I had to remove the coolant Reservoir to install the 9005 Bulbs... (pictures to follow at night)

I noticed that the coolant Reservoir is dry empty.., I checked the Radiator and it seems is full....

Is this normal? on the reservoir there is a Low and Max marks but the reservoir is empty?

How about if I top it with some Water Wetter?

 

how many miles are on your car? maybe it's about time to change the fluids anyway, and this time you can do the water wetter with it

 

43500 ... I plan on doing it at 60kmiles.

 

YOU really need to check the reservoir more often.

It should NOT be empty/dry.

You will lose a little bit of fluid to evaporation, and an occasional addition of distilled water or coolant isn't anything to worry about.

However, if you see the reservoir drop suddenly, you should get a pressure check and see if something is leaking.

 

Similar story. About 3 weeks ago, my father was checking out my OBX headers (he used to be a Mechanic WAY back), and he noticed the reservoir was almost dry. We checked the radiator and that was full. Basically just filled up the reservoir. No problems since. I have been checking for any leaks, but nothing at all. Also, the reservior is fine.

Very strange indeed

 

Exactly what does “checking for any leaks” mean?

It wouldn't hurt to check the radiator with a pressure tester (my corner gas station will haul it out for a couple of bucks or for free).

If the radiator reserve bottle is at the full mark one week and dry the next, something is funny if you are not living on Venus or Mercury.

Is something definitely wrong -- NO! It does help to check things out since there is a fair amount of water/coolant in the reservoir bottle to just "disappear" in a short period of time. If your talking about not looking at the tank in a year or two -- well, that's another matter.

When the tank is dead empty (not just low), there is no fluid to refill the radiator when it cools down (and I did hear Nashau’s comment about the radiator being full). There are subtle problems and leaks that can occur and you won't see any drops of fluid below the car. A pressure test and/or vacuum test will at least insure that the system is holding pressure and warn of some problem that might go unnoticed.

It is pretty easy to lose a bit of coolant -- a few drops per mile will do -- and the system will "appear" to be leak free when sitting (no visible leaks or drips on the ground). It's also possible to have internal leaks that cause coolant to mix with ATF or engine oil (we do have a ATF-to-liquid intercooler/warmer); coolant in the ATF or engine oil is not the greatest thing for an engine or transmission. A very small leak will really hurt engine performance and cooling in hotter weather and/or stop-and-go traffic (can’t keep the pressure up and this will hurt the transfer of heat between the block and heads and cooling fluid).

Scalbert mentioned the temp gauge == idiot light…

YMMV

 

I distilied like 10 cups in my new Cafe machine... I will fill the reervoir tank to the max level with this distlled water..

BTW, I did not check my Coolant level since 15kmiles.. I do nothink I check it at 30 kmiles... So, I need to refill the reservoir and we will see....

 

Could this just be normal coolant volume expansion/contraction due to temperature?

My reservoir is almost empty on cold mornings too, by the time I get where I'm going (gas station, work, etc) it's back within normal.

 

Now silly question:

Do you fill the reservoir or top off the Radiator...

 

No, there should be a "fill" line on the resevoir.... Fill it to there, when the car is COLD.

 

I would add a 50/50 solution of the correct coolant and water to the line of the low mark when cold or the higher mark when warm. Use a hydrometer to get your new reading. I don't believe the reservoir should be dead empty. Add the fluid to the reservoir.

 

Believe it or not this is typical for these cars.I find that on average the bottles are very low every 7500 miles or so on vehicles that come in for service on a regular basis.The coolant is evaporated out of the bottle over time .Nothