So I have this problem with my coolant being consumed pretty fast. There are no signs of a really bad leak in the radiator or on any of the tubes.
When I check underneath the car I see a little bit of coolant depositing on the bottom side of the transmission, so maybe it isn't sealed up properly?
Also, after the car is nice and warmed up, and I open the oil cap, there is usually a bit of steam that comes out. Is that common or does that only occur when there is moisture getting into the oil? (like coolant)
One other possibilty my neighbor said was a leak at the heater core? Any way to check that. All I know is it's a bitch to replace since you need to tear the dash out.
I have 180,000 miles on my car and I know my timing belt and water pump are due for a replacement, so maybe somehow that could be the culprit?

Any suggestions would be helpful.

 

If you want to check the heater core for a leak put your hand on the floor by lower side of the passenger dash and see if its damp. It sounds like theres some coolant on the underneath of the trans i would try to follow that up to something on the motor side maybe the coolant return cuz it aint comming from the trans. Does your car smoke white or smell sweet out the exaust. If its clean i would keep an eye out for a leak that is leaking on something hot like maybe a thermastat housing leak or a heater core hose or something thats not right out in the open. Pull your dip stick out and look at the oil make sure its not milky white. My car doesnt steam out the oil fill like you said but there will be blow by comming out pretty fast at 180k. Or just fix something else on the car and the anti freeze leak will get worse because its asking for attention and then you might be able to find where its comming from. And never talk crap about your ride if it can hear you.

 

Yeah so there are no leaks from the heater core if that's generally a symptom.
I don't have anything that comes out of my exhaust. No color or smell.
Also every time I empty my oil out, it's a nice brown hue which seems to have no contaminants.
I think a good possibility is where it can evaporate easily. Especially since it's only a small portion reaching the bottom of the transmission. So part of it can evaporate and the rest drips down to the tranny.

Anyone have any other recommendations?

 

just double check all your radiator hoses and everything make sure theres no cracks or anything in them..is your car overheating at all?..could be a made thermostat?..just double check everything clean up all the antifreeze and let it warm up and see if you cant see where its coming from then. GL!

 

yeah, I took the car for a free honda inspection the other day and they did a visual inspection of hoses etc and nothing came up.
I recently changed the thermostat so that should be ok. It seems like my car never will overheat, even if I dont fill up the overflow tank for a while? which seems odd.

 

bump por favor

 

I'm having a similar problem, my car Leaks Coolant, slowly but surely. it seems to be worse when I turn my Heater on. I was thinking that maybe it was the weep hole from my water pump...

 

did it do this before replacing the thermo? i suspect you have a leak around that area whether it be a hose or the intake manifold to thermostat housing seal. a leak here can drip onto the exhaust evaporating real quick and not showing signs on the ground of the leak. you should be able to smell the coolant burning or see steam though if this is the case

 

people say that coolant smells sweet. I don't really know what they mean. can soomeone describe this smell as anything other then sweet?

 

Best way for you to know how it smells, open the coolant reservoir cap, pull it all the way. Smell the tip of the rubber hose coming at the bottom of the cap. THAT smell is what people describe as sweet. The smell is the glycol in the coolant. Do it with the car cold, you may get burnt.

 

Id look carefully under the left side of the engine for coolant, mine did that when the water pump went bad.
Frank Alllen

 

did they attach a pressure tester & really checked for an external leak?



you can rent the tool for free at your local autozone (you pay for the tool & they give you a full refund when you return it)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWYzBbGkOfo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=NbtzdqI_EcU

 

go get some AC/Delco radiator tabs...they come in a 5-pack and they are bout penny size half inch in depth..brownish in color...pop all 5 into ur radiator when its cold...start up ur car and put on the heat for bout 10 15 mins...seal up any leaks...saved my girls maxima with 4 dollar radiator tabs.

 

That pressure test is a good one, only thing is experience has taught me that water pumps can go bad and not leak all the time, i have had several fool me, however im not telling you what to do just trying to help.
Frank allen

 

yea, band-aid at best... also saw them pre-mixed in small bottles as well

 

first of all no vapor is suppose to come out when you remove the oil cap only when theres water being evaporated. secondly a bad head gasket does not always puff white smoke. seen this millions of times. remove your radiator cap with car off then start the car if water pours out like a gyser could be head gasket but it doesnt always do this. also you can buy a coolant leak detector. well worth the money ill tell you that. a pressure tester doesnt always bring out the leaks. seen this too. its better to detect leaks when the car is hot and the hoses are blown up due to the heat and pressure.

 

I have the same problem. no leaks, and a new water pump. seems to eat up coolant quickly. also when idle t-stat goes up until i take off. fans turn on when the car turns off