Coolant

[iagree]

My dear friends,

Abt coolant.

Last Thursday, when I was in JB (to KL), i pumped fuel @ JB Mobil.

The person who attended to me asked me whether wanna to check the water, i said ok.

He topup the windscreen reservoir tank for me. No service charge.

And, then, he checked the engine coolant reservoir, he told me my coolant water is 'dark' liao, he asked me want to chg or not. He also open the Radiator cap (tangki cap? the one is hot oh, but he knows how to open it up safely!) and show me the the tangki water is not having any more coolant (the green color coolant from TCM right? TCM gv us green color one?) I don't know whether TCM got chg my coolant when i serviced my 1k, 5k and 10k (FOC) service or not? Are you guys aware?

So, "iagree" to let him change for me. I asked him how much is that bottle of coolant, he showed me it's RM16 per bottle. Oh, I said ok, change loh. Then he proceeded to suck out all the water in the "coolant reservoir". Then he showed me the tank is now empty. Then he started to topup new coolant (light green color) into it. Wow, he used 2 bottles, some of coolant he pour into the big tangki.

I paid RM16 x 2 = RM32 for the coolants.

The coolant is now until "Maximum" level.

Well, strange thing,today (Sunday), i checked the coolant tank, saw the water level is abt 1inch below the "Maximum" level.

Why so leh? Must i always check & topup (if necessary) water to the engine coolant reservoir ah?

Pls share your knowledge.

Regards.
iagree

[robtan99]

dunno abt TCM doing it or not for my 1st 50k.  But when i do it at autosaver, i saw them pour at least 2 bottle in.  Never topup or check until the next service.

My dear friends,

Abt coolant.

Last Thursday, when I was in JB (to KL), i pumped fuel @ JB Mobil.

The person who attended to me asked me whether wanna to check the water, i said ok.

He topup the windscreen reservoir tank for me. No service charge.

And, then, he checked the engine coolant reservoir, he told me my coolant water is 'dark' liao, he asked me want to chg or not. He also open the Radiator cap (tangki cap? the one is hot oh, but he knows how to open it up safely!) and show me the the tangki water is not having any more coolant (the green color coolant from TCM right? TCM gv us green color one?) I don't know whether TCM got chg my coolant when i serviced my 1k, 5k and 10k (FOC) service or not? Are you guys aware?

So, "iagree" to let him change for me. I asked him how much is that bottle of coolant, he showed me it's RM16 per bottle. Oh, I said ok, change loh. Then he proceeded to suck out all the water in the "coolant reservoir". Then he showed me the tank is now empty. Then he started to topup new coolant (light green color) into it. Wow, he used 2 bottles, some of coolant he pour into the big tangki.

I paid RM16 x 2 = RM32 for the coolants.

The coolant is now until "Maximum" level.

Well, strange thing,today (Sunday), i checked the coolant tank, saw the water level is abt 1inch below the "Maximum" level.

Why so leh? Must i always check & topup (if necessary) water to the engine coolant reservoir ah?

Pls share your knowledge.

Regards.
iagree

[Jazz]

Unless there is a leak, check your floor below the engine bay is there any green water in the morning. Worst is coolant leaked to your engine. 

[darrylker]

Hi,

I faced this problem of leaking coolant in my old sunny before. At that time I did not have much knowledge abt replacing coolant or checking for leakage. Used my dad's advise to top up with water! Ended up engine overheated & needed overhaul for old car. That's when I decided to change to Latio since the old car abt 7yrs old.

For my ride now, I usually check monthly on coolant at max level. Last servicing 30k km TCM changed my coolant as its covered under the NCMP. Did not notice any drop in coolant level...But if u suspect leaking, think better check with yr workshop to c if leaking....

[detach8]

Bro, be careful with your coolant. that's how my old car blew the gasket.  the coolant was slowly boiling off from a leaky gasket and then eventually i had no coolant and the entire gasket gave way. Of course the new car is not so likely to have a gasket problem but hoses, etc. might leak. Make it a point to check your car best weekly on a sunday morning when u go and vacuum.

