Coolant level in radiator (1 Viewer)

[vidlakj]

Hello all, this is my first thread, so thanks in advance for any help on this.

2003 2UZ-FE 100 series

First, when I check (cold) my coolant level at the min/max reservoir, it shows about an inch below full. When I took my radiator cap off and looked in there, I could see the fins but no coolant. Should I see coolant above the fins or is it normal to not see coolant in the radiator?

Btw, I was checking this because I noticed a kind of sloshing noise in the dash/firewall area when I come to a stop. Also, if I warm up the car with the heater on, it actually blows cold until I actually get moving down the road. Then it heats up pretty well. (It was about 30 degrees F this morning).

After doing a bit of research, I checked the AC drain hose in the firewall by inserting a 10" zip tie into the hole and no water came out.

I also heard about coolant being low, which would cause sloshing in the heater core. Mine doesn't seem to be low except for the radiator question. I read about "burping" the cooling system by removing the radiator cap and starting the engine and revving to 2000 rpm for 10 sec (repeating a couple of times). Has anyone done this? Am I barking up the wrong tree?

 

[PADDO]

The coolant level in your radiator is low, it should be above the core. The system is supposed to draw/expel coolant to the expansion tank during normal heating/cool down cycles so it's possible you have a leak or radiator cap that's not sealing. I'd top off the radiator, check the cap seal and seat (probably just replace the cap with new) and monitor your coolant levels until resolved. If the cap is sealing properly, and no leaks, it's suppose to self purge.

 

[n55luvr]

I can't tell you if this is right or wrong but I recently replaced my heater T's and lost a small amount of coolant. I ran the truck for a while, opened the radiator once it cooled and I still had coolant almost to the top of my radiator, covering the entire core. I also have a decent amount in the overflow bottle. My truck heats up quickly and blows hot air quickly so I don't think anything is wrong with it.

You mentioned checking the ac drain hole, when you park after a decent length drive do you ever see a puddle under the front of the truck on passenger side? Mine seems to spit out a good amount of water even after I am parked. If you have never seen the puddle then it's possible your drain is plugged.

 

[AimCOtaco]

I was recently in a similar situation. I had a very slight crack in the radiators top tank (just above the crimp to the core). I noticed some general temperature increase but nothing to drastic. I also did not have coolant covering the core, when I noticed this it took almost 1 gallon to fill and then I ran it for a couple of weeks without issue. Then 6 hours from home it just blew out the seam and that was it.

Point is that you could have a very slight leak either in the system or in a head gasket allowing slow loss of coolant that you don't smell or otherwise detect. Someone else around here recently had a similar issue that ended in an engine failure, his point was that with the slow loss the sensor does not catch the issue because the sensor is running in air instead of in coolant and is therefor unable to warn or predict a failure.

I would fill that sucker up and get to the bottom of the coolant loss asap.

 

[bctlex]

I was recently in a similar situation. I had a very slight crack in the radiators top tank (just above the crimp to the core). I noticed some general temperature increase but nothing to drastic. I also did not have coolant covering the core, when I noticed this it took almost 1 gallon to fill and then I ran it for a couple of weeks without issue. Then 6 hours from home it just blew out the seam and that was it.

Point is that you could have a very slight leak either in the system or in a head gasket allowing slow loss of coolant that you don't smell or otherwise detect. Someone else around here recently had a similar issue that ended in an engine failure, his point was that with the slow loss the sensor does not catch the issue because the sensor is running in air instead of in coolant and is therefor unable to warn or predict a failure.

I would fill that sucker up and get to the bottom of the coolant loss asap.

Had similar problem in my Avalon that the radiator has a very small crack that cause very small leak. I dont drive a lot, so it was hard to detect where it leaks. In the middle of winter, when the temperature drops, it cause the crack to get bigger and show the location of the leak. Replacing radiator outside in the middle of winter is no fun.

 

[vidlakj]

Thanks for the feedback. I filled the radiator this weekend and attempted a "purge" by running the engine with the radiator cap off, heater on full blast and 3 or 4 15 second revs to 2000 rpm. Core looks covered so far, but will monitor it closely. btw, it took a little more than half gallon to get above the core.

 

[hankinid]

My experience on 's '01 LX is that the system is self-bleeding. After a coolant change, I fill the radiator to the top and the coolant recovery bottle up to the 'full' line. I'll see it drop an inch or so after 3-4 cycles of starting, driving, and stopping.

The heater is running at all times...baffles under the dash inside the heater unit give you hot or cold or a mix depending on your temp setting.

hth

Steve

 

[2001LC]

I do the same^. I might add it best to check reservoirs' level each morning before starting while engine cold, top to cold mark.