I am adding coolant to the reservoir every other day. Winter weather up here in Connecticut.

Heat is hot
Engine isn’t overheating
No leaks from water pump cover
Found coolant on the bottom of the radiator (radiator is a year old)
Coolant puddles on ground sometimes

What's going on here??

 

radiator is leaking again? crack somewhere?

you should get the radiator pressure tested. pressurize the system and get under the car and see where its coming from.

Also, check the coolant reservoir. Plastic containers can get brittle and i've seen the nipples crack and leak in other cars.

 

what is the coolant level in the reservoir when the motor is hot?

 

Several days ago I thought the coolant level was lowering when cold. Today I noticed the coolant lever didn't change when hot or cold. There been barely any coolant in the reservoir over the last two days; not sure how quickly it's going down. Still haven't found a leak.

 

fill the coolant reservoir. It may be leaking from the reservoir itself and not from anything else.

 

I've checked the reservoir, but didn't catch a leak. I have some time today so I will check again. BURRRRRRRR

 

I've noticed the reservoir is at a consistent extremely low level.

I've also noticed the bottom left part of the radiator (when facing the grille) has the most "wetness".

Any thoughts? Might inspect again later tonight...

 

Tube from radiator to reservoir?

 

don't let the reservoir go all the way empty. if you do, then you will suck air back into your coolant system --> overheating.

 

Did you recently install a plenum spacer or do anything with the hoses? I had an issue with losing coolant just like you. My problem was that when I put the plenum back on I didn't put two of the clamps back onto the nozzle. Those being loose caused some leaking and spillage where my valve covers were and on the undertray. Check for leaks and check to make sure all your piping has it's clamps secured and tight.

 

This is what I have spotted on the radiator, you can see the small puddle on the ground.

 

Firstly, I'd check the cheapest part:

The Radiator cap. change it.

If it persists, then (since you seem to not have the undercarriage cover) lay a cardboard under the car at night and when you wake up in the morning see where is the majority of "drip" and/or wetness located. This will give you an idea if it's dripping from one area and then if the car is in an angle it'll cause the liquid to drip on another area.

If it is dripping on the left(passenger) side it CAN be either the small hose that travels from the reservoir tank to the radiator, or perhaps a leak from the radiator itself.

Honestly the best way to test is with a radiator pressure tester, but getting a hold of one can be a challenge at times.

Finally, I'd also check the hose clamps. One way to test for this is allow the car to come to operating temperature (for at least 1 mile).. Don't just turn on the car and when it gets to temp turn it off. (The engine will be up to temp, but the entire coolant system will not as initial startups take longer to get temps to where they need to be).

Get a bit of toilet paper and roll it up like a small cigar, and along the edges of where the hose meets the radiator / engine swipe it around. If you notice the paper get wet you could have a defective clamp so as the pressure builds it allows water/coolant to creep out.

If it's the radiator it's BEST to replace. Do NOT use any radiator additives to fix it as you can just cause more problems than solutions. Look for a specialty radiator shop that sells aftermarket radiators instead of OEM's to save LOTS OF MONEY! These sellers tend to give 1 year warranty's which is makes it a great OEM alternative. YOU CAN change this part on your own. Takes VERY little skill.


Quick break down:

(with vehicle cool)

Open the drain valve with a container underneath the radiator. the drain valve is located on the right(drivers side) underneath the vehicle. You Do not require a lift. It'll be a philips screw driver #3. Drain the fluid.

Remove the Clamps
On the top side, you will notice two plastic locks that you can rotate (they have rubber insulators inside dont lose them) remove them and then there is 2 10MM screws that you can see from the FRONT to REAR where the "radiator support" is located remove them. you can now pull the old radiator out, and replace with the new.

reverse the process.

Fill radiator with proper mixture 50% distilled water/coolant and/or just buy it premixed.

turn on the car and turn on the heater to HOT and FULL BLAST, You CAN leave the cap OFF for this process so that you can continue to pour more fluid as you have to bleed the air from the system.

On the rear of the engine towards the passenger side you will notice a small hose between the engine and the firewall open the plastic screw with the #3 Philips ScrewDriver. Open it slowly as it will leak out fluid. What you want to do is get the fluid to come up to the neck of the radiator without going down. It'll just sit there and then slowly rise. at this point you want to close the radiator and divert your attention to the bleeder screw to the rear of the engine. You will have to continue to open and close the screw various times so allow all the air out of the system.

The BEST way to get the air out is to buy this:


All you do is install this on the neck instead of using your cap and then pour all the fluid into the funnel, turn on the car and it'll bleed EVERYTHING on it's own. You then cap off the radiator drive for a mile and then play with the bleeder screw for just a bit. (It'll save you at least and hour).

Make sure the level of the reserve tank is to where it needs to be and viola!

 

Sounds to me like your radiator has a problem.

Stock radiators have plastic ends and metal fins. Normally the junction of the plastic tanks and metal house will have a gasket and those can be prone to leakage. It doesn't sound like its too bad, but it will continue to get worse. You should consider replacing it asap IMO. You can get a stock replacement made by KOYO for $140-150. The dual/triple core radiators have metal tanks and are welded together. They are a better option but prices typically go $350+ for new ones, but you probably know this already.

 

Thanks for all the great information!!

No recent installs, radiator was replaced last year.

 

Why was it replaced?

Does your vehicle have a fan clutch? If so, when was it last replaced? Have you checked your temperatures with a OBD2 scanner at IDLE after a good cruise? (or Consult "dealership")

When was the last time you changed thermostat?