Since you top up the coolant when warm (actually is a bad idea) the coolant will be alittle on the high side, so when your car cool down the coolant level will show lower.

It is a good practice to get your coolant flushed every 1 year, or max 2 years because they lose their anti-rust properties and your radiator will start to rust. Coolant is cheap, radiator is not!!

[lyh1280]

Bro, hope u din kena "ketuk", wat is mileage nw? Normally recommended to change coolant every 40K.. u said ur coolant is "dark" (or claimed by the guy), is it really dark/or black? Normal coolant is green in colour, normally will change more "cloudy" after long use..

For me, I am on NPMP, so don hv to worry when to change, it is changed every 40K i tink..

The level is lower during morning cos it is cooler/temperature is lower... if u find the level going lower and lower after few days, then better check for leakage, cos it will "burst"/big leaked and ur engine will overheat.

[iagree]

Bro, hope u din kena "ketuk", wat is mileage nw? Normally recommended to change coolant every 40K.. u said ur coolant is "dark" (or claimed by the guy), is it really dark/or black? Normal coolant is green in colour, normally will change more "cloudy" after long use..

For me, I am on NPMP, so don hv to worry when to change, it is changed every 40K i tink..

The level is lower during morning cos it is cooler/temperature is lower... if u find the level going lower and lower after few days, then better check for leakage, cos it will "burst"/big leaked and ur engine will overheat.

Hi

First of all, thanks to all the buddies' replies to this topic.

I will try to observe this evening to see is there any 'green water' on the floor. If yes, meaning leakage.

Hi lyh1280, why 40k then change? If anytime we noticed the coolant is no longer in 'green', shld chg right?

How do we topup the water to the coolant reservior if we notice it's not at the Max level? Or we fill-up/topup water from Radiator there (open the radiator cap then pour water in?)

Leakage will KO the gasket & engine (overheat) also?

Oh, I do not know whether it is really dark or not but it's just at the level btw the Min & Max, and the color is no longer 'green green', it's like "loh loh" (blur & dim in color, may be "cloudy" is the word to use to describe?), so i let him change for me because it's just coolants, so i think it shld be ok. BUT, one thing that i am worrying is their skill? How do we know they change the coolant for us with the right skill? Do they have enough knowledge for Latio's coolant & tangki (radiator?) reservoirs?

My ride is now abt 21000 km liao. I didn't check this morning! Will check again this evening & let u guys know abt it.

What is NPMP?


To detach8, had no coolant at all? That's scary right? It shldnt happen.... without coolant and the entire gasket KO? I will make it as habit to check the car every week...!!! Thanks for sharing info./knowledge.

So, the guy chg my coolant when it's warm (bad idea), sux, i shld not let him chg also since it's warm (i felt that too but since he suggested then i take it aso and RM16 is not very expensive? i donno the mkt price, i thk if we chg ourself, may be it cost abt S$3 or so per bottle? How easy to get it chg ourself?)

I think i got to check the following later:
1) the Radiator (make sure water still full?)
2) the coolant level (leaking)
3) chk the floor (wet floor mean coolant leaking)

FYI, i drove the car from JB (chg coolant@JB) to KL , drove abt 300km+
Then drove back fr KL to SG, another 380km.
So far so good, none of the "lights" are on. So i presume it's ok. But, the only thing i wonder is why the coolant reservoir's water level drop abt 1inch from the Max level!!!

Hi darrylker , you change at TCM? FOC? What package you took from them? Haiya, i spent my own RM32 (abt S$13) for that coolant, quite silly lah! Sigh! I am thinking to go TCM for servicing for my next service. Shld be around 28000km, now still have abt 6000km i think! How? Sigh! Must take care of our ride, i think go to service at TCM is the best if the package is not more than S$300/= or S$400/=! Worth to let TCM handles as it is for our own SAFETY and peace of MIND!!! Do you guys agree???

Thanks.
iagree!

