Coolant

[ruthie]

A question about coolant from the mechanically "impaired". When I was refilling the window washer fluid last night, I noticed that the coolant reservoir was almost down to the MIN mark (about a quarter inch above). Should I top this off? And, with what?

[HarryHBMCC]

If the engine is cold and it is above MIN, don't top it off. This is normal. When the engine is warm, more water will go into the resevoir so having a cold engine reading of between MIN and MAX is just fine.

If it drop right down to MIN, take it in to your dealer the first time to have them look for a leak. Mine dropped down and they checked it out and there was nothing wrong but it could be a leak so it is best to have it checked. Look for blue stains around the heat shield under the coolant bottle or on your driveway if you think it might be leaking but in your case I think you're fine.

If it is down to MIN and you can't get it checked, fill it to betwee MIN and MAX with premixed coolant -- the kind you get from your dealer is the best but any premixed blue coloured coolant (NOT windshield washer fluid, coolant from a hardware or auto parts shop) should do fine and in a pinch, any DOT approved coolant will work though mixing the various kinds is not really recommended -- better to have funky coolant than not enough coolant.

Harry

[ruthie]

Thanks a lot, Harry!