Anti-freeze burning too quickly, why?

Question

A week ago I filled my car up with anti-freeze coolant, and one week later I get in my car and the low coolant light comes on, I check the anti-freeze and it's damn near gone, one week is too short of a time, I was thinking maybe my anti-freeze was leaking out but I always check under the car and the anti-freeze is never on the ground, so it's not a leak, I was driving and the coolant temparature scale near the odometer kept rising almost near Hot, why i even put more anti-freeze in it it was still rising to hot, I was thinking maybe the car needs to be turned off aand let the anti-freeze get to the engine how long does it take, btw my car's a 1991 Chevy Beretta!

Answer 1

I'm not sure if you're putting in straight coolant or a mix. You should be doing a 50/50 coolant-water mixture.

If you're losing that much coolant, you've definitely got a leak somewhere. It would be a good idea to have your cooling system pressure checked.

You could have small leaks in your upper or lower radiator hoses, places on the radiator itself, you could have cracks in your cylinder block, or you could have a cracked intake manifold.

Check your exhaust pipe. Do you have coolant/water running out of it when your car is warm? Are you seeing a white steam coming from your exhausts? Something to look for. That is usually a sign of a cracked intake manifold, or blown gaskets.

If your temperature is way too high, you might also want to check the thermostat. If you have too much temp, you're going to damage it. Also, if the temp is too high, sometimes that indicates that the thermostat might be sticking.

Lots of things to check! Best wishes!

Answer 2

Ummm yes, it is a leak. It's a closed system and you can't "burn" coolant so if its low, it is leaking. Just because you can't see the leak doesn't mean it isn't there.

You could for example, be losing the coolant as steam, in which case you won't see any trace. That is usually caused by a faulty radiator cap. It could also be leaking from a heater hose or water pump which are buried in parts of the car where it is hard to see anything and it won't leak while the car is sittling.

A head gasket leak seems unlikely since if it were leaking externally you would see it and if it were leaking internally and you were losing that much coolant you could barely drive the thing.

Take it in, have the cooling system pressure tested. You will find your leak.

Answer 3

if your burning that much, your head gaskets if its a six cylinder, head gasket if its a four, are probably blown. you will be able to smell a sweet smell coming from your exhaust if thats the case, and possibly some white smoke if its really bad(which it sounds as though it is) and if your car is hot like that NEVER just turn it off...not good...turn your heater on full blast(even if its 90 degrees out) and rev the engine but not too much and your temp gage should go down...then turn it off. it will cost a little to get your head gasket/gaskets replaced, so if you cant afford it right away just put straight water in there, its much cheaper than 7 dollars a gallon for coolant, unless of course its cold out then do not put water in it cause it will freeze and your whole motor will be shot...also check your oil and if there is a white foam in it then you are for sure leaking coolant into your engine, even if your oil doesn't have a white foam in it check to see if it is more full than it should be...try not to drive it for too long like this or else you will crack a head and that is very expensive to get fixed...about 250+ just for the head....to get the gaskets changed though it will probably be a couple hundred dollars...good luck and i hope this helped you.

Answer 4

first off your car should not use anti-freeze. check and see if your carpet is wet under the dash on the passenger side. it could be leaking from the heater core inside the car you normally can also smell it if that's the case. also check and see if your oil is a milky color. this would be a bad thing. it would mean either a cracked head, engine block or maybe a bad head gasket. good luck

Answer 5

you definitely have a leak some where and you will need to do a pressure test to find where it is coming from. also check if the radiator cap is any good. As far as the car over-heating; you may have a stuck-closed thermostat or bad water pump. This is something that needs to be handled by a mechanic as you will not be able to find the exact problem without the proper tools.

Answer 6

it sounds like you may have a slightly blown head gasket this will explain loss of coolant with no evidence of a leak as well as the over heating.

Answer 7

No, they're unrelated - but they both come under the heading of poor maintenance or a knackered engine. I assume this is a four stroke scooter: A litre in two days on a tiny engine is a huge amount to be losing or using.

Answer 8

sounds like its a head gasket leaking.