Coolant problem

[Woodsments]

My car overheated a few days ago and it turns out I had barely any coolant. I filled up the reserve tank and everything seemed alright. I took it in and was told they couldn't find a leak, and they filled up my coolant.

This was yesterday.

Today I checked the level in the reserve tank and it's only about halfway full. Is this normal? It's pretty cold here.

[88CRX]

The overflow tank isnt suppose to be "full" to the top.... only fill it to the fill line thats on the side. There needs to be empty room in the overflow tank.

[GSR Zero]

Keep an eye on that coolant level and your temp gage. If you find that you are overheating again and your coolant level is going down, you may have a bigger problem. One thing to check out is when you are idling, do your revs dip a bit. If this is the case you may have a blown head gasket. Coolant is getting into your cylinders. I had this problem with my '90 Integra. If your gasket is blown, get it replaced ASAP or you are looking for a new cylinder head if you overheat and warp your head.

[cbr_ryder]

If you head gasket was blown, wouldn't you notice billowing white smoke out the back? Especialy if it's going down that fast in one day. You resevoir should be half full, if you fill your resevior too much, when it heats up, it will just drain out onto the ground. Maybe take a good look at your rad to see if there are any holes in it (ie: from rocks, or rust)

[craigcd]

Originally posted by Woodsments
My car overheated a few days ago and it turns out I had barely any coolant. I filled up the reserve tank and everything seemed alright. I took it in and was told they couldn't find a leak, and they filled up my coolant.

This was yesterday.

Today I checked the level in the reserve tank and it's only about halfway full. Is this normal? It's pretty cold here.

When your car over heats it can damage the thermostat.... should replace it so it doesnt happen again.

[pressure_ratio]

the first thind I'd do is grab a flashlight and look for any coolant leaks from hoses,it's not uncommon for hoses to leak in the cold.I'm guessing a leak that bad would be pretty obvious.If you do have a blown head gasket you'd notice the smell of coolant out you're exhaust and a lot of white smoke out the tailpipe.A simple way to check for a blown head gasket is fill the coolant and warm the car up with the rad cap off,look for a constant stream of bubbles coming up through the rad.Don't jump to the conclusion that you have a blown head gasket right away,look for the simple stuff.It may be that it was weeks before you're car lost it's coolant and you only found out now.