GS300ken

Hi all,

Is this normal for the GS300 to loose anti-freeze coolant in its reservoir? My 2006 GS300 had little coolant in the reservoir on Monday and I took it to my local Toyota dealer to check it out. They recommended me to do a flushing instead of draining and filling for the coolant since the previous owner never changed it. I did the flushing and they put it Toyota SLLC (pink) coolant as well as filling up the reservoir to full mark. Today I check the reservoir again and it is 1" lower. Is this normal? I check the radiator, engine, hoses but I did not see any leak. The temperature is fine, no overheating or anything.

I guess I have to buy a gallon of SLLC on hand, it's around $21 from Toyota.

Thanks,

GS350Lexus

iTrader: (5)

Well when the car is hotter (normal operating temperature) it will drop. Check on cold engine or in the morning.

krispl

When your engine warms up your coolant level should go UP and NOT DOWN! When fluid warms up it expends. In the morning when your car is cold your coolant level should be in between low and high mark (in the middle) and after some driving it should go up to close to UP mark.

BinaryJay

I've been wondering about this more lately. I looked at the coolant level today after the car has been parked for a number of days in underground parking (around 0-2C) and it is just above the "low" level. I could have sworn before it would be nearer to the middle between low and full.

Car seems to be "smoking" out of the exhaust a lot lately even after the engine is warm, though I can't tell any significant change in the amount when I hit the gas or not. I've so far just attributed it to water vapor due to the cold weather but I thought it should mostly go away after the engine is fully warmed up.

Kind of worried since after I had valve springs replaced in the summer, I had to bring it back because a LOT of smoke was coming out the back when I floored it enough to coat the rear of the car in a white film. At the time, they told me the oil was overfilled and they gave it back to me stating they drained and refilled with the correct amount and I didn't notice it smoking again during the summer even though their explanation seemed a bit dodgy to me.

Anyway, does it seem like I should be concerned about the "cold" coolant level being close to low? I haven't noticed any leaking. I'm definitely going to bring this up when I have to take the car in for that fuel pressure sensor inspection. Car is still under PT warranty until September but I wonder how difficult it would be for them to confirm that the car is losing coolant somewhere and if they'll even bother doing a full investigation.

BinaryJay

Checked the fluid level when it was fully warmed up and it sits about 3/4 of the way to the full mark on my car. I'm guessing it "should" be up to the full mark when warm.

Valley101

If you believe you have a coolant lose, do a pressure test on the system to rule out a bad radiator cap or the possibility of a damaged head gasket. Simple enough to do and could save you a lot of anxiety.

chuckGS350

What I would do is check the radiator when the engine is cold. Fill to coolant to the neck if needed. Then fill the coolant in the reservoir to the Full mark.
Keep driving a few days and check the coolant in the reservoir when the engine is cold. If the coolant in the reservoir goes below the Full mark, your engine has a leak somewhere or it burns the coolant.

BinaryJay

I'm pretty sure if I just added fluid like that, it would boil over and overflow. I really don't think the full mark is meant to be cold full is it? If it is then I have more coolant missing than I thought.

I'd rather just leave it alone and give it to the dealer while it's under warranty, I just was wondering what the normal "cold" level is on other people's GS.

I think I just need to take a closer look at the reservoir with a flashlight. Perhaps the bottom line, way at the bottom, is actually SUPPOSED to be the "cold fill" line and maybe my memory is just playing tricks on me. And yeah, I'm going to re-RTFM - but I won't have access to the car until tomorrow night. :P

GS350Lexus

iTrader: (5)

Thanks I meant to say exactly what you said.

chuckGS350

Yes, it is. Full mark when the engine is cold. Still have plenty of room in the resvoir before overflow when the engine is hot.

I have an Accord. Full mark when the engine is cold. A bit over the full mark when the engine is hot.

BinaryJay

Here is my coolant level right now when the engine is cold.



Doesn't seem right does it? I haven't seen any obvious leaks, nothing on the ground or around the radiator cap or overflow bottle that I can tell. Oil looks clear on dipstick, checked under fill cap and the underside of the cap and everything I can see in there looks sparkling clean.

Car doesn't overheat. It heats up quickly to normal operating temperature and stays there dead on. I get heat just fine in the cabin.

BinaryJay

Emailed that picture to my service advisor. He told me:

"Usually it should be at the max mark when hot."

So I'm confused. There is tons of room above that for expansion, are you really supposed to add fluid only when it's hot? He offered for me to bring it in for a top up, but that dealership is a fair distance away - it would probably cost me just as much in gas to give it to them to top up as it would for me to walk over to Toyota and buy some coolant and add it myself.

Then again, I'm assuming the Toyota coolant doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
But mostly I'm concerned about conflicting information about whether that "full" line means full when hot or full when cold.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that my overflow tank cap "hisses" slightly, and sounds like it's letting air escape. I never really gave it a second thought until now, but I'm pretty sure that that seal is supposed to be tight. Perhaps if it's letting pressurized air escape out of the system then water is being allowed to evaporate out of the coolant at a higher than normal rate.

mjb2124

BinaryJay - That's the exact level the coolant on my car is at. I noticed it after I had the valve stem recall done...it certainly could have been that way before the recall, but I was adding windshield wiper fluid a few days after the recall and saw my coolant appeared low.

No symptoms, car doesn't overheat, no leaking etc... I'm not sure what to do either.

chuckGS350

That's where my coolant level was for 4 yrs. I topped it off to the full mark when the engine is cold. Just to test if I have a leak or not.
The level is still at full mark since I topped it off. So there is no leak.

chuckGS350

26 bucks a gallon.

Full line means you shouldn't top off the coolant above the full mark when the engine is cold. Anywhere above that could cause an overflow when the engine is hot.
Go buy a gallon from Toyota and top it off to the full mark when the engine is cold.
Drive a car a few days and check the level again (when the engine is cold). If the level goes below where you topped it last, then you have a leak somewhere.