Low coolant

[CHICO2003]

Noticed my resovoir bottle is very low on coolant... haven't had the car that long. Anyone know what the deal is? I must be leaking... is this common??? Should I bring it in asap or simply refill it?

[SpicyRay]

coolant level varies depending on the heat, but, MSP's are very prone to leaks.

[beans]

I have had mine since June and I am down to low too. The funny thing is unlike other msp owners I can't find the leak. Most people have a leak on the coolint line going into the turbo. But I think there is another place that is not easlily seen. I can smell it but can't see it.

[nomahh]

I had the coolant hose replacement two weeks ago, and it's losing coolant again.

Take it to the dealer - I'm beginning to think this is Clunk II.

[ZMN BY U]

i have the same problem too i filled it up 3 weeks ago and no problems since

[SpicyRay]

the leak is either seen at where the line enters the turbo, or if u lift the car, its all over the bottom of the engine.

[CHICO2003]

question is... how damaging (if any) is this leak??? I mean... does it affect performance??? (the leak that is, not a low level -or no- coolant) obviously that would have some negative consequences... anywayz, I'm takin her in tomorrow. bastards better have some answers for me!!! LOL

[girth]

For most people (including me) chances are quite high it's leaking where SpicyRay said. Here's a pic that's a little more zoomed out so you get the general area to look. It's actually just to the left of where I circled (usually).

http://www.mazdamp3.com/members/girth/msp_engine_bay_coolant.jpg

[Pkay]

http://www.fushca.netfirms.com/images/EnglineLeak1.jpg

http://www.fushca.netfirms.com/images/Pic2.jpg
http://www.fushca.netfirms.com/images/spray.jpg


Here is the usual problem in the pics above..... I'll take a pic of my engine tomorrow morning my fix.


I've found out from talking to a few people and from the fix of my leak that it's usually just a weak clamp that the dealership uses. When things heat up they loosen up and slide back ever so slightly. That's why ours arent HUGE drips where you have a puddle every morning. It's just a loose seal so when things heat up and hoses expand a wee bit, then our drip gets going an usually splashes right on the engine making a nice and stinky smell that we can't find.

Anywho the fix is simple.... get the clamps that you screw to tighten (I think they're called WORM clamps). They're like $2 for a pack of 6 different sizes. It's a lot easier to spend $2 and 15 minutes of your time fixing this thing yourself (if you can) than taking it to the dealership and dealing with their bullshit.

Like I said, I'll post pics tomorrow.

Hope this helps a bit :)

[Black Majik MSP]

Mine is exactly like Pkay's... :wtf: is going on? :confused:

[2K3 MSP]

Mine is leaking in the same spot. Can't bring it to the dealer because thats where my boost controller is. It sounds like a simple fix though.

[Pkay]

http://www.fushca.netfirms.com/images/wormclampfix1.jpg


1) move old clamp back a bit..... you can't take it off unless you drain your coolant. Reason being if you take off that hose coolant will go everywhere. So simply move clamp back

2) Push the hose forward (in direction of arrow). Push fairly hard and run your finger around the circumfrence of the hose to make sure it's fit all the way (this is where the problem was at.... the hose doesn't meet perfectly on the bottom side with the stock clamp)

3) Put the worm clamp on and tighten it down. As it gets tighter push the hose in more to insure it's still fit.

4) once the worm clamp is in place push the old clamp up so it's flush with the worm clamp.

Viola! Now you should have a perfect fit and double the support. No leak etc etc

[jrodhotrod]

Nice pictures and documentation for solving the chronic coolant leaks :D

[JHew84]

old thread, sorry if i step on anyones toes reviving it, but i noticed when i got back to MI after driving the car home from NC, the coolant was at the low mark on the resevoir, and my mom had mentioned that as she was standing next to the front drivers side corner (where the resevoir is) that she could smell coolant, i checked it out and sure enough i could to... so i filled it up to full the next day since it didn't seem to be fluxuating at all, i just checked it earlier today and it is now halfway between full and low, i looked for a leak but i cannot see any splatter anywhere, and there is not a puddle underneath my car, i am planning on taking it into the dealership soon so tihs shouldn't be a terribly big problem, i've got a big jug of coolant to tide me over until then :D, but if anyone has any idea's, or would like to point out how i stupidly over-looked something very minor, please feel free to let me know, or make me look like a fool :D, either way i just wanna know whats wrong :p...

just a side note, someone had posted a picture of their engine bay and i noticed that they had a hose running from the cap of the resevoir, i *dont* have that, i did a quick search on cardomain of other peoples engine bays and they all looked the same as mine, not sure if it makes a difference at all, but its definitly not leaking out of the little spout on the cap, and it appears to have some sort of breather valve setup so i doubt it would be evaporating out of it, just thought i'd throw that tid bit in tho

