Low Coolant level @ 20k? Help..
 

Hey Guys i tried to search for this issue but could not find what i was looking for. Short story is that i installed a CAI yesterday and i now that the sound tube and airbox was removed the engine bay is more cleaner and easier to see. I noticed that my coolant level is very low (I'm not sure how it was prior the install) .

From what i research the coolant level is low when engine is cold, but after the engine warms up the coolant level on the coolant container should go up.

I drove the car for about 30 mins, basically drove the car hard to really warm it up, but the coolant level is still very low, should i be concern? Maybe i should take it to the dealer?

Please advise. Thanks

http://i67.tinypic.com/15nq454.jpg

http://i65.tinypic.com/2iuc9ie.jpg

This is real common. Just put some coolant in there and make sure it's still there in a few days :thumbsup:

This was happening to me. I ended up bleeding the system and it been fine ever since.

i think its kind of weird that need to add coolant, only has 20k...

How much of coolant did you add?

I agree, just speaking from experience here. I've worked on ~40 of these cars with under 20k and many more over, a good majority being low on coolant. Even my own was low at under 10k.

Make sure you buy Subaru super coolant. Add an undiluted amount to bring it up a bit, until it reaches the high mark after being fully warmed. Don't dilute or mix other types of coolant. If not contaminated this stuff lasts up to 100000 miles.
The issue of low coolant is super common, might be badly burped after factory fill or possibly evaporation as there is a small hole in the coolant reservoir.
Dealer will add labor plus parts cost, waste of time and money.

If you keep the car long enough you might need to eventually add more. The jug isn't cheap, but will last many years.

Why not top it up and see how it goes? Give it another check before another 20k just to be on the safe side

Yep, a certain amount of water in the coolant mixture may evaporate over time. Always has been that way ...... most likely always will be that way.

I'd suggest you just add some distilled water to bring up the level.

No need to add the blue stuff (in NJ) ....... unless it gets further diluted.

After filling, check it after a few days, to see if the level stabilizes.

If it doesn't check for a leak.


humfrz

Thanks for all the responses guys, but I'm getting mixed answers/solutions (just like before i started this thread)

Is there a correct way to fix this?

1)Fill up coolant with OEM subaru coolant fluid

or

2) Use water and fill it up.

Thanks

Buy some Subaru blue coolant and top off as needed (when cold should be at half way mark, when warmed up FULLY should be full) hope this helps. Same thing with your oil it's gonna look really low when cold but warm up the car fully then shut off wait 5min then check levels they should rise/expand to normal levels if not you're low or something is wrong.

I top off a TINY bit every 2weeks or so when I see the level drop a bit. No issues here.

no need to spend $20+ on the OEM fluid when you can buy distilled water for like $2 and you won't even use the whole bottle. and if you don't fill it up with coolant, ONLY use distilled water. though, if you are going to bleed the whole system then that's when you buy the OEM coolant. no need to buy it just to fill in like 1 pint

there really isn't a "fix" for this since this isn't a real problem. just top it off and you're good to go. there's no need to over think it unless you are actually leaking coolant and have air in the system, which at that point you will notice your car over heating at the very least.

Thanks but i feel like if you need to add coolant every two weeks, then something most be really wrong.

I'm not really losing coolant it's just dissipating in the reservoir, boxer engines like to go through coolant it's just a normal thing, don't expect to go to the dealer and tell them to fix the problem that isn't there. When I say a tiny bit I'm talking millimeters in my reservoir after the car has been driven hard or fully warmed up from a long drive, if you don't see higher temps or drive very conservatively and are losing coolant then yes something is wrong. Just trying to save you the headache is all, all I'm really saying is you should be checking your fluids more often than you think, this car isn't a corolla or civic or anything and I promise you will find posts like this in all Subaru forums :).

Also to put it in perspective I've owned the car for 2 years and am on the same jug of coolant I bought the first time barely a dent so I doubt anything is wrong with my car but something MIGHT be with yours might want to look into it.

Interesting thanks, now that i think back, i remeber that my subaru svx used to consume a lot of coolant as well, like you said, might be a boxer thing. ill buy some coolant from subaru sometime this week. so based on the pictures should i fill it up all the way to full? Even after car is warm the coolant fluid is still low.

