Coolant Loss/Overheating

[lusterblade]

95 Camry XLE 2.2L I4 195,000 miles
I drove the car to a friends house, about 11 miles, and by the time I got there, there was white steam coming from under the hood. We checked it out and saw that the the coolant resevoir was empty. Car overheated and we turned the car off. We put coolant in and when we tried to start, it would not start since it was overheated. We let it cool down and it started. When going home, car overheated and stalled and wouldnt start until it was cool, and the coolant resevoir was empty.

Today when we were trying to find the leak, We filled the resevoir and drove around the block a few times and got the car to normal temperature and it stayed there. Got back to my house and coolant level was the same. Left the car on for about 10 minutes in my driveway and coolant level did not change. There was a small pool of coolant below the radiator on the drivers side. Also there would be steam coming from around the radiator area smelling like coolant. The steam wasn't coming from the top of the radiator like most with cracked radiators experienced. Car stayed at normal temperature.

Then we turned the car off and the the coolant in the resevoir started to bubble vigorously and we could hear slushing in the upper radiator hose and after it calmed down the coolant was pretty much at the same level. About 3-4 minutes later when we were looking around for leaks, we saw the coolant level go from the full line to empty, totally empty within a minute. yet everywhere we looked we could not find any leaks except for that small pool of coolant(not nearly as much as we put in) below the radiator.
Any ideas of whats happening or where the coolant is going or is it that my radiator is toast and need a new one.
Sorry for the long write up and Thanks.

[ycartf]

1 - NEVER try to open the cap on a hot radiator / cooling system.

2 - NEVER add coolant or water that is room temp (cool) to an engine/radiator/cooling system that is overheated. This usually causes warpage of the head (which is lightweight aluminum) from it cooling too fast (and usually needing a head resurfacing and gasket job after that). If the engine is overheated, it is actually less traumatic (but takes longer I know) to just let it cool by itself by sitting (turned off) for a couple of hours or so. It is possible to add just a small bit of cool water or coolant if you are not very low, but the least traumatic way of doing this is with the engine running and circulating this in order to introduce it slowly and not dramatically drop the temperature of the system. IN ORDER TO DO THIS though the radiator cap must be off and this usually refers you back to number one.

3 - It sounds like there may be a problem with your radiator / cooling system. From what you said about the small pool and the smell of steaming coolant it sounds like there is a leak. There can be a tiny pinhole leak from one of the aluminum radiator tubes (that run between the fins) and sometimes it can be impossible to see (especially while the radiator is in the vehicle). Maybe your water pump is not pumping?

You also may have a thermostat that needs replacing - one that sticks shut will make you have a dramatic rise in engine temperature and then a sudden lowering when it finally opens (if it does). You may have a radiator cap that needs replacing too. You can get your system pressure tested where they will plug the radiator cap with their fitting and pressure test your system. This should reveal any leaks.

If you absolutely cannot find a leak, the cheapest and easiest thing to try is to replace the radiator cap and/or the thermostat. If this keeps up though you MUST find where you are losing coolant. Check your oil - if it looks milky white at all you have already warped your head and coolant is getting into your oil.

BTW - The best place to get a new radiator if you need one is 1-800-RADIATOR. I bought from them a year ago and again last week and I can recommend them and their products. Both times I paid less ($114 and $118) than what the lowest local price was (about $160 at AutoZone both times) and it has a lifetime guarantee. I hope this helps you.

I SALUTE ALL THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR OUR FREEDOM!!

Tracy

[toyomoho]

Is the water pump or heater core leaking? Leaking hoses? Suggest you flush out the system and change the T-stat. The radiator my also be plugged.

[Mike Gerber]

To add to what Ycartf said, stop overheating this car. Cars of today do not take well to overheating like the cars of 30 years ago. There is a lot of aluminum in todays engines. Most of the cylinder heads today are completely aluminum. Aluminum does not take well to extreme temperatures. Aluminum melts at a much lower temperature than cast iron. Overheat it a few times and you will destroy the head gasket. Do it a few more times and you will warp the cylinder head. If you are real unlucky, you will crack the engine block. These things will make the cost of replacing a thermostat, or a cracked radiator seem like vey cheap things. Some damage may have already occurred. There is no way to tell from here.

Get the car towed to a shop that can pressure test the cooling system to properly find the cause of the overheating and correct it.

Mike