Johnhav430

I decided to top off my coolant reservoir. When the timing belt was done, after all had settled down (they filled it to the middle of the range hot), I filled it cold, such that it was just over the full line, and just under 1/2 way up the word FULL.

I'm going to say the level dropped 1 1/4" in the reservoir, as it was now below the line (remember, I started above the line, so I didn't simply lose the amount below the line).

I don't believe there is a leak, I believe that the cap which merely snaps on, does not prevent evaporation. There was pink residue on the reservoir that was not there in February....

Flash back to last October when I purchased this car used, there was zero coolant in the reservoir, and also none to be seen in the radiator, yet the vehicle did not overheat. At this pace, maybe the reservoir would drain in 6 years??

I guess the moral of the story is it's not a bad idea to put a splash in there annually....if not, every 2 yrs....but if you run red, I guess 2 yrs. is a replace anyway...

BeefyLS

I had the same thing happen. Bought car and had an empty reservoir. Dealer said my water pump was leaking a bit so I replaced it when I did timing belt and topped off coolant. Checked back a few months later and coolant was maybe an inch below full line. I kept checking on it periodically and topping off then two weeks ago I was doing oil change and bam there was coolant everywhere (dry, pink residue splatter) when I opened the hood. Reservoir was totally empty and not sure how long it had been like that. I ordered the radiator online and continued driving the car and topping off before long trips. I found the reservoir was empty every 100 miles or so, so pretty severe leak. But temperature never once went above normal!

Anyways, you should consider getting a new radiator soon. Leak only gets worse.

Johnhav430

Yikes....mine doesn't look like that, more like pink residue a little around the reservoir cap, and down the reservoir/spots....I don't think I have an issue with the radiator (could be wrong but from purchase/top off to timing belt which was 4 mos., no noticeable loss [probably could not see it yet]). My 1 1/4" is after 8.5 mos...

jimbosr1

i have the same thing with mine.pink on the cap and spotting along the drain tube that attaches along the reseroir.happened after i had the timing belt and water pump done 25k miles ago.i just keep a eye on it and it hasnt got any worse. i suspect a hair line crack in the reservoir tank along the top side.

Johnhav430

Interesting Jim, so you don't think it's normal and evaporation, but a crack.....if I recall that reservoir is not inexpensive.....

I still think it's a function of that cap snapping on, there's no real sealing action going on, it's a snap....meaning if you boil water on your stovetop, and you have a lid, it will still eventually all boil away, if it's boiling rapidly, the lid will even rattle....no way to prove so I guess the best thing is to keep an eye....

2KHarrier

With the amount of driving I do, I have to top mine off every 4-5 months or so. It drops about 1 1/2 to 2 inches over that time frame. That equates to roughly 12-15,000 miles of driving.

Just an FYI...

2KHarrier

BeefyLS;

It looks like someone hit you with a shake from Micky D's...

jimbosr1

John,i have changed the cap and the vent hose,It never did it prior the the timing belt job.i think when the tech removed it he may have just dropped it on the floor.to change it you have to buy the whole shroud.

Johnhav430

Gotcha, I dropped the canister to my wife's vacuum cleaner, and the thought did cross my mind that I could have cracked it even though I don't see any damage (it was pretty hard).

I'm just not sure how this vehicle was designed (might need to be topped off between drain/fills), meaning there are cars which say have a pressurized reservoir, or, screw on cap (98 Nissan). So although these cars don't lose a drop in 5 years, they are not fair comparisons.....

p.s. next time I may have to replace the fasteners that hold down the air intake, they were difficult to fit back in this time (the ends flare out)....I have spares...

BeefyLS

These are both how mine started. Little pink spots by the reservoir cap and along the backside where the Max fill line is. Just saying could be indication of whats to come in the future, though mine took over 3 years to progress to the point of that picture I posted lol.

Jabberwock

My reservoir drops a couple of inches every 6 months or so and has been doing that all the time I have owned the car (apprx 8+years).

biacs

There was a couple hoses that some folks found helpful to replace. Also I added an OEM Radiator cap - cuz everything on the car is old :-)

One was the tube for the overflow from the reservoir and one ...? connected the rez to the radiator.

Sorry I'm no help as far as description or part numbers :-). I think the old hoses could swell and causes coolant to escape etc.

PCW

I had the radiator replaced on my 2001 LS430 approx a year ago as it had a crack along the top tank. A couple of months ago I noticed some pink antifreeze residue inside the radiator near the cap. It turned out that the plastic reservoir had a hairline crack in it and under certain conditions it would release a small amount of antifreeze. The reservoir is built into the fan shroud and the entire shroud had to be replaced. When it was removed the inside of the shroud (which you cannot see unless it's removed) was covered with the pink residue. This may be your problem.

Bocatrip

Bingo! It's normal to lose coolant from the reservoir (mysteriously? or not). Pink residue is found on most of our cars and again is normal. Just keep checking it every few months and you shoud be ok. I use Toyota Red and mix it with 50% distilled water every few months to top it up. No big deal. It's part of ownership.

jayclapp

Note that the plastic reservoir is not pressurized.