If the car is fully cold like sat over night than fill to about the halfway mark on the resivior right in between low and full, just drive it around for about 20min or so give or take however long it takes for the fans to cycle on at least a few times then go back turn off the car and you should be able to immediately open the hood while it's warm and see if the resivior level is at full if it is than you my friend are done! Just make sure you were fully warmed up if you have an OBD2 reader to track temps that helps, you just want your coolant to be around 189 or so, than you know it was warmed up.

@Jfheisenberg ........ I'm ah feared you are overthinking your situation.

Points to ponder:

Assuming no leaks in the cooling system, most of the loss of the coolant mixture is due to evaporation/dissipation of the water part of the mixture. A simple check of the vapor pressure of ethylene glycol compared to the VP of water will show that.

The blue coolant stuff is roughly 50% water.

Therefore, most of the mixture that is disappearing (not leaking) , is water.

The system holds about 7.5 ish quarts.

I might take a pint of liquid to top it off.

So, if the system is a little low, why not top it off with distilled water.

The manual says to fill the reservoir up to the full mark when the engine is cold.



Now, relax ........ :popcorn:


humfrz

Here's what's wrong:

The coolant reservoir tank sits directly above the headers.

Put a 200F source of heat next to a cup of water, and see how long that water lasts...

Don't overthink this. It evaporates, sometimes faster if you sit in traffic or otherwise heatsoak the engine bay.

As for what to put in there, any distilled water is fine. You can even mix in Subaru coolant or fill entirely with Subaru 50/50 coolant if that makes you sleep easier at night.

-alex

I want to sleep better at night, so im buying some blue subaru coolant =D

Time for my normal statement on this subject!
That tank is a coolant expansion reservoir and is not directly related to the cooling system of the car. It's only purpose in the system is to deal with excess coolant when it expands in the rest of the system. When hot it will force coolant into the tank and when cool it will suck it back into the system. Back in the day the overflow was blown out a tube onto the road but the tree huggers tend to frown on this now.
Because that tank is low does not mean your system is low. As long as there is a drop left in the bottom that means the system it's self is full. In reality it is possible that the system has never needed to add or take back a drop of what was in that tank and it has simply evaporated without even going into the rad.
As said several times there is no need to put actual coolant on there. The components of the coolant do not evaporate but just the water does. Just fill it with distilled water and it will keep your coolant at the right mix. If you keep pouring coolant in and evaporating the water off then it will eventually thicken up (very eventually but it will).
If it makes you feel better then you can alternate fill ups between pure water and coolant but there is no real need to.

Well, now, Jfheisenberg ....... you are one stubborn puppy ...... ;)

Back in the day, you would have been correct, in adding more "antifreeze".

Why? Because back then, we had to use alcohol added to the water in cooling systems to keep them from freezing.

Why did we add more alcohol instead of water .. ?? Because the alcohol boiled/evaporated off before the water.

Get it ... ??


Your call ...... :)


humfrz

Above statements are correct-a-mundo! Use your best judgement, if you want to have the coolant on hand just buy some, if not add water as you see fit.

I believe for the metallurgy of our engines you need to use deionized (demineralized) water.

Distilled water is deionized water.


Guys, it's simple. Leaky radiator cap.


I drive the piss out of mine all the time. I use zero water. Zero.

Well, now, @stevesnj, you are partially correct in that deionized or demineralized water can be used in our car's cooling systems.

However, it's my understanding that since distilled water does not contain any inorganic compounds, it too may be used in the cooling system.

Yes, distilled water may contain some organic compounds, if they have a similar boiling point to that of water. However, the deionization process typically does not remove any organics.

Like ol @Ultramaroon was eluding to ....... I don't think the cooling system in the FA20 engine gives a rip whether the water has been distilled or demineralized or deionized ..........;)



humfrz

Deionized water is a purer version of distilled water with lower Ph levels and less minerals than distilled water. But i know I saw somewhere where Subaru says to use Deionized water in their blue 50/50 coolant.

And yes a bad cap would allow the water in the coolant to vaporize but there would also bee higher coolant temps because of a pressure reduction.

It's my understanding that distilled water, cannot contain any amount of inorganic minerals. Why? Because the minerals that contaminate water have a higher boiling point that water.

Pick it up @Ultramaroon ...... :D


humfrz

High pressure maintained by a properly sealed system allows the coolant to reach higher temperature without simmering/boiling in the hot spots. The temperature variation is not a function of pressure.

