my vs ute keeps loosing coolant in radiator

[wkdwrx]

hi all im shannon from qld townsville

just a quick question my 00vs ute auto 6cyl keeps going through water/coolant in the radiator the car never over heats never looses water on the ground or anything but every couple days have to put 1/2 litre of coolant in it .

i have not takn it anywhere yet to get lookd at i thought would post here first see if anyone else had this problem and what did to fix it

[C4L4IS]

had a similar problem with my VR Calais, is it auto or manual?
check your hoses and the clamps supporting them. mine ended up being a split hose where it was clamped

[wkdwrx]

its a auto i checked all the clamps and its got all new pipes on it im guessing its the radiator by the time i take it somewhere get it lookd at they charge like 80 bucks for just taking it there then whatever it cost to do so ill wait a ffew days on here see if anyone else replys if not i may just buy a new radiator seen a few on ebay for between 80 and 150

[James39]

After a good run you should check under the car within 20 mins or so to see if there are leaks.
If none are found then I would be looking at replacing the inlet manifold gasket.

Also you should check your trans fluid to make sure no water is getting in there.

[FstStig]

Have a look at the Welsh plugs on both sides of the block, there should be 2 or 3 welsh plugs each side. Could be a possible reason why you are loosing coolant, failing that as mentioned above could be time for new inlet manifold gaskets also check your heater tap and make sure its not leaking.

[MADDNE33]

Check your oil. If it's milky it may be your head or inlet manifold gaskets.

[Fenix_Longbow]

DO NOT buy those cheap radiators off ebay. They are made in China and will not stand up to our conditions for long. All 3 of these cheapies that were supplied to me by friends to put in a VR, a Mitsubishi Mirage and a mazda 121... All failed within 5 months.

Their fins are a lot finer and just one long distance trip at night and it will get blocked with insects and all sorts of stuff.

Spend that bit extra and buy a decent radiator. I know this is overused but:

You get what you pay for! Dont skimp, the consequences arent worth it

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Change you radiator cap and see what happens.

[monkeys437]

Im gonna guess intake manifold gaskets. I had about a litre of coolant disappear every couple of weeks which messed with my head because there were no external leaks anywhere

[m1lky]

I've also been told Australian tap water is very corrosive. Ensure you use antifreeze and at least distilled water

[9C1pack]

To test for leaks
Drive the car until it is at operating temp, then turn it off (as the fan has stopped, the coolant temp will rise and leaks may become visible).
Open the bonnet and just stand and watch for leaks, check around all the hose clamps, hoses and heater tap, check behind the water pump pulley (use a mirror) as this is where a worn water pump will leak from.
Look under the car for leaks, if the heater core is buggered it will leak green coolant out of the A/C condensate drain (near where the passengers right foot would be), the welch plugs will leak and drip onto the road as well.
The radiator side tanks in these cars are made of plastic and are prone to cracking (usually the drivers side).
Check the engine oil for coolant contamination, it would look milky, same with the trans fluid.
Alteratively, a leak test by a radiator shop should be cheap or almost free, as they only remove the radiator cap and twist on a leak tester in its place (hand pump with a pressure gauge) then pump it up to the pressure indicated on the radiator cap, and then watch for leaks. If none are visible they would leave it for a few hours and observe the gauge, if it drops in pressure with no external leaks, you would suspect an internal leak, such as a leaking manifold or head.
As m1lky recomended, use distilled water. Its way cheaper than spending 8-10 hours fitting a new heater core

[Wombles]

Buy new cap to start with.
Check the oil for milkynes, check the radiator as well. Sign the inlet manifold gaskets need changing (if in radiator).
Tell us how that goes.

Radiator doesnt usually leak internally.

[Jxw]

/agree with intake gasket if you can't see any external leaks or any obvious signs of water in the oil, under pressure from one side and vacuum the other it'll be most likely going straight into an intake port and straight out the exhaust. most auto/radiator places will at least pressure test your cooling system for free, take advantage, easier to see if there's a leak when the engine isn't running/vibrating/throwing drips from pulleys before you can see them and you have 15 psi in the system, if the pressure drops and you can't see it then it's somewhere outta sight (intake gasket)

as for aus water being corrosive, i don't care where you live in the world, you have a cast iron block and heads, aluminium intake manifold/timing cover and aluminium radiator insulated by plastic tanks, with that much difference in ground potential and different metals joined by a fluid acting as an electrolyte if you don't run a corrosion inhibitor you are asking for trouble. (there's more than 12 volts DC floating around the system)