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New radiator, always have to top off coolant

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Old Jul 26, 2013
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New radiator, always have to top off coolant

I recently put a hole in my radiator and I let the car get a little hot (2/3 up on the gauge), and after putting a new one in (not oem) the coolant in the radiator always seems to be about a half a cup low, no matter how far I drive, but I haven't went very far without checking and refilling. It just loses that little bit every time. It isn't pushing any into the overflow tank and the temp is staying steady. I'm hoping I didn't blow the HG again when it got hot, but that small amount of coolant has to be going somewhere.
Does anyone think I blew the HG? Thanks
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Old Jul 27, 2013
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Re: New radiator, always have to top off coolant

Do you see white smoke through the tail pipe? Check the dipstick to see if the oil feels watery. You need to really look around for radiator fluid if you think there is a leak somewhere.
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Old Jul 27, 2013
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Re: New radiator, always have to top off coolant

Do an oil change. Look for the dreaded "milkshake" look in your oil. That'll tell you if you're losing coolant internally
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Old Jul 27, 2013
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Re: New radiator, always have to top off coolant

Are you saying you've changed the HG once already? If so, did you get your head checked and machined? If you didn't and you put it back together warped and it over heated again then it may be burning coolant because the heads warped so bad and the HG can't seal correctly anymore.
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Old Jul 27, 2013
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Re: New radiator, always have to top off coolant

Originally Posted by Matt_75
Are you saying you've changed the HG once already? If so, did you get your head checked and machined? If you didn't and you put it back together warped and it over heated again then it may be burning coolant because the heads warped so bad and the HG can't seal correctly anymore.
I did the head gasket over a year ago, and had the head checked. It was fine until the radiator started the leak and it got a little hot. My oil level hasn't changed and it doesn't look milky at all
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Old Aug 2, 2013
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Re: New radiator, always have to top off coolant

So update, for the last 150 miles or so, I haven't lost any coolant. I went from losing about a cup per 200 miles to losing nothing. I didn't change anything and I haven't necessarily been babying the car while driving. I'm really confused as to where it WAS going and why it stopped. I'm leaving for college in 20 days and I need to figure out if something is still wrong, especially if I need to pull the head.
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