Where'd all the water go???

[EssDub]

Okay, something strange is going on...

Lately i have noticed the coolant hasnt been pooling up at the filler cap in the engine bay... only takes about 100ml or so to bring it up again, but as of sunday i got a bit of a shock to see the water temp. needle rising slowly, and then falling to normal levels again

Pulled up, looked all over underneath the car - no signs of leaks or anything, no steam, strange smells, etc...

Got home, checked oil - still sweet as - and could hear bubbling from somewhere in the engine bay...

What could this be? Is it normal for the coolant level to sit soo low? The bubbling sounds a bit like the coolant from a 3SGTE after its been pushed hard, like its boiling the water or something...but the car hasn't been pushed!

[summin]

I take it you're talking about an sw20?

Id start by checking all hoses and making sure there are definitely no leaks. Also check your fans and make sure they're going, could be reason the car is heating up, especially if you're sitting in traffic etc...

The fact that water is disappearing without obvious signs of a leak is a bit of a worry, could be headgasket...Might be worth getting a compression check done before you do any more damage.

[rollaholic]

get the cooling system pressure tested

[atmosports]

I'd say have a good look at the radiator cap, especially the rubber seal on the under side & the spring setup. I've got one here which runs at the correct temp, but when you pull over & stop doesn't hold pressure & you can hear the bubbling you describe, which is actually happening in the overflow bottle. A qucik change to a new cap soon fixed it.

[EssDub]

With regards to the radiator cap, it is quite stiff, and you can rattle it...

Stuffed?

[Caveman]

If you have normal flow in and out of the overflow bottle there should be no bubbling.

Your either leaking water through the radiator, pipes, waterpump (very common) heater core, turbo or you have a leaky head gasket and it is effecting the cooling system somehow.

Very hard to find without having a good look under the car.

[Bling]

another idea, attatch a coke bottle or something to the overflow pipe off the overflow bottle, it could be spitting it out there while you drive but when you stop there might be no sign of it.


just something i'd try thats free and because I don't know too much about cooling systems