Popped the hood to replace the air filter in wife's 09 Liberty today and noticed there is no coolant in the reservoir. Now im freaked out at the possibility of a head gasket issue. Wife says the car has not been running hot so there is obviously enough coolant in the radiator to do the job. Any thoughts on issue at hand?
No coolant=head gasket?
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has it been getting topped off, it's not unusual for coolant level in the res to drop some between oil changes and if it hasn't been getting replaced then it could be way low.
No, I have topped it off and it has 54k on it. I will do that tomorrow and watch for any decrease.. thanks for the reassurance. feeling better about the situation.
There are other spots they can leak besides head gaskets. The common spots would be water pump or radiator, hoses, t-stat gasket, heater core. If I had to take an off the wall guess for you. I would say maybe water pump.
John
John
My old Ford Tempo was like that. Had a completely odd leak I could never find. The reservoir would always drain itself but the radiator would always remain perfectly full at operating temperature.
I'd just keep an eye on it, do the obvious tests for blown head gaskets, like if the exhaust is white from the engine eating coolant or the rad bubbles with the cap off and the engine running, demonstrating that there's a leak in the system.
I'd just keep an eye on it, do the obvious tests for blown head gaskets, like if the exhaust is white from the engine eating coolant or the rad bubbles with the cap off and the engine running, demonstrating that there's a leak in the system.
Could it be the 50/50 ratio has too much water concentration leaving over time??? Or does water stay in the system because coolant keeps it front boiling off?
Check the ratio with those anti-freeze/coolant concentration testers at your radiator's cap.
Check the ratio with those anti-freeze/coolant concentration testers at your radiator's cap.
check the weep hole on the water pump. a friend's liberty starting leaking at around 50k miles. if so, it's a very simple repair - no accessories bolt to the water pump.
Yeahcheck around all the coolant and heater hose connections for a weeping leak. Also the water pump. I had that happen on a buick. It was just a bad cap in the end. Allowed a little water boil off.
I currently have this same problem on my 04 Ascender. Problem was the thermostat was stuck open and coolant continued to run through the engine and was burning off. On the 04 Ascender it is a PITA to swap out the thermostat so it will have to wait.
Originally Posted By: outoforder
Popped the hood to replace the air filter in wife's 09 Liberty today and noticed there is no coolant in the reservoir. Now im freaked out at the possibility of a head gasket issue. Wife says the car has not been running hot so there is obviously enough coolant in the radiator to do the job. Any thoughts on issue at hand?
I had a similar issue with my Civic when it was 2-3 years old. I thought I had a leak and freaked out. Come to find out, it must have just evaporated a little, because I added more and never had a problem. No coolant in the oil, and vice versa. I actually just changed the coolant today and it was at the same mark it was at when I topped it off 2-3 years ago.
I would top off the reservoir and keep an eye on it, probably no big deal. Be sure to read the manual to see it takes specific coolant. My Civic will only take Honda fluids... Go figure, right?
Popped the hood to replace the air filter in wife's 09 Liberty today and noticed there is no coolant in the reservoir. Now im freaked out at the possibility of a head gasket issue. Wife says the car has not been running hot so there is obviously enough coolant in the radiator to do the job. Any thoughts on issue at hand?
I had a similar issue with my Civic when it was 2-3 years old. I thought I had a leak and freaked out. Come to find out, it must have just evaporated a little, because I added more and never had a problem. No coolant in the oil, and vice versa. I actually just changed the coolant today and it was at the same mark it was at when I topped it off 2-3 years ago.
I would top off the reservoir and keep an eye on it, probably no big deal. Be sure to read the manual to see it takes specific coolant. My Civic will only take Honda fluids... Go figure, right?
if it's been extra cold this winter, check your reserve tank for cracks in the bottom.
Yes, connections, water pump, thermostat stuck open...all great points.
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Originally Posted By: sm00thpapa
I currently have this same problem on my 04 Ascender. Problem was the thermostat was stuck open and coolant continued to run through the engine and was burning off. On the 04 Ascender it is a PITA to swap out the thermostat so it will have to wait.
It doesn't work that way. It is a closed system, coolant doesn't "burn off". If the T-stat was stuck open, it would just run cold.
I currently have this same problem on my 04 Ascender. Problem was the thermostat was stuck open and coolant continued to run through the engine and was burning off. On the 04 Ascender it is a PITA to swap out the thermostat so it will have to wait.
It doesn't work that way. It is a closed system, coolant doesn't "burn off". If the T-stat was stuck open, it would just run cold.
check radiator cap..that controls the fluid going into reservoir
Sometimes coolant will leak extremely slowly in the seam between the plastic radiator end and the aluminum part of the radiator.
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