Adding coolant to my car?
I had my car in the garage today for an oil change when the mechanic said that the car was low on coolant. He said that it was so low that he couldn't even test it. I haven't had any problems with overheating yet but I bought a jug of 50/50 coolant to add myself. It was a bottle of Prestone antifreeze and it said on the bottle that you can add it to any make or model and mix it with any type of coolant. I went out this evening to add the coolant to the reservoir. It was very dark and I couldn't see the level of fluid in the reservoir but I figured I would add a little bit for now and add the rest tomorrow morning. I was expecting it to need the entire jug to fill the reservoir, much like windshield washer fluid. I added about 300mL and the reservoir overflowed. Is this all that it should hold? It's a 2005 Toyota Echo and the engine was cold at the time. Anyone think there's someting else wrong?
Where to add coolant in car?
Well first off, just because the overflow tank is low, does not mean that you NEED to add coolant. Remember, it's an 'overflow' tank. Second, a 50/50 mix from an auto store should be ok. If it wasn't, none of those companies would still be in business. Store items such as Peak 50/50 is popular in some car circles. You don't have to go buy 100% from the dealer and dilute it yourself, you can, but you don't have too. Wait for your engine to be cold and check your radiator. If it is low, add accordingly. You shouldn't judge your coolant level by your overflow tank as this level can fluctuate. Also, just because it was low does NOT mean you have a leak somewhere. Don't get me wrong, you could have a leak, but it doesn't mean that you do. The level in my coolant overflow tank can range a bit from time to time. I recently had a full check up (among other things) from the best Subaru mechanic on this side of my state, and no leaks anywhere. If you are worried, take your care to a local shop specializing in your make and have them just do a full coolant flush and fill. It's inexpensive, easy, and quick.
How do you add coolant to your car?
Where in the question does anyone see anything about freon? First you have to know which coolant your vehicle takes. there are two different kinds and you should not mix them. Once you have that down, in most there is an overflow or expansion tank that has a "hot" and "cold" mark. If that tank is below the appropriate line, or empty, that would be the place to add coolant. Your mechanic can show you where that is if you ask, or perhaps even the kid behind the counter at the parts store when you buy your 50-50 mix to add.
Can I add more coolant to my car when it is low?
Can I add more coolant to my car when it is low?Yes, you should add coolant when your coolant level is low.I use premised 50/50 coolant so I don’t have to worry about mixing it or getting distilled water. Just pour it in and go. Here is one brand, says 50/50 on the label:It is best to add coolant when the engine is cold and the engine is off. Reduces the chances of getting hot coolant on you and other injuries.Open the cap on the container that says coolant in the cap - it’s in the engine compartment and is usually white translucent plastic and looks something like this:It should have markings on the side that say cold and hot. If the engine is cold, the coolant level should be at the cold level. If the engine is hot, the coolant level should be at the hot marking.Pour enough in to get the level in the overflow container to the proper level and put the cap back on.Don’t leave coolant lying around and wipe up spills immediately. Animals will drink it - they seem to think it tastes good. Even a small amount can kill them.You shouldn’t have to to off coolant all that often. If you have to put some in every week or every day, then you have something wrong with your coolant system. You should take the vehicle to a mechanic to look for your leak.
Can I add more coolant to my car if it's leaking?
It depends on what damage there actually is, but the cooling system is the most if not one of the most important systems in the car, seconded only to the oil system.Temperatures rising quickly and not going back down can be a sign of a blocked thermostat; which will not allow coolant to flow. This can be checked by almost every auto shop; it’s hardly the most difficult thing in an engine.If you are leaking coolant, you need to find out where from and that will tell you where to go from there. If you can clearly see the radiator leaking, that’s about as far as the damage is. If you see it leaking from the belt side of your engine, a leaking water pump may be the culprit. Leaking from the sides can be a cracked block; or in some engines a knock sensor. Make sure you also check the Heater tap/valve; these can break easily.If you cannot see coolant leaking or it isn’t leaving patches on the ground then the only real answer is a blown head gasket, which can be signified by large amounts of water/coolant coming from the exhaust and a loss of power.So no, your car is not able to drive for an extended period such as 2 hours; I would even recommend having it towed to the workshop to avoid any further damage.
How do I add coolant to a motorcycle?
All fluid levels should be check while the bike is straight up as if you were riding it. Some fluids need to be checked hot and others cool, look in your owners manual for which ones need to be checked how. If your coolant reserve bottle is empty, I would check to make sure the radiator is topped off when you add coolant to the reserve bottle, since the coolant is pulled from the reserve bottle using a vacuum, it will take a higher vacuum to pull water into an empty radiator then a full one, water is thicker then air and thus has a greater expansion and contraction range then air. Also if the radiator is bone dry, there could be engine damage. With the engine cool, check and fill the radiator, then fill the reserve bottle to the cold line, run the bike until warmed up and check the fluid level again.
Can you add coolant to the car when its hot?
Its ushually better to wait but believe me many a person has put coolant in a hot car. I would make sure your carefull if you take that cap off when its hot so you dont have boiling hot coolant sprayed all over yourself. The water/AF in your radiator is hot and under preasure.
What is the safest way to add coolant to your car?
IN most cars there is acoolant overflow tank, a translucent plastic tank connected to the neck of the radiator by a hose.In NO CASE ever, open the radiator cap of an engine that has been driven recently, because the engine will be hot and the radiator under pressure and you can be severly burned when removing the cap!If your system is working properly and has no leaks then any extra coolant will be ejected to the coolant overflow tank. If the radiator is low the it will suck some coolant back from th tank.If you need to add coolant then add it to the overflow tank and it will be taken in by the radiator. There is a full and add level lines on the side to see. Keep it between there.BTW, the radiator is a closed system, you should only have to add coolant if there is a leak! Have it checked if you are consistently low.
My car is running low on coolant, would just adding the right coolant without flushing it hurt my car?
No…adding coolant is what you need to do.If you are loosing coolant externally either from the waterpump, radiator, feed (lower) or return (upper) hoses, overflow reservoir, heater hoses or thermostat the leak will be visible.If there are no visible leaks and the coolant level is low then you may have a leaking cylinder head gasket and the coolant is essentially burning off as it leaks into the engine.Remember… The overflow bottles purpose is for hot coolant to have a place to go when it expands and when the engine is hot is not where you check your coolant level.
Can I add cold coolant to a hot engine?
I drove car uphill. Before that when car was cold and on a level ground I checked coolant level by opening reservoir cap. When I put cap back I didn't put it well so while I was climbing the hill some amount of coolant got out of reservoir. After that while I was driving downhill, at some point warning light started to flash (empty reservoir). I stopped, turned the engine off and added some one liter of diluted coolant. Now I ask, have I done something that could crack the engine's head or something alike, some serious damage to the engine. In addition, operating temperature for my car is about 98C (middle of the temperature gauge scale). What is possibility that I made serious damage to the engine that will in time result in cracking head?