losing coolant

[robob2]

I have a 2007 Camry V6 LE. The car was purchased new. It has 36, 000 miles on it. Over the years I have noticed a faint smell of radiator fluid in very hot weather especially under something like a bank drive through. The fluid level never went down though and I never took it in as the occurrence of the odor was very sporadic.

When changing the oil a few weeks back I noticed the coolant reservoir was empty and the radiator looked a little low.

I took it to the dealer and they did a long (said hours) pressure test without losing any pressure. They are going to leave the pressure test run throughout the night. Not sure if that will help.

Anyway, what type of problem could cause coolant loss, but allow the pressure test to pass? Is there any test I should request to identify the source of the loss?
Over the years it has not lost a lot of coolant, but I feel it should not loss any, ever, unless there is some type of leak. Should I just live with it or push for a solution.

It is still covered under the 5/50 warranty and I do have the extended warranty.

Thanks!

[gdanaher]

Then the ext3nded warranty will cover it. Lots of things that could leak when it is hot and not cold. If you could smell coolant, the heater core would be suspect, and it doesn't have to leak much for you to smell it. I had an 85 VW Jetta whose heater core was recalled long after warranty expired. Sure enough, it was leaking, but rarely did I add coolant. You could have a leak on the pump shaft. Leak around hose connections. If they can't find a problem, I'd fill the radiator and tank when it is cold and then watch it daily or weekly. You are going to lose some coolant to summer evaporation so everyone should watch it this time of year. If you are losing excessively, then yes, it is going somewhere.

[willt]

last month my reservoir was almost empty and i just bought a refill its seems to be fine right now but i have some sprays under my hood anyone got this? is this a sign of water pump busted?

[BlackCamSe]

Originally Posted by willt

last month my reservoir was almost empty and i just bought a refill its seems to be fine right now but i have some sprays under my hood anyone got this? is this a sign of water pump busted?

water pump is leaking and the belt is slinging it all over the place. Bring it to toyota asap.

[willt]

so. it needs new water. pump? well if i. go to the. dealer. what should i tell them? water pump has leak?

[gdanaher]

Tell them to raise the hood and look. If it is throwing that much coolant around, the solution should be obvious. I see you have a V6 in an 07. To replace the water pump they will need to partially pull the engine to get to it. I hope you are within 60 months of purchase.

[AML]

Originally Posted by willt

so. it needs new water. pump? well if i. go to the. dealer. what should i tell them? water pump has leak?

When you bring it into the dealer, and have them look under the hood. Like the previous poster said, it should be obvious the water pump is leaking if the coolant is being thrown all over inside the engine bay like that. Had the exact same symptoms in my Hybrid.

It should be covered under the 5yr/60k mile powertrain warranty. Otherwise you're looking at a bill of over $1000 (about $1500 if I recall correctly).

[willt]

got it fixed no question ask they saw the spray and they knew it and i got a free car wash

[wlfng2005]

hey guys, i got a Camry 09 SE...with 48k miles currently. I dont think the previous owner(s) bought any extended warranty though. Am I going to be cover by warranty if the water pump leaks? I hope it never come to this result but I want to know what to do if it falls on me ...also, how do I know if it is leaking? (sorry for the n00b question)