What does change when the cap has a pinhole leak is the temperature at which the coolant begins to simmer. Those little bubbles travel to the high points in the system, one of which is the leaky radiator cap so "bloop bloop," while you're driving the bubbles invisibly escape right through the coolant reservoir. Then, when the engine cools down, the remaining internal bubbles, which are pure water vapor, condense and the entire space is taken up by liquid from the reservoir.

The boiling rate is a function of the heat input and the flow rate of the leak.

Wow, first let me backpedal. After doing some actual reading, @stevesnj, I concede that DI and distilled water are not the same thing. That being said, I don't really care about the electrically neutral compounds that went along for the ride in the distillation process. ...yet. o.0

This has piqued my interest. I do wonder why Subaru specified DI water.

Most likely because it's a cheaper process (as compared to distillation) to purify water ...... :iono:


humfrz

I noticed the same thing at ~18K miles. I just got some Subaru blue and filled it to the top line. Have been fine since. (now at 18K). Suspect maybe evaporation or not fully bleed at the factory and there was some air I the system

Hello all, just posting here as I didn't want to create a new thread. I noticed my coolant reservoir was just below "Low" after sitting overnight so I started doing research and reading up on multiple threads on this. Since this is "overflow", it should be alright; after some driving, the level goes up halfway between "high" and "low".


However, I noticed that the coolant hose has what looks to be signs of dried coolant. However, I don't see similar marks anywhere else inside the engine bay and it is relatively clean. So was the coolant slightly boiling over time to leave those residues? I do occasionally drive spiritedly, canyon runs and all. Finding out the cause aside, what would solve this "issue"? Would a high pressure radiator cap help?


Feedback appreciated. Thank you.

I recently started experiencing coolant issues, but my car is 150k miles in. Some shop stated they saw "collapsed" coolant hoses. Although there has been a lot of Stop-Go traffic in my route (can't wait for Winter vacation), I'm not experiencing any coolant boiling over marks. Seems cheap, so I will start by checking/replacing for a leaky radiator cap to ensure it is not the cause of the problem.

I know this is not my topic, but might still be a good place to add my findings for people having issues OVER @20k miles.

It's as good a place as any. Collapsed hose is interesting. If you're not losing coolant, and a hose is really collapsing, I would guess that something is keeping the fluid from returning to the system as it cools. A clogged reservoir hose? Stuck return valve or whatever it's called? I'm talking about the little one in the middle of the cap. It should open really easily, and is usually the one that leaks in the first place.

I have yet to notice the collapse hose (mechanic didn't specify which one) but did observed the top coolant hose as not being completely full. On the other hand, the return valve spring seemed OK. Although I haven't inspected all hoses thoroughly, I did inspect coolant level (same as last night after refilling it until it cooled with cap open) and the original radiator cap, where I found one of the top (wider/bigger) seals was ripped in a few spots (refer to attached pics).

Ordered the radiator cap but bought a TVS unit/Autozone: new one doesn't go as deep as the original one into radiator. Nevertheless, I put it in.

PS Parts shop mentioned that our cars have two (2) thermostats or flow control valves, but I can only locate one. Apparently auto trans cars have two (2) thermostats.
https://www.oemgenuineparts.com/v-20...and-components

Look at that! I've never heard of such a thing. Now I wonder how a failure would present itself.

https://gt86stuff.onrender.com/t3Por...00RTE03TX.html


Opens at such a low temperature!

https://gt86stuff.onrender.com/t3Por...0335X02CX.html

1. INSPECT THERMOSTAT

(a) Immerse the thermostat in water and then gradually heat the water.

HINT:

Hold the thermostat with a wire or the like, so that the thermostat does not come into contact with the bottom of the container.

(b) Check the valve opening temperature of the thermostat.

Valve opening temperature:

48 to 52°C (118 to 126°F)

HINT:

If the valve opening temperature is not as specified, replace the thermostat.


(c) Check the valve lift.

Text in Illustration
*a

Valve Lift

Valve lift:

6.0 mm (0.236 in.) or more at 63°C (145°F)

HINT:

If the valve lift is not as specified, replace the thermostat.


(d) Check that the valve is fully closed when the water inlet with thermostat is at low temperatures (below 45°C (113°F)).

HINT:

If it is not fully closed, replace the thermostat.