[detach8]

Bro mine was a jialat case. Last time driving a 13 year old nissan march '96 model. The engine gasket was leaking but I did not know it then. I thought it was coolant leaking. Then I keep hearing coolant boiling sound. Everyday I check the coolant level (in the header tank) it was half full. Then when I check the radiator, it is always low. I have to pour a lot inside. I keep topping up, but every time I drive, it will boil. Then later one day the engine become very rough, got white smoke from exhaust (note: white smoke = bad, stop driving immediately!) and the engine died. I crank a few more times and cannot start, in the end i see green coolant come out from exhaust!!!

Here is what happened. The gasket leak, and when the engine is running the hot combustion gases escape into the water jackets around the engine, causing the water to boil. At the same time it pressurize the water. The boiling water is forced out into the header tank, but actually what is left in the radiator is all steam and air. Not much water. The engine is starting to overheat, but my meter always show OK. Then on the fateful day I saw the temp rising, I detour into KK hospital and park in basement (was heading to Bugis). I start the car up and saw the white smoke when I return from dinner, and then finally it gave way. But I doubt new car have this problem. The possibility is very very low. More likely you have a leak somewhere if your coolant goes missing.

That said during my previous car experience the coolant was not green. It was thick brown. So brown it looks like mud. When it overflow the stain is very hard to remove (like kena mud also). U have to use wet cloth to actually WIPE it off. This is how bad the rust became after 13 years. All this will jam your cooling system and damage your water pump.

So after some research I found out coolant best to flush once every 2years or less because it lost the anti-rust capability over time. Coolant only $5 per bottle from petrol kiosk. Water another few dollars. Use distilled water best, no mineral to cause corrosion.

Take care of your new car bro. Good car if well taken care of can last very long... the latio has one thing that worries me, is that there is no temperature gauge. Only light. So have to be very alert. The light is beside your tacho. Usually in the morning we see blue (cold). There is a red one indicating overheat.

[valeon]

Bro, in fact TCM check and top up the coolant when servicing regardless 1k, 5k, 10k or under NPMP. So, dun hv to worry too much if servicing the car at TCM or any reliable workshops like Autosaver.

But, if it is leakage, then do not take this lightly. Coolant is cheap but the damage from coolant is huge. For your case, maybe send down your car to double check the leakage (if any) or you have to monitor the level daily at least for the time being.     

[Jazz]

That is why I intend to fix a water, oil and volt meter in the coming months, need to study which brand is reliable.

Anyway, our engine need to flush so do our radiator, I intend to do it around 20,000km. 

[iagree]

Bro mine was a jialat case. Last time driving a 13 year old nissan march '96 model. The engine gasket was leaking but I did not know it then. I thought it was coolant leaking. Then I keep hearing coolant boiling sound. Everyday I check the coolant level (in the header tank) it was half full. Then when I check the radiator, it is always low. I have to pour a lot inside. I keep topping up, but every time I drive, it will boil. Then later one day the engine become very rough, got white smoke from exhaust (note: white smoke = bad, stop driving immediately!) and the engine died. I crank a few more times and cannot start, in the end i see green coolant come out from exhaust!!!

Here is what happened. The gasket leak, and when the engine is running the hot combustion gases escape into the water jackets around the engine, causing the water to boil. At the same time it pressurize the water. The boiling water is forced out into the header tank, but actually what is left in the radiator is all steam and air. Not much water. The engine is starting to overheat, but my meter always show OK. Then on the fateful day I saw the temp rising, I detour into KK hospital and park in basement (was heading to Bugis). I start the car up and saw the white smoke when I return from dinner, and then finally it gave way. But I doubt new car have this problem. The possibility is very very low. More likely you have a leak somewhere if your coolant goes missing.

That said during my previous car experience the coolant was not green. It was thick brown. So brown it looks like mud. When it overflow the stain is very hard to remove (like kena mud also). U have to use wet cloth to actually WIPE it off. This is how bad the rust became after 13 years. All this will jam your cooling system and damage your water pump.

So after some research I found out coolant best to flush once every 2years or less because it lost the anti-rust capability over time. Coolant only $5 per bottle from petrol kiosk. Water another few dollars. Use distilled water best, no mineral to cause corrosion.

