if not you should make sure it is done correctly at a good shop.

SciontCya

1) Every car will lose a small amount of coolant over time. I've added an 6 ounces after one year to the overflow bottle.

2) About the only place coolant would just "drip" would be from the overflow bottle - a hole anywhere else would empty pretty quickly and show plumes of steam.

3) When you remove a cap - even from a cold engine, coolant can and often does pour out of the top.

4) Topping off coolant is easy, doing a proper flush/change is more time intensive and requires a little more work.

5) Every car maker says "only use our stuff" In the case of our Scions, they do use a special, long-life coolant, and you have to be very careful to use the proper fluid.

engifineer

While losing "some" over time can be a bit of a grey area to discuss (like what is "some"). Other than flushing the system, I have never needed to add one ounce of coolant to my 96 saturn.. ever. I have never lost one ounce of coolant in my scion, ever, nor any other car I had other than leaks or a blown head gasket in once case. If the overflow is properly sealed, there are no leaks in the cooling system and you are not leaking into the cylinders, there is nowhere for coolant to go. It is a sealed system.

And it is true that most manufacturers say to only use thier coolant (of course they would .. they sell more stuff that way ). In the case of most GM's (at least up until about 3 years ago) you dump the orange crap they put in (the "good" stuff) and replace it with regular antifreeze unless you want your system gunked up in no time. That stuff was 100% junk with the cooling systems they had.

For the toyota, they use a long life coolant pre-mixed with deionized water.

sciontc_mich

while all of us with tC's can agree that we never have lost any coolant at all and that it's not a normal thing. That is has to be a leak somewhere

The other side of the coin is this. I had a 96 Civic before, and that car was odd. I never found a leak, and yes I looked for a cracked head, or a radiator that was ruptured and leaking. Nothing, nada. But.. Whenever I used the a/c on that car and it was very hot outside, the coolant overflow bottle would start to be used up. Which meant the radiator was pulling that out of there to use it. I had many pressure tests, and everything. Even had the radiator replaced. But still it would "use" up coolant whenever the a/c was being used!

Flash forward to 05-06. 2 friends of mine, one has a civic, the other an accord. Both are using up coolant when it's hot outside and the a/c is being used. Strange. I've never seen that on a car before. Logic tells you that short of a leak, the coolant should be a closed system and not be used up. but in the honda's it seems like a normal occurance. how strange. Oh and yes I did re-fill with the honda coolant, which is pre-mixed. just have to pour.

In my tC, though I've kept an eye on the coolant, and it's hardly ever moved, except for expansion when hot. but no loss.