jrizz Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 2009 3.6R Limited - 114,000 miles Bought the car last August. In September the radiator failed. Excitement on the highway as the engine shut off. I was able to exit safely and got the car to a shop. New radiator. Mechanic said no clue why it failed. Just age I guess. Couple days ago checked oil and coolant levels. Engine cool, radiator has coolant up to the cap, but coolant level in the reservoir is low. Below the low marker. Could radiator failure be connected? Should I be checking for leaking hoses? Valves? A friend said get the engine running and turn on the heat to build pressure in the system then check under the car for evidence of leaks. Sounds sensible to me but I don't know a lot and I'm not sure he does either. Seems the first thing I should do is get more coolant and fill the reservoir. Right? Thanks for any and all thoughts-- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xt2005bonbon Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 How long did it take for the overflow reservoir to go from full to low? And yes, the OEM radiators do fail at the 'seams' (where the aluminum fins are clamped to the plastic) after X number of miles. On both of my cars, they failed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrizz Posted June 17, 2022 Author Share Posted June 17, 2022 Well, probably not good practice, but i hadn't checked it since the new radiator was put in, so I guess 9 months, roughly 6,000 miles. However.... Maybe it's just me, but the overflow reservoir is pretty hard to see into, it might not be low afterall... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 Do not fill that tank, only add coolant like Prestone or Peak Global to the lower line on the overflow tank. I find the seals on the radiator cap is a issue over time. Just replace it with a new one. I replaced mine on both cars last year, as the wagon was pushing coolant into the overflow tank. The cap is cheap insurance. Stick a thin piece of wood into the bottle to check level. I do check coolant levels a few times a year and add as required. the water in the coolant will evaporate over time. These cars run well when you give them the TLC they need. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty9 Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 Could be normal, the system will evacuate any air left over from your rad replacement as it heat cycles, which will draw in a bit of coolant from the reservoir. Keep an eye on it, if you have to keep adding a little bit every few weeks you probably have a pinhole leak somewhere else. Auto parts stores usually have a pressure tester for rent, just a small pump that connects to the rad to pressurize the system while cold. Pump it up to 10-15 psi and let it sit for a while. if you notice the pressure go down, start looking for wet spots. Sometimes really small leaks are hard to spot because the coolant will evaporate when its on a hot engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lagwagon Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 Easy way to check the coolant level in the overflow tank is to shine a small flashlight into the opening and look through the side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xt2005bonbon Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 I am pretty sure you can add coolant to the 'FULL' line of the overflow tank on a cold engine. I've been doing this for a long time for both of our cars without issues. And it does get hot where I live! Now, when you replace a radiator and burp the system, it is possible for the coolant level to go down just a few days after this procedure. So if you never rechecked it after the install, then yeah you may have had low coolant level in your overflow tank to begin with. I'd say refill the overflow tank to the proper mark, then keep an eye on it. If it slowly empties itself in just a few days, then that's not right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted June 18, 2022 Share Posted June 18, 2022 Top it off and check again after a week of driving. If it's been 9 months and you still see coolant in the reservoir, it likely wasn't burped completely, and not a leak. Also if it's been 9 months, you should have had it in for service where they should top your coolant off... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobglaub Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 oh, so me adding coolant to my car every couple days isn't normal? I'm only kidding, I know my head gaskets are shot. my car needs an overhaul. but my apartment complex says no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 oh, so me adding coolant to my car every couple days isn't normal? I'm only kidding, I know my head gaskets are shot. my car needs an overhaul. but my apartment complex says no. Sounds like somebody needs to move... 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobglaub Posted June 25, 2022 Share Posted June 25, 2022 Tl;Dr The market sucks balls right now. We tried this summer. Made offers on soamy houses. Didn't get accepted a single time. Got outbid. Couple things against us, our realtor sucked, and nobody wanted to accept the VA loan. Don't blame them when people are paying cash. And our bids of 50k over list we're outbid by sometimes 50k. We had no chance this summer. Just had to renew our lease to keep rent from jumping $600 a month. We'll get a place next summer. That or we'll leave the state and go somewhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeInOregon Posted June 26, 2022 Share Posted June 26, 2022 Tl;Dr The market sucks balls right now. We tried this summer. Made offers on soamy houses. Didn't get accepted a single time. Got outbid. Couple things against us, our realtor sucked, and nobody wanted to accept the VA loan. Don't blame them when people are paying cash. And our bids of 50k over list we're outbid by sometimes 50k. We had no chance this summer. Just had to renew our lease to keep rent from jumping $600 a month. We'll get a place next summer. That or we'll leave the state and go somewhere else.If you have that guaranteed VA loan and recession proof job it's probably for the best. These prices are stupid , wont/can't last and the inflation is going to catch up to home loan interest rates in a big way and affect buying power. Good luck Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobglaub Posted June 27, 2022 Share Posted June 27, 2022 Yeah. Just gotta wait it out. It sucks because our plan was to sell our place in Alaska, move to Maine, get an apartment for the winter and buy in the summer. that didn't' happen and so we're stuck in our apartment for another year. It is what it is, hopefully prices start falling, but so far, we've not seen any slowdown up here. Trying to convince the wife to move out west. I miss the mountains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now