Leaking Coolant?

[simple]

Hey guys, so I was cleaning my MAF sensor today and I noticed that my Coolant is low. Like,I have MAYBE a shot glass worth in there. I have NO idea how long thats been like that, but I keep an eye on the engine temp and it never really deviates from about a third up in the normal range.

1st question, do I need to go to the dealership to get some, or will any brand from autozone work?

2nd question, I have an 04 SR5, is this totally abnormal? Where should I be looking if there is a leak?

3rd question, What kind of damage to the engine am I looking at if its been running without coolant for any length of time?

4th, is it really as easy as just popping open the reservoir and pouring some in to the full line? All my other fluids look relatively normal, albeit dirty.

Thanks

 

[kai920]

Hey guys, so I was cleaning my MAF sensor today and I noticed that my Coolant is low. Like,I have MAYBE a shot glass worth in there. I have NO idea how long thats been like that, but I keep an eye on the engine temp and it never really deviates from about a third up in the normal range.

1st question, do I need to go to the dealership to get some, or will any brand from autozone work?

2nd question, I have an 04 SR5, is this totally abnormal? Where should I be looking if there is a leak?

3rd question, What kind of damage to the engine am I looking at if its been running without coolant for any length of time?

4th, is it really as easy as just popping open the reservoir and pouring some in to the full line? All my other fluids look relatively normal, albeit dirty.

Thanks

manual states to use Toyota Super Long Life Coolant....if there is an equivalent I don't know.

any car can spring a leak. check your hoses, caps, and water pump. the pump could possibly be leaking. had any work done lately(other than MAF)? I looked at a Sport T4R one time i was considering buying until I saw the stream of coolant underneath. It ended up being just a loose hose. I didnt buy it anyways.

if you haven't seen it overheat you're probably fine. Engine overheating leads to blown head gasket. Engine block expands too much due to heat and damages gasket. Do you have white smoke from exhaust?-key sign of blown head gasket. also your oil and coolant can mix check your oil, how does it look? If you had a blown head gasket I'd imagine you'd be experiencing some overheating.

fill it up the reservoir. yes, just fill it to the fill line. If it drops down again you know you have a leak. My old ford ranger leaked constantly(pinhole leak). I was reminded every time i got out of by the sweet antifreeze smell boiling on my exhaust. I kept the level up and never had an overheating issue or any blown head gasket.

If you think you have a leak have a shop do a pressure test for you to determine where leak is.

Good Luck!

 

[simple]

Thanks for the reply. You know, I've noticed water puddles under my truck for awhile now, even after its been off a LONG time, so it wouldn't be the AC. I'll drive down to Pensacola tomorrow and buy some coolant. In August was the last major work I've had on my truck. I had the transmission flushed at the dealer. I changed my oil not too long ago, but didn't notice anything strange. What differences in the oil would I see if there is/was a mix?

I haven't noticed any smoke coming from my exhaust. Its been close to freezing the past couple weeks, so I assume some light white exhaust would be normal in the early morning, but you're talking about no-kidding like there's a fire coming out of my exhaust right?

 

[ALLEGRO]

I would fill it and after a long(er) drive, come home and use your nose to locate any leaks. Coolant has a strong distict smell, and you may be able to see or smell exactly where your issue is.

Then again, you may not have an issue. There is some "normal" loss of coolant over time, especially in hot climates.

Just check and re-check

 

[kai920]

ThWhat differences in the oil would I see if there is/was a mix?

you're talking about no-kidding like there's a fire coming out of my exhaust right?

The smoke you see in winter or cold weather is like your breath, not really smoke. If you had a blown head basket the smoke you would see is white smoke. Not necessarily like your car was on fire, that would be more like black smoke. You ever seen a car on the highway blowing white smoke? More like that.

Your oil would look more milky if oil and coolant were mixing. Clear to brown oil is normal. Milky brown or frothy is not.

 

[SSt4r]

Also, when the truck is cold, check the coolant level in the radiator. You might find the level there is fine and just the resevoir was low. In that case you weren't low on coolant in the sytem and you're fine. I've noticed on mine after about 2 years, that the level in the overfloe resevoir had dropped but I think its fine. You should be fine if you fill it to the "full" mark and then keep an eye on it.

 

[KB084RUNNER]

My coolant level dropped about 1 inch in 2 years. If the bottle is empty I would pressure test the system. Right off I would replace the radiator cap since if the seal is bad or spring is weak it will cause coolant burn off and won't allow the system to pressurize.