Coolant problem

[MrMagoo]

I've recently brought a new car, it's a 1996 Suzuki baleno. I've noticed the coolant level goes down quick. Filled it up yesterday and its down by about half an inch in less then 24hrs. No signs of head gasket. Car drives beautifully (55000 miles full service history) no excess smoke or erratic revving. Can only assume it's a leak somewhere. The radiator looks like it's has seen better days. Can't vissibly see a leak and no signs of puddles underneath the car. Question is, is there a way to check to see where the problem lies? And any other explanations?

Thanks in advance.

[HellDiver]

MrMagoo said:

No signs of head gasket.

You'll be wanting to get one of those.

[Dracoro]

It's either leaking out of the car or into the engine.

Pressure test at local garage.

Check dipstick, oil cap (although mayo here can just be condensation), coolant system, reservoir.

Sounds like it's the HG and it was sold to you just before it got worse........

[morgrp]

Whack a k-seal in it and see if it stops - they are so good they can even cure a weeping headgasket. My v70 was the same - had a small leak I couldn't be arsed to locate it - whacked in a k-seal - year and half later still ok - uses no water at all

[JM]

How much and how often are you filling it?

What happens if you don't top it up?
Some cars have their own level as it were and will vent any excess out of the breather pipe on the expansion tank when in use.

[MrMagoo]

There's no mayonnaise type residue anywhere, checked the dipstick, oil cap, and raditor cap. Car gets up to normal temperature and stays there. I've just ran the car for 15mins and checked everything again and all seems fine. Coolant inside expansion tank seems clearish. And when I took the radiator cap of after it has been left running there was no gushing of water or loud hissing. Did a 2 hour journey yesterday (100miles plus) and the temperature was fine, stayed the same throughout the journey. Would you recommend a pressure test Just to be safe or woul you not bother? Shall keep an eye on the coolant level and shall go for a drive to see if it stays the same when I return. Never heard of a K-seal before? Whats it use, is it if you have a HGF or leak from radiator/pipe. Awns where do you fit it?

Thanks for the input.

[MrMagoo]

Sorry for spelling, on my iPhone.

[jr502]

MrMagoo said:

There's no mayonnaise type residue anywhere, checked the dipstick, oil cap, and raditor cap. Car gets up to normal temperature and stays there. I've just ran the car for 15mins and checked everything again and all seems fine. Coolant inside expansion tank seems clearish. And when I took the radiator cap of after it has been left running there was no gushing of water or loud hissing. Did a 2 hour journey yesterday (100miles plus) and the temperature was fine, stayed the same throughout the journey. Would you recommend a pressure test Just to be safe or woul you not bother? Shall keep an eye on the coolant level and shall go for a drive to see if it stays the same when I return. Never heard of a K-seal before? Whats it use, is it if you have a HGF or leak from radiator/pipe. Awns where do you fit it?

Thanks for the input.

k-seal is like radweld, but better in my experience. Its an additive you add to the coolant, fixed a HG problem I had once, worked a treat.

[MrMagoo]

jr502 said:

k-seal is like radweld, but better in my experience. Its an additive you add to the coolant, fixed a HG problem I had once, worked a treat.

Thanks, Shall look into it, hopefully I won't need it!

[MrMagoo]

hora said:

Pressure test and check for wetness along pipe/hose etc. It sounds like its gentely leaking out somewhere - also along the base of the radiator as its quite old now and could have been holed by a stone or rusted through.

Cheers, I'm goin to get it pressure tested tommorow. Gut feeling suggests it's the radiator as it is in a bit of a state! Shall also feel for signs of leaks.

[WOO5IE]

All cars cooling systems have their normal level. If you totally fill the system this will expand when hot and send some coolant out of the overflow/ expansion outlet wherever that is.

As long as it doesnt keep losing coolant beyond this normal level the all should be OK.

You can get testers that test for combustion gases that would indicate a HG or your lacal friendly gargare will have one.

[JM]

MrMagoo said:

Did a 2 hour journey yesterday (100miles plus) and the temperature was fine, stayed the same throughout the journey.

Did the level of coolant drop between the start and end of the journey?

Bear in mind if you do check when cold, then when hot the level will be different.

[MrMagoo]

I've just been for a 20-25mile drive and the coolant level has stayed the same. If it was a HGF would this be a long enough drive fo the coolant level to drop? When i filled it up yesterday it only had a little bit of coolant in the expansion tank. Could this be the reason why the level dropped to begin with? Picking at straws here but I assume if the level in the expansion tank is nearly empty and I fill it up to the full Mark. The level would drop as there's more in the system. (Probbaly the most ridiculous thing anyone's said on here so if it is, sorry!)
Cheers

[JM]

25 miles should b enough to get everything up to temp and pressure.
Was the engine temp consistent?
Does your heater work ok?

What level is it at now when cold?

If it's low top it up to the middle, check it again before you next use it, then check the level when it's hot and check again when it has cooled down.

[rallycross]

This is not something you can diagnose on the internet, take a look, if you cant find the water leak give it to a mechanic.

It might be coming from the waterpump, or a hose hidden behind the engine. Dont start worrying about head gasket problems until someone has checked all the other things. If its just the radiator you should be able to find/see the leak.

[jr502]

Check your carpets as well, if they are damp it could be a heater matrix leak, which is why you cant see any in the engine bay.

[MrMagoo]

Thank you for the tips. Temperature was consistent throughout the journey, I marked the coolant level when engine was cold. And also re-checked it when engine was cold. Level didn't change. Checked the carpets and all feel dry. And the heater works fine. Shall probbably get it pressure tested just to be 100% then go from there. Have a strong feeling it's a small leak coming from the radiator. Considering the condition the radiator is in. Thanks again.

[OdramaSwimLaden]

morgrp said:

Whack a k-seal in it and see if it stops - they are so good they can even cure a weeping headgasket. My v70 was the same - had a small leak I couldn't be arsed to locate it - whacked in a k-seal - year and half later still ok - uses no water at all

+1; truly remarkable stuff.

If you do this, make sure you shake the hell out of it vigerously for min 30 seconds and add it dilluted in antifreeze if you are adding it to the expansion tank.

[Fleckers]

could be all maner of things

if Head gasket is fine i would look at pipes for leaks and poss. the water pump having a game.

bung some washing up liquid in and let it run then check for bubbles everywhere

as someone said, if you dont top up does it keep getting lower or is is staying the same place all the time ?

[MrMagoo]

Fleckers said:

as someone said, if you dont top up does it keep getting lower or is is staying the same place all the time ?

Have only had the car a couple of days. I've only filled it up once as it was nearly empty (expansion tank) then the level fell by about an inch. The level has stayed the same after I drove it for 20-25 miles.