Take care of your new car bro. Good car if well taken care of can last very long... the latio has one thing that worries me, is that there is no temperature gauge. Only light. So have to be very alert. The light is beside your tacho. Usually in the morning we see blue (cold). There is a red one indicating overheat.

Dear detach8

Good reply! I love it!

Yes, only light to indicate or alert us if the temperate is "high" / overheating! That's why I always attention to the "gauge" also.

I think for my case (coolant), may be is because i let the guy chg for me when the engine was still hot. So, how shld i topup to Max level now? Using distilled water ? But where to buy? How to differentiate? Will TCM use this kind of water for us if we service our ride there?

Thanks many!

[iagree]

Bro, in fact TCM check and top up the coolant when servicing regardless 1k, 5k, 10k or under NPMP. So, dun hv to worry too much if servicing the car at TCM or any reliable workshops like Autosaver.

But, if it is leakage, then do not take this lightly. Coolant is cheap but the damage from coolant is huge. For your case, maybe send down your car to double check the leakage (if any) or you have to monitor the level daily at least for the time being.     

In fact, I never check my coolant level until that guy show me the coolant color is dark (no more in green).

Will check later! Thanks!

[iagree]

That is why I intend to fix a water, oil and volt meter in the coming months, need to study which brand is reliable.

Anyway, our engine need to flush so do our radiator, I intend to do it around 20,000km. 

Oh, I don't know that guy got flush my Radiator that day or not because I was busy pumping my petrol to the car!!!

May be he throw inside inside the coolant reservoir to make the color become loh loh leh? Possible a con case aso.

I saw there were water on the floor, i can see there are 'green' water on the floor leh, where is that come from? May be is from the Radiator? Can't be from the Coolant Reservoir because i saw him using a tube to suck out?

Regards.

[Jazz]

Oh, I don't know that guy got flush my Radiator that day or not because I was busy pumping my petrol to the car!!!

May be he throw inside inside the coolant reservoir to make the color become loh loh leh? Possible a con case aso.

I saw there were water on the floor, i can see there are 'green' water on the floor leh, where is that come from? May be is from the Radiator? Can't be from the Coolant Reservoir because i saw him using a tube to suck out?

Regards.

Dun think the pump attendant flushed your radiator at the petrol kiosk lah. 

[iagree]

Dun think the pump attendant flushed your radiator at the petrol kiosk lah. 

Then how? Chg Coolant without chg the water in radiator? Sick right?

[iagree]

When topup water, we topup for Radiator right? not the coolant reservoir right?

[Jazz]

Then how? Chg Coolant without chg the water in radiator? Sick right?

If flush, need to drain all the existing coolant off. There are 2 types of flush, if normal no rust, just flush it with a power jet can liao, if rust, need to use chemical like our home aircon, more expensive. 

Top up at the reservoir, same what you do to your wiper. Dun open the radiator cap, if you dun know how to cap tightly, it will blown off, that is why there is a bar indicator of 0.9bar if I not wrong. 

[iagree]

If flush, need to drain all the existing coolant off. There are 2 types of flush, if normal no rush, just flush it with a power jet can liao, if rush, need to use chemical like our home aircon, more expensive. 

Top up at the reservoir, same what you do to your wiper. Dun open the radiator cap, if you dun know how to cap tightly, it will blown off, that is why there is a bar indicator of 0.9bar if I not wrong. 

Jazz

Oh, so 1k 5k and 10k serviced at TCM? do they flush existing coolant off before they topup?

topup at 'reservoir'? coolant reservior or radiator reservior?

regards.

[Jazz]

Jazz

Oh, so 1k 5k and 10k serviced at TCM? do they flush existing coolant off before they topup?

topup at 'reservoir'? coolant reservior or radiator reservior?

regards.

Definitely 1K and 5K no flushing. 10K dunno, will indicate in the service report if performed.

Only 1 reservoir for the coolant, radiator is link to it. 

[valeon]

Definitely 1K and 5K no flushing. 10K dunno, will indicate in the service report if performed.

Only 1 reservoir for the coolant, radiator is link to it. 

1K, 5K and 10K check and top up only nia.