ok so first of all i don't know anyhting about cars. so please bare with me.
on my 1986 fiero gt, my coolant "tank" or container has a little hole on the top, so it doesnt spill. but i will fill it up and after 2 days its almost gone, ill have a little bit left, sometimes i will totally forget about it for days. but my car does not over heat. so is this a big problem, what should i do?
i was thinking the since there is a hole it evaporates?
No....It does not evaporate. A normal system will not need refilling for months. You are loosing coolant somewhere. Sometimes a pinhole in a hose will only leak under pressure (while driving), and not leave a puddle under the car.
edit: Because the Fiero has lots of tubes and hoses full of coolant there are a lot of places to look for a leak....can you put newspaper under the car overnight?
[This message has been edited by Gall757 (edited 08-25-2013).]
...after 2 days its almost gone, ill have a little bit left
Don't let that coolant reservoir get empty. If it does, air will get sucked into the system. That can lead to all sorts of fun, including overheating and boilovers.
for the question about news paper yes i can do that.
also about the coolant running out, i believe it never really runs out, i will fill it up but after a couple days the coolant will stay at a certain level. maybe when i drive the car and when i turn it spills from the hole. i can put 2-3 fingers in the hole i believe. as a matter of fact since i posted this i have not checked the coolant and i just drove about a total of 100 miles? so ill make sure to check the coolant tomorrow.
edit: if i would go to a mechanic to get this checked out and fixed how much would this cost roughly? i live in washington state if that makes a big difference or not.
thanks in advance
[This message has been edited by rjdante (edited 08-27-2013).]
If you are filling the coolant tank when the engine is cold, you are over-filling the system and when the coolant gets hot it will expand and overflow. Check the coolant tank after you have been driving. When the coolant is cold the expansion tank should be less than 1/4 full..(but not empty).
Consult a manual for the fill procedure if you drain. I have always observed erratic temp gauge needle (low , then hight) in the presence of an air bubble. You can burp the system, but when hot it is somewhat dangerous. I have burped mine when the air bubble won't eliminate itself by padding the radiator cap generously with toweling and quickly ONLY LOOSENING THE CAP and immediately retightening it. You would probably hear the bubble expell. Did I say you can badly burn yourself-YES!
hey gall, so at most time the coolant level should only be at 1/4 when cold? then when my car heats up it like streches and it fills up? cause yea when i check the fuild its usually cold so i fill it up. so when it does get hot maybe it expands so much that it over flows?
okidoki, thank you very much, cause i really didnt have any over heating problems, i drive 60 miles sometimes and it doesnt have any over heating issues, also yesterday when i checked the coolant it was like half more than what it usually is but i did fill it up a week ago or so. so yea but i think my car is good thanks for all the info you guys gave me!