[Heathen23]

old thread, sorry if i step on anyones toes reviving it, but i noticed when i got back to MI after driving the car home from NC, the coolant was at the low mark on the resevoir, and my mom had mentioned that as she was standing next to the front drivers side corner (where the resevoir is) that she could smell coolant, i checked it out and sure enough i could to... so i filled it up to full the next day since it didn't seem to be fluxuating at all, i just checked it earlier today and it is now halfway between full and low, i looked for a leak but i cannot see any splatter anywhere, and there is not a puddle underneath my car, i am planning on taking it into the dealership soon so tihs shouldn't be a terribly big problem, i've got a big jug of coolant to tide me over until then :D, but if anyone has any idea's, or would like to point out how i stupidly over-looked something very minor, please feel free to let me know, or make me look like a fool :D, either way i just wanna know whats wrong :p...

just a side note, someone had posted a picture of their engine bay and i noticed that they had a hose running from the cap of the resevoir, i *dont* have that, i did a quick search on cardomain of other peoples engine bays and they all looked the same as mine, not sure if it makes a difference at all, but its definitly not leaking out of the little spout on the cap, and it appears to have some sort of breather valve setup so i doubt it would be evaporating out of it, just thought i'd throw that tid bit in tho
the rubber hose is nothing more than a little rubber hose that does alot of nothing. I've noticed some msp's have it on there and some do not. If it makes you nervous you can go to any auto parts store and get yourself some hose to fit it and cut about 1 inch and connect it to that nipple.

As for the smell that's to be debated. I'll let different people chime in on that one.

BTW bumping an old thread is much better than starting a new one on the same topic. So keep doing it if you question is relevant to the existing thread. Being a bran new owner, older issues will be new to you.

[JHew84]

ya, i've been a member on probetalk.com for a long time, and it seems like even if someone revives an old thread over there they get pist, something about all the information is there already, just gotta search, blah blah blah, figured i'd cover my ass :p...

but i looked this morning before i headed off to work, i thought that the hose might run from the cap down to another nipple or something, but when i couldn't find another nipple i just said F-it, i dont need that lil peice of rubber lol... and i also looked VERY closely today, at the specific spots that are pointed out in those pictures, and i dont see any coolant residue, the engine bay is relativly spotless, i guess i'll just wait for a few more people to throw their .02 in, and in the mean time see if the coolant wants to drop any lower, i guess i'll start looking for puddles every time i leave somewhere too :(...

[Heathen23]

ya, i've been a member on probetalk.com for a long time, and it seems like even if someone revives an old thread over there they get pist, something about all the information is there already, just gotta search, blah blah blah, figured i'd cover my ass :p...

but i looked this morning before i headed off to work, i thought that the hose might run from the cap down to another nipple or something, but when i couldn't find another nipple i just said F-it, i dont need that lil peice of rubber lol... and i also looked VERY closely today, at the specific spots that are pointed out in those pictures, and i dont see any coolant residue, the engine bay is relativly spotless, i guess i'll just wait for a few more people to throw their .02 in, and in the mean time see if the coolant wants to drop any lower, i guess i'll start looking for puddles every time i leave somewhere too :(...
Typically with a leak you get some pretty obvious residue if you are willing to stick your head down there. Keep in mind the overflow will fluctuate based on tempratures. So for example during the summer mine was almost overflowing after very hard runs (my bay runs hella hot with the fmic etc) and now there is less than an inch in the overflow bottle. I have no leaks it's just temprature differences. After a really hard run even in these cooler ambient temps it will start to fill up with overflow.

[JHew84]

ya, i'm *hoping* that is what it is, it hasn't gone down any further than the halfway mark thus far, but i also haven't done much driving, so i'm just gonna keep an eye on it and hopefully it will turn out to be fluxuations, and not a leak...

[JHew84]

just to update, it appears to be staying level at half, not going any higher, not going any lower, so i'm just gonna leave it alone, i think most of it was me TRYING to find things wrong with the car, and over-emphasizing every little thing...

thanks for the help anyway (thumb)

- James

[misbehave]

If I want to add more to it, do I simply add more coolant? Or I will have to mix it with some distillated water first?

[ChiMSP]

http://www.fushca.netfirms.com/images/wormclampfix1.jpg


1) move old clamp back a bit..... you can't take it off unless you drain your coolant. Reason being if you take off that hose coolant will go everywhere. So simply move clamp back

2) Push the hose forward (in direction of arrow). Push fairly hard and run your finger around the circumfrence of the hose to make sure it's fit all the way (this is where the problem was at.... the hose doesn't meet perfectly on the bottom side with the stock clamp)

3) Put the worm clamp on and tighten it down. As it gets tighter push the hose in more to insure it's still fit.

