Where does coolant go?

[TW]Fox;24401157 said:
You are asking the wrong 'where does coolant go' question - it shouldnt go anywhere normally, the fact its gone suggests a fault somewhere.
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Its hardly practical to sideline the car whilst it's diagnosed, parts are sourced and the repair carried out

Top it up so you can use it then sort the problem
 
Took 8 years for the expansion tank level to drop from max to min on my Focus, recently topped up with neat antifreeze, the red 10yr stuff.

I queried with the parts guy where it went and he said some loss will occur eventually through tiny leaks as the system ages.
 
paddy said:
I always understood the colour was just to identify it, for leak detection etc, it wasn't indicative of what it contained.

So long as they're all the same primary type (e.g. glycol based) and have the same additives (e.g. OAT/HOAT) you won't have a problem with mixing.
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Colour used to be a good indicator, but manufacturers went mad and started using dozens of different colours mainly as a branding exercise. Red/orange is usually a long life OAT/HOAT coolant, blue/green are usually have silicate type additives but there are too many exceptions to the rule to take this for granted.
 
bainbridge said:
Took 8 years for the expansion tank level to drop from max to min on my Focus, recently topped up with neat antifreeze, the red 10yr stuff.

I queried with the parts guy where it went and he said some loss will occur eventually through tiny leaks as the system ages.
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Way too long between changes even if it is longlife stuff.

Also topping up with a different type of coolant isn't ideal as it can cause reaction on some metal internals. After 8 years I'm guessing that the make up of the new stuff is entirely different to the old stuff. It might be worth flushing it and replacing it all.
 
Banzai_Joe said:
Surely like all the other fluids in a car the levels will drop over time and require topping up?
It's a Dec 2010 model and i've had it since last August, no idea if has ever been topped up since birth.

Jay; thanks buddy, i would have guessed right, but as you say, i'd better get the correct stuff and not just use the £1.49 (half price offer) i got from B&Q.
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It's a sealed system. My 10 year old Focus hasn't lost any fluids in the 2 years I've had it. You have a problem.
 
had to top up my coolant the other day as when i was filling the wipers i noticed it was on the low marker. was just below low when the engine was cold in the morning so just topped it up with a cheeky glass of water as it's summer. having MOT/service in a few months so will prob get flushed before winter and correct coolant/water ratio put in.

think this might be the 3rd time since new (56) i've had to top it up. it's only a tiny amount that it takes, this one being the lowest i've ever seen it (on the low and before have noticed it being approaching low so chuck a bit in). think last time i had to add some water was about 2 years ago :p
 
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The seal on the cap on the top of the tank can go as they get older, I vaguely remember having one replaced on my old escort as a standard service item at a set age.
 
Well i've booked the car for the freebie 15 mins test, to check for leaks and wotnot.
I also remember that the oil was 98% full when i got the car. 10 months later its down to 36%.
 
Banzai_Joe said:
Well i've booked the car for the freebie 15 mins test, to check for leaks and wotnot.
I also remember that the oil was 98% full when i got the car. 10 months later its down to 36%.
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So losing oil and coolant?

Is there smoke from the exhaust at all (and if so what colour)?
 
Not that i know of Fox. Only know about the levels cos the dashboard told me about the coolant needing topping up. I just happened to scroll through the settings and found that the oil level was 36% when i remember it being 98% when i got it. No warning about that though.
The drive is fine, nothing seems or sounds out of the ordinary.
 
If the engine has been running recently then it's no surprise that there is less oil in the sump than there was before, it's all splattered around the engine :p
 
Epic revival here........

Right. I took the car into Vauxhall dealers in July. They said they'd had a few issues with this on some insignia's and that they would change the unit.
When i got the car back, it seemed fine. I thought it odd that i didn't receive any paperwork. But then with everything electronic and with it being a warranty job i didn't think much of it.
Few months later the light comes back on, so i book it in again and had a service whilst i was at it.
Came back ok.
Just atfer xmas (warranty ran out 21st dec 13) light comes on again.
The car is back in today for another 'fix'.
They just rang me to say they can't any issue and it would cost £78 to diagnose. I'm like, even though the car is out of warranty surely you are duty bound to fix what you've failed to fix on 2 previous occasions when it WAS in warranty?
2n visit to fix it they told me the cap was lose (basically accusing me) I didn't even know where the cap was!
Spoke to manager and he says that out of the 3 or 4 visits to their garage this year there is absolutely no record of any coolant issue being looked at!!! WTH?! :eek:
Seriously? He also said that even if there was, once the warranty is out of date then i have to pay for it. Even if they didn't fix it 1st or 2nd time round.

If that's the case then them 'losing' any record they have of me bringing the car in twice previously for this issue is irrelevant now as the warranty has ended.

So, anyone any idea at all what might be the issue? Faulty sensor? Leak somewhere? I resent (and can't afford) £78 to have the issue diagnosed, then pay to have it fixed.
Peeved and gutted about this.

Any advice?
 
Thought about that, but if any warranty repairs then expire with the warranty then it'll make no difference whether they lost any records of my issues or not.
 
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