Coolant Loss on 2003 Camry with the 2az-fe engine. Car has "only" 49,000 miles on it.

[JOET/CAMRY]

Hello,

I have been the second owner of a 2003 Camry for about 4 months now and have put approx. 5,000 easy miles on it. It currently has "only 49,000 miles" on the odometer. My Dad bought this car brand new and had always babied the car and had it serviced at the Toyota dealership.

I noticed that the coolant in the overflow tank was low when I first put the car on the road back in September and has been slowly disappearing since. The coolant level in the tank has gone down about 2 inches. Could I already be a victim of the stripped headbolt deal or does the Toyota Red coolant (that the car has in it) have a tendency to slowly evaporate.

Any help or advice is appreciated. Thanks.

[Donald E. George]

The glycol component is very stable but the water component [50/50 ?] does evaporate over time. Fill the overflow tank to the top level and watch it. If you have coolant in the overflow tank above the low level mark,the engine coolant level should be up the cap. Some members have stated that the I4 water pumps are notorius for bad seals. The weep hole on the waterpump may show signs of a leak. Coolant leaking into the engine should show up in the oil or you might see excessive white smoke out of the exhaust

[leakyseals]

If its the headbolts failure will be sudden and catastrophic at some point. Before you go there first you need to verify there is coolant loss. The headbolts in question are not visible, they are under the intake. Your looking for a coolant leak between the intake and the engine. a small mirror is the only way short of removing the intake

When was the last time the coolant was drained/changed? (don't mean topped off). I found draining a gallon of the fluid made a difference with expansion and contraction why, I don't know. Fresh fluid seems not to fluctuate as much

The fluid level will fluctuate in the overflow depending if the car is warm (will be higher) or cold (will be lower). Are you checking at the same time? (hot engine, cold engine)

How does the oil look? any residue on the oil stick or filler? your looking for foam or milky substance.

[leakyseals]

Originally Posted by Donald E. George

The glycol component is very stable but the water component [50/50 ?] does evaporate over time. Fill the overflow tank to the top level and watch it. If you have coolant in the overflow tank above the low level mark,the engine coolant level should be up the cap. Some members have stated that the I4 water pumps are notorius for bad seals. The weep hole on the waterpump may show signs of a leak. Coolant leaking into the engine should show up in the oil or you might see excessive white smoke out of the exhaust

I think evaporation happens more frequently on these years because the expansion tank has a large air cavity to expose hot coolant to air. And this is not a pressurized overflow. I traced the occasional smell of coolant when the cars hot to the overflow tank cap breather which means the system does vent as the coolant rises and falls Thanks for the tip, need to check the weep hole.

[Donald E. George]

I occasionly smell coolant in the passenger compartment and have also concluded that the smell is coming from the overflow tank and being sucked in the HVAC system.

[sundarpn]

how easy is it to take off the plastic intake manifold on the 2AZFE?

I am read that'll help check the backing foam for any coolant loss.

[JOET/CAMRY]

Originally Posted by Donald E. George

The glycol component is very stable but the water component [50/50 ?] does evaporate over time. Fill the overflow tank to the top level and watch it. If you have coolant in the overflow tank above the low level mark,the engine coolant level should be up the cap. Some members have stated that the I4 water pumps are notorius for bad seals. The weep hole on the waterpump may show signs of a leak. Coolant leaking into the engine should show up in the oil or you might see excessive white smoke out of the exhaust

Thank You Donald for the reply. I'm not sure what the mixture of water/coolant is now but the car was serviced at the Toyota dealership so I would assume it is a 50/50 mixture. I will buy one of those prestone coolant testers and test the coolant then will know if I should add water or red coolant. I will check the weep hole on the water pump for signs of leakage. The oil looks normal and no excessive white smoke comes out the exhaust pipe.

[JOET/CAMRY]

If its the headbolts failure will be sudden and catastrophic at some point. Before you go there first you need to verify there is coolant loss. The headbolts in question are not visible, they are under the intake. Your looking for a coolant leak between the intake and the engine. a small mirror is the only way short of removing the intake

I have read on this fourm about the foam thats under the intake soaking up coolant like a sponge. I will check out the area with a mirror and see what I find.

