Using A Lot Of Coolant?
 

Every 3-4 Days My Overflow Tank Is Bone Dry Again After It Was Filled Up To The Max Line, Im Using A Solution Of 50/50 Coolant/water. I Dont Notice Any Leaks(at Least Coolant Leaks). Any Thoughts? Thanks

Burning coolant... ever see white smoke out the exhaust?

I Dont Think So Ill Have To Check That Out Though.

If It Is Burning Coolant, What Would The Solution Be Then?

Find out where it's leaking and stop it.

Usually it's replacing the headgasket & shipping the head to a machine shop to make sure it's not warped.

yes... that was a very helpful tip :D

Ok Ill Check Into That, And Thanks For The Info, I Really Appreciate The Help Man.

Well, I figured if he didn't notice any white smoke pouring out of his exhaust then it would just be a simple leak. :)

I guess you missed his first post :D

I guess you're right!

Or maybe he's also forgeting that Nissan installed worm holes in these cars that suck up leaks, because everybody hates cleaning up a mess.

Or maybe I'm just a stubborn ass............nope.

are you looking at the engine resacoir when its cold, cause it overfills when its hot and sucks it up when cold.:wasted:

Ah... good point mi friend!

No I Check It When Its Hot.

So back to the exhaust.... Next time you start the car, check to see if it's spitting out white smoke. You will be able to smell the sweet/sour coolant fragrance too (if it is burning coolant).

Mine is doing that also. I havent seen a leak, but my warning light comes on telling me no coolant in overflow tank. Mine is running good with no smoke and every time I check my radiator it is full. Seems if the coolant was leaking into the head, after it drained the overflow trying to keep the radiator full, it would start to make the coolant in the radiator disappear too, right? When you notice an empty tank, is your radiator still full? I have been watching my radiator for several days and it is still full, that makes me think leak in overflow hose or tank. Just havent had time to look. Just keep an eye on the radiator, if it stays full, it aint leaking into the heads.

what aboot the bottom of the water pump, mine was leaking there but didn't really show it. just a drip once and a while. other then that is your pass. floor wet? mine was but it was just a hole in the floor...oh no...

YOUR CAR SOUNDS JUST LIKE MINE I CHECK THE RADIATOR ALSO AND ITS ALWAYS FULL AND THE LEVEL NEVER SEEMS TO CHANGE. BUT FOR THE AMOUNT IM LOSING IT MUST BE GOING SOMEWHERE, IS IT POSSIBLE IT ONLY LEAKS WHEN YOUR DRIVING AND THE COOLANT IS MOVING AROUND? THATS ALL I COULD THINK OF SINCE YOU POINTED OUT (AND MINES THE SAME WAY) ITS ONLY THE RESEVIOR TANK THATS GOING DOWN BUT NO LEAKS.

Also make sure that you're car isn't running warmer than you "Think" it is... These temp guages are known for going bad over the years and can give you a false sense of security. If the car is running too hot, your coolant can burn off in the radiator. If you don't know how old the radiator in your car is, YOU NEED ONE. Replacing mine made all those issues go away. In fact, since I replaced the radiator, water pump, thermostat and hoses my car runs too cold almost.


Rod.

mine too^^ but i want a aluminum rad. next..i thought your car was as close to O.E. as you could get. And rod(or anybody) you ever get them carbon fiber t-tops, from j. if so let me see the pix

If theres no external leak and you haven't noticed the white cloud that follows the car, then its most likely being burned off like Rod said. If the system isn't holding pressure (ie: a bad radiator cap or an air leak in the system) then the coolant will boil at a much lower temperature (not a good thing).

And no, there were no carbon fiber t-tops ever made. But one of my t-tops is still painted from when I was prepping it for a mold :rolleyes:

A common loss of rad coolant can be a small crack developing where the tank is soldered/sealed at the top. It'll only leak under pressure when it's warm, and is usually slow enough that the coolant will wet the radiator and be evaporated by normal traffic and fan air flow. You won't see the white deposits without removing the shroud, and you might miss them anyway if your radiator is otherwise kinda dirty, or if you've been driving in heavy rain (washes some of the deposits way). My Toyota truck was doing this a few years ago. Pulled the radiator, took it to a shop to pressure test and repair it. $60 and 4 hours later they'd cleaned the radiator, re-soldered the tank on the top, pressure tested it, and put a nice coat of black on it. Rolling again before beer-thirty, and no more disappearing coolant!
Dave

aww, i thought you got a couple products made and sent out, but i iguess not...did you ever look into them headlight covers....like a inlay, or looking carbony...that'd be badd.

I had that happen to my original radiator. It started out as just a small crack. I only figured it out when it started to spout steam. I sealed it up and it worked for about a week and then the entire top of my radiator blew off. It literally folded over on itself like somebody put some explosives under the top of the radiator and set 'em off :eek: Went out with a bang (literally):D

Man, I'd jump about a mile high if that happened. Driving along... *boom*! Any body damage to the hood from it? That's a lot of energy.
Weirdest coolant leak I saw was a pinhole on the lower rad hose of a late 60s Suburban 2wd. It would only leak when the motor was completely warmed up and at typical running rpm, and if it was warmer than about 60 degrees F outside. Then it was a tiny little laser of water, aimed directly at the exhaust header, which of course vaporized it, no trace. It was funny once we diagnosed it, but it was annoying for a couple of weeks trying to chase it down.

Dave

So what was the problem?
 

Mine's doing the same thing. No white smoke. Had it pressure tested while running - everything's within the normal limits. Maybe should have revved the engine while pressure testing it? Or maybe need a new radiator?