Saying hello - Coolant problem

[caprican]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum and just bought a used Lancer ES!

My car has done a 90K service some months ago and recently I found out the coolant reservoir tank is almost empty. Other than that, the car drives well.

Is that something I should be concerned about?

I tried to book a minor service with Mitsu dealer but they quote $310! Could you recommend any trustworthy mechanics around the lower north shore (Sydney) area?

Many thanks.

[himynameisdaniel]

if your car is under warranty they should be investigating and repairing under that.

can you find any leaks? otherwise just top if off when at a cool temperature to the recommended mark as per the book and watch it over a couple of days\weeks\months whatever is appropriate.

if it keeps going down its either the following

you have a leak. (try and find out where its coming from you could save your self $$ in troubleshooting time even if you don't know how to fix it.)

air pockets in the coolant system. (cooling system needs to be bled to remove air)

coolant entering the combustion chamber and being burnt due to a bad seal\gasket. (very bad for your engine)

[caprican]

Thanks for the reply.
No it's an old car so no longer under warranty.
Since the coolant reservoir is almost empty, should I top up the coolant via the radiator cap or the reservoir itself?

[Lancer1993]

You should always top up using the reservoir, but check the radiator also (when cool) and see if there is water to the top. If it is top up the coolant reservoir with some clean water and keep and eye on it. If you see any water leaking or the reservoir is empty again then take it in.

[caprican]

thanks I will get some coolant from Mitsu to try topping it up

[Lancer1993]

Distilled water should work unless you need coolant in the main system and not just the overflow, but best to talk to Mitsy or a mechanic first, I'm no expert in this area.

[burfadel]

Do NOT use distilled water. Using distilled water dilutes the coolant and reduces the anti-corrosion, anti-foaming, anti-freeze, anti-boil properties of it. On old cars this would show up as rust in the coolant, but with all alloy systems the coolant could still be clear but damage could be done to the system.

Does it use blue coolant or another colour? Seems the older CJ Lancers may not use blue coolant like the later models? The water level is quite possibly low as a result of them not filling it correctly the last time it was flushed.

Next time you get it fully flushed you could go this stuff, no doubt although expensive
http://www.nulon.com.au/products/Coolin ... ne_Coolant

I would think though using a suitable top up fluid would do for now. For example:
http://www.penriteoil.com.au/products.p ... oducts=753
Of course, if yours doesn't use the Mitsubishi blue coolant you need to get the appropriate premix 1L top up.

Make sure that any top up fluid is 50 percent solution, it's what manufacturers recommend now. So it all depends on what your system requires. Just DON'T top it off with any kind of water, distilled or otherwise!

[Lancer1993]

Thanks for the clarification, but you can use water to get you out of trouble (stuck on the side of the road) if you have no coolant to top up with. But I bow to the experts and yes use coolant to top up. Personally I'd just consult a mechanic, that may give the car the once over at no cost.

An example is while on holidays in Adelaide I noticed the PS fluid was at the low mark, since the car is under finance with a service agreement I check and was told to just take it to a dealer. They topped it up for free, had a quick check and didn't charge me for the time. I just check and the fluid after about 4000 more kms is still at the high point. Maybe it just wasn't topped up enough last service?

[burfadel]

The power steering fluid probably hadn't been replaced at the last service. It's a neglected system on most cars that have hydraulic and not electric power steering (like the newer Lancers).

Yes, distilled water is fine to get out of trouble, but if you can buy distilled water you can probably buy the compatible coolant . The issue with topping it up with distilled water is then you have to do a flush, whereas a compatible mix coolant it can last until the next service, assuming there is no more leakage.

[Lancer1993]

Agreed, but its down to your mechanical ability.

If you feel comfortable topping it up with the right coolant and checking for leaks then go for it, otherwise it can't hurt to get a mechanic to look at it or someone you know that knows what they are doing.

Not sure what happened with the PS in mine, it was down a little before we left, I kept an eye on it and noticed it was lower half way through the 6500km trip so got it topped up and its been fine ever since.