When was the last time the coolant was drained/changed? (don't mean topped off). I found draining a gallon of the fluid made a difference with expansion and contraction why, I don't know. Fresh fluid seems not to fluctuate as much

As far as I can tell It is the original coolant. I have all the service receipts and none of them mention a coolant replace/flush. The thermostat was replaced at around 30,000 miles though.

The fluid level will fluctuate in the overflow depending if the car is warm (will be higher) or cold (will be lower). Are you checking at the same time? (hot engine, cold engine)

Yes, I realize the coolant level fluctuates depending on engine temp. I have been checking the coolant level first thing in the morning along with the oil level.

How does the oil look? any residue on the oil stick or filler? your looking for foam or milky substance

The oil looks completely normal. No foam or milky substance on the oil fill cap or dipstick. Thank You for the help.

[leakyseals]

I'm NOT a Toyota loyalist unnecessarily! BUT! Toyota fluid is the best, just try it for 50k! Why would you ever go with GREEN? If the car doesnt give trouble, why change?

[JOET/CAMRY]

Originally Posted by leakyseals

I'm NOT a Toyota loyalist unnecessarily! BUT! Toyota fluid is the best, just try it for 50k! Why would you ever go with GREEN? If the car doesnt give trouble, why change?

I'm definitely not using the Prestone green coolant. I only mentioned using one of those "prestone" coolant testers. If the coolant had enough freeze protection I was going to top off my coolant overflow tank with distilled water. I believe the coolant tester would work with all color coolants. If I need to top off with coolant not sure if I would buy the Toyota red coolant from the dealership or the Zerex Asian Coolant from Napa. From what I read on the internet they are both the same.

[johnfrisco]

Originally Posted by JOET/CAMRY

Hello,

I have been the second owner of a 2003 Camry for about 4 months now and have put approx. 5,000 easy miles on it. It currently has "only 49,000 miles" on the odometer. My Dad bought this car brand new and had always babied the car and had it serviced at the Toyota dealership.

I noticed that the coolant in the overflow tank was low when I first put the car on the road back in September and has been slowly disappearing since. The coolant level in the tank has gone down about 2 inches. Could I already be a victim of the stripped headbolt deal or does the Toyota Red coolant (that the car has in it) have a tendency to slowly evaporate.

Any help or advice is appreciated. Thanks.

I just replaced my water pump on my 2006 Camry (same engine as yours) because it was slowing weeping coolant. Has 47K miles on it. Look for signs of white corrosion around the pump. Get a mirror with a long handle and a flash light. Gen 5 Cams are notorious for this. Let us know what you find. Good luck!

[JOET/CAMRY]

Originally Posted by johnfrisco

I just replaced my water pump on my 2006 Camry (same engine as yours) because it was slowing weeping coolant. Has 47K miles on it. Look for signs of white corrosion around the pump. Get a mirror with a long handle and a flash light. Gen 5 Cams are notorious for this. Let us know what you find. Good luck!

I checked the water pump with a small mirror with a telescoping handle and a flashlight and the bottom of the water pump was clean. No signs of leakage at all. It wasn't easy checking the water pump as their is very little room where it is located. I added a 50/50 mixture of the Toyota red coolant and distilled water to the overflow. Will keep an eye on the coolant level.

[JOET/CAMRY]

Originally Posted by JOET/CAMRY

If I need to top off with coolant not sure if I would buy the Toyota red coolant from the dealership or the Zerex Asian Coolant from Napa. From what I read on the internet they are both the same.

I went down to the local carquest and bought the Toyota red coolant. It was $26.29 and with Massachusetts tax of 6.25% a totol cost of $27.93. I was able to make 2 gallons of a 50/50 mixture (of coolant and distilled water) so my cost per gallon mixed was $13.97. Below is 2 pictures of the container.




The Toyota Red Coolant ingredients.

[leakyseals]

Wow no kidding, Toyota Red at Car Quest. Thanks JOET! I need to check my dealer receipt see what I paid. I think there's a CQuest next town over thanks!

[leakyseals]

PS JOET I would do the second gallon in a while, say next oil change, 6 months, etc. Let the 1st drain and fill mix, clean a little. Been doing it that way, seems to stay cleaner longer IMO.