4) once the worm clamp is in place push the old clamp up so it's flush with the worm clamp.

Viola! Now you should have a perfect fit and double the support. No leak etc etc

Where are the pics for this post?

[orphman]

I have had mine since June and I am down to low too. The funny thing is unlike other msp owners I can't find the leak. Most people have a leak on the coolint line going into the turbo. But I think there is another place that is not easlily seen. I can smell it but can't see it.


same problem any solution!?

[JHew84]

you could run a pressure test on the system, any autozone will have one that you can rent for free, hell you could even do it in the parking lot if they dont see you, that will show you where the leak is...

[evilmonkeyMSP]

hmmmmmm 2 year old thread revived!!!!!

[orphman]

you could run a pressure test on the system, any autozone will have one that you can rent for free, hell you could even do it in the parking lot if they dont see you, that will show you where the leak is...



PRESSURE TESTS FINE.. COOLANT DISAPATING SLOWLY.. CONSISTANT HOT COOLANT SMELL AFTER DRIVES...

[JHew84]

hmmmmmm 2 year old thread revived!!!!!

i revived it a little while back because i had a coolant issue, last post was less than a month ago, check the dates... plus that is what the Archives forum is all about, you search and find your problem, then ask a question in that same thread if it is not already answered, so the forum does not get cluttered with the same thread 100 times over...


orphman... you can't see coolant settling anywhere? it almost sounds like your car is running really hot and coolant is overflowing out of the resevoir tank, for the first few nice warm days i drove my car i had a nasty coolant smell as well, but it went away, but mine never leaked as far as i know, it was just a tiny bit low when i checked it after buying it... i'd just start hunting around EVERY coolant line for little puddles, my old probe GT had a coolant leak and i couldn't find it for the life of me, took it into a shop and even they had trouble finding it but it ended up being on the EXACT line i thought it would be, and i had felt it like 100 times, but they found the puddle under it and then saw the crack in the line... good luck with your hunt though, coolant leaks suck...

[evilmonkeyMSP]

I know:D just bored & starting shit lol (gossip)


i revived it a little while back because i had a coolant issue, last post was less than a month ago, check the dates... plus that is what the Archives forum is all about, you search and find your problem, then ask a question in that same thread if it is not already answered, so the forum does not get cluttered with the same thread 100 times over...

[orphman]

i revived it a little while back because i had a coolant issue, last post was less than a month ago, check the dates... plus that is what the Archives forum is all about, you search and find your problem, then ask a question in that same thread if it is not already answered, so the forum does not get cluttered with the same thread 100 times over...


orphman... you can't see coolant settling anywhere? it almost sounds like your car is running really hot and coolant is overflowing out of the resevoir tank, for the first few nice warm days i drove my car i had a nasty coolant smell as well, but it went away, but mine never leaked as far as i know, it was just a tiny bit low when i checked it after buying it... i'd just start hunting around EVERY coolant line for little puddles, my old probe GT had a coolant leak and i couldn't find it for the life of me, took it into a shop and even they had trouble finding it but it ended up being on the EXACT line i thought it would be, and i had felt it like 100 times, but they found the puddle under it and then saw the crack in the line... good luck with your hunt though, coolant leaks suck...


gracias amigo/ thanks man... and im whitey mcfly.... anyway....
i thought it might be over flowing but my res level is at the bottom most point ... so i dont know.. and well yea its since it has been warm out lately... so i dunno... i had a clamp come loose at 900 some odd miles and drained the beast almost over heated perm. with that said.... do think at 26k miles id still smell that... or do you think it could be some how connected... my temp guage always stays right below the half way line so im not sure if its running hotter than norm. thanks ill look all under i have yet to "ramp" it up and look from the bottom....

[Bu11dogg2]

go to mazda, if you havent voided your warranty they will give you a new cap that stops the leaking, they did it for me yesterday. good luck.

[orphman]

go to mazda, if you havent voided your warranty they will give you a new cap that stops the leaking, they did it for me yesterday. good luck.


sweet ill see what they doo... i have a apoint ment to get all new stuts

[31R]

I just noticed that my coolant resivor is low on coolant. I checked around for a leak and noticed dry coolant running on the bottom part of the hose running off the bottom on my radiator. It looks like the coolant is coming out of the top of that hose. Would a better clamp fix that? And if i need to add coolant, do i just add it to the resevoir? Thanks

darrell

[JHew84]

mazda should fix it for you, i think there is a few explanations earlier in the thread about leakage from that hose... and yes, you just add more coolant to the resevoir...

[31R]

Thanks, i just got some worm clamps. I think that otta do the trick.