1996 Camry radiator coolant disappearing?

[RAV4EVR]

Hi my 1996 I4 DX Camry has 150k on it... The cooling system is acting weird.. May be it is just me...

The fan turns ON to cool the engine because I hear it all the time.

The needle is way below MIDDLE when not so hot.. when very hot.. it is a little below MIDDLE.

There is coolant is in the main radiator. When I put my finger in it, it gets wet. There is that coolant filling compartment (white plastic) on the side that is concerning me. I fill it to where it says MAX and after driving a few weeks I feel it coming down. I don't see leaks anywhere.

May be it is normal.

The radiator coolant compartment was completely empty one day but the radiator had fluid in it. the engine was very hot when I tried to check my oil dipstick. Smoke came out from the hole when I took dipstick out. OR may be a drop of oil spilled on exhaust manifold but I didn't see the drop or smoke coming from top of engine.. Seemed like it was coming from inside the dipstick hole then I saw the empty coolant compartment and almost died. When car cooled, I checked radiator and it had fluid in it.

I am always hanging around my car and for some reason I failed to see the engine coolant compartment empty but now I keep an eye on it. i have to fill about 8oz coolant in it every 30 days or so according to my one time experience...

Am I freaking out for no reason?

Also in the morning start ups there is black smoke in my exhaust. I hope there is no coolant mixing going on in my oil.

My oil level, however, stays almost the same after 3k mile of driving but it does tend to get BLACK faster than my other car but that is no concern...

[BadChicken]

i would take a sample of the oil next time you change it and check and see if it seperates like there is water in it, but i would also check over the car just to make sure you don't have a water pump seeping or something

[RAV4EVR]

I find no evidence of water in oil. It is all homogenious oil.
I see oil leak drops on my garage floor but nothing other than that.

[Mike Gerber]

Normally, the cooling system does not need to be topped off very often. You may have a small leak somewhere in the system. I would take it to a professional tech who can put a pressure testing device on the radiator in place of the radiator cap, pump up the pressure a bit and check for coolant leaking out of the system somewhere. This test should cost very little to have done; maybe a half hour of labor. When the leak is found you can determine what to fix.

Mike

[jhbhatia]

you could need a new head?
or you may have micro factures in your radiator?

Those are the only two outcomes i can think off...as far as your fan's staying on on, it could be your relay switch is out (some call it radiator harness as well) or your thermostat is stuck in open position

[smkdwnn]

You may have a different problem but when my driver side ac fan wasn't working properly (i had to replace the fan relay) coolant would always drip out of the coolant overflow due to overheating, it wasn't enough to make the gauge go past the middle though. I would check that both of your fans are not just working but that they are turning on at the proper speeds and at the proper temperatures. I ran my AC this past weekend in 90 degree weather without any coolant loss due to overheating.

[RAV4EVR]

My fans are not always ON but sometimes.

I guess I will have to take it in.... Thanx

[toyomoho]

Look for leaks in the coolant system. It does not need to be a large leak. The coolant overflow tank can leak as the plastic starts to degrade. If your radiator top and bottom are plastic, it can have hairline cracks or worse. Check all your coolant hoses and where they attach. Check the heater core and valve for leaking, look for a damp carpet. Possible slight water pump seal leak.

Coolant leaks are possible without the fluid showing up on the ground.

If you have water (steam) in the exhaust, it will be white. Sounds like the fuel mixture is to rich at startup.

It is normal for the fan to come on if you do stop and go driving.

Black oil is nornal for 150K, the oil is doing its job. If there was water in it, it would be brownish.

[Novice_cardude]

Could be micro fractures in the radiator, overflow tank as suggested. Could also be a bad hose clamp, look for red crusty stuff around both ends of the hoses. I don't really know how to test if it's a leaky water pump... those are trick when they're behind the timing belt cover.

Anyway, keep it in the resivoir, but by what you're saying i'd guess there's a small crack/leak in the resivior, just look for red crusty stuff on the bottom, and whitish-red streaks on the side, etc. etc. etc.