low coolant level

[shutter13]

my Si has ~4000 miles on it... the coolant level always seems to be a little low when the engine is cold (slightly below the line)... when the engine is warm however its above the line - but not by much

its been fine, no overheating, no problems at all..... but ill be installing my injen CAI soon and i know some coolant leaks when you replace the lines so i dont know if i can afford to lose any more coolant

my questions are 1) should i even be worried? 2) how would i go about adding coolant if i need to? does the cap basically just screw off of that 'bottle' with the blue coolant? 3) can i just add a little bit of straight water or do i have to buy some kind of (honda?) engine coolant?

thanks

[achapman]

You can buy premixed or one that you add distilled water to. Then just add however much you need.

[shutter13]

cool, probably like a 50/50 mix right? does it need to be honda?

can you just add it directly into the 'overfill bottle'?

[achapman]

Usually equal parts, but I always buy premixed. Is there a fill on the reservoir? If so, then yeah you can just add it there. Or you can put it in the reservoir and when it heats up, if there is too much, it will just be deposited in the reservoir.

It doesn't have to be honda branded, but you can use that. It's all the same.

[shutter13]

sweet just found some Zerex antifreeze coolant in my garage, now at least i dont have to go out and buy anything

its unmixed, so i'll do a 50/50 mix of it with distilled water to bring it to the proper level

[shutter13]

the stuff i have is green... the coolant in my car is blue

is this ok to mix together?

[Chevelle]

I can't answer your question about the diff. colored coolants, but the owner's manual has the specs on what type of coolant to use, if the stuff you have matches those specs, I'd imagine you're GTG.

The main reason I wanted to post was to second what the OP said about the coolant level seeming to be a bit low. I have about 800 miles on my FA5 and the coolant level showing in the reservoir been just under the "low" mark when the engine's cold and just over that mark when warmed up since I got it too.

[kero]

I would not use a anti freeze that has been sitting around a while.

You are better off for $15 going and buying the new prestone which is 100% safe for Honda's, Toyota's and other imports. It even states in on the outside label.

Why not spend a little on the heart of keeping your engine cool!

[BigT]

There is usually both a full cold and a full hot line. Is it below the cold line when cold, and above the hot line when hot? Or is there just one line? The plastic bottle is just a overflow reservoir. When coolant heats up it expands a little and some of the coolant in the radiator is purged into this bottle. When you shut your car off and the coolant cools back down, the coolant is basically drawn back out of this bottle into the radiator. As long as the level in this bottle is close to the recommended level you are fine.

As far as mixing coolant goes, most newer cars use an extended life coolant and most have their own color. I wouldn't mix old green coolant with newer extended life coolant. I don't know how much honda charges for their own brand, but you can get universal extended life coolant at most auto parts stores for $10-15 per gallon. It is usually a better deal if you buy it unmixed because you basically get two gallons once mixed 50/50 with water.

[Skylinegtr06]

im at 10k and havent even touched it

[BigT]

Originally Posted by shutter13

cool, probably like a 50/50 mix right? does it need to be honda?

can you just add it directly into the 'overfill bottle'?

If you do anything which causes you to lose coolant (such as installing a CAI) you will need to add coolant to the radiator. When you open the system (remove a hose, etc.) and coolant leaks out it leaks out of the engine and radiator, not the overflow bottle. If you only add coolant to the overflow bottle the radiator may remain slightly low. The radiator may eventually draw coolant from the overflow bottle and purge the air out, but it is better safe than sorry.

After you install your intake remove the radiator cap and add coolant to it. After you drive the car for a while let it cool down completely (never remove a radiator cap on a hot engine!) and check the coolant in the radiator again and top it off if necessary. Then check the overflow bottle and top it off if needed.

[sjlarue]

Go to Auto store and buy the right stuff; blue, green, orange etc. For general "maintenace" like this I would get the 50/50 otherwise you will have to mix it and when you are only doing a little, you make more of a mess.

Use your thumb as a guage. No don't stick it in like a dipstick :-). With the engine cold, put it on the reservoir parallel to the low line. If it is below your thumb then fill it back to low. My thumb is about an inch wide for comparison.

The only time you should be worried is if you fill it to the cold line and then run the car, after the car cools, there is nothing left in the bottle.....call a mechanic.

[shutter13]

Originally Posted by BigT

After you install your intake remove the radiator cap and add coolant to it. After you drive the car for a while let it cool down completely (never remove a radiator cap on a hot engine!) and check the coolant in the radiator again and top it off if necessary. Then check the overflow bottle and top it off if needed.

ive never removed the radiator cap before, but is it supposed to be filled to the top?

[BigT]

Originally Posted by shutter13

ive never removed the radiator cap before, but is it supposed to be filled to the top?

Pretty much. There is a neck for the cap and the coolant should at least come to the bottom of the neck (but often to the very top). It doesn't hurt to fill it all the way to the top however, because it will just purge any extra into the overflow bottle when the engine heats up.

[shutter13]

Originally Posted by BigT

Pretty much. There is a neck for the cap and the coolant should at least come to the bottom of the neck (but often to the very top). It doesn't hurt to fill it all the way to the top however, because it will just purge any extra into the overflow bottle when the engine heats up.

ok i understand how it works now, thanks for your help bro!