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Thread: coolant level

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Grand Marias USA
    Posts
    155

    Default coolant level

    Here's the story, I got stuck in traffic behind an accident today. I sat in the car for awhile waiting and decided to put it in park, a few min. later coolant level displayed on the dash. I pulled over til the accident was cleared and restarted the car (I live about a mile from the spot), the coolant level displayed again but stopped when i put it in drive. I got home and turned off the car and the display showed coolant again. My question is this, what happened and did I do any damage?
    thanks
    Jim

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Long Beach, CA
    Posts
    2,563

    Default

    Did the car overheat?

    Ralph Mendoza Jr. - Long Beach, CA

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Grand Marias USA
    Posts
    155

    Default

    no, it got about a 32nd past the 1/2 mark when I shut it down. My biggest question is "what happened?" and will it happen again.
    Jim

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Gainesville, FL
    Posts
    549

    Default

    well open the hood and look!! is the coolant level reasonable? is coolant sprayed onto anything? If the car didn't overheat then you didn't do any harm, but the check control display won't tell you anything important. The coolant level sensor is also a POS and randomly gets stuck and lies to you about the coolant level. about once a week it tells me i'm low, so i look and the coolant will be full past the max line... make sure yours isn't just frtizing out/

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Grand Marias USA
    Posts
    155

    Default

    it's low and I saw some coolant around the plug next to the overflow tank. I'm gonna just fill it tommorrow and see what happens.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Gainesville, FL
    Posts
    549

    Default

    See if you can track the leak down some more. Idle the car in the driveway and see if it drips down to the floor. I'm not familar with the m20 so i can't really help you specifically, but if by plug you mean the cap, bleed screws, or coolant level sensor, then take it off and tighten it back on. Your expansion tank is connected to the radiator correct? The seam between the two can leak, pay attention to that as well. Hopfully your hoses are just shot after 16~ years and need to be replaced.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Posts
    571

    Default

    The plastic tanks can also crack in random places...

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Posts
    3,395

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Dan in NZ
    The plastic tanks can also crack in random places...
    True.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Grand Marias USA
    Posts
    155

    Default

    The strange part is that it's a new radiator, the leak I saw was on the top left hand side (facing forward) next to the expansion tank. It looks like a brass plug, if it continues to leak I guess I could try putting a crush washer in?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Gainesville, FL
    Posts
    549

    Default

    does it have wires comming off it? its probably the aux water temp sensor to activatve the aux fan except for the coolant that will pour out, putting a crush washer in there might be a good idea. just don't over tighten it or your liable to crack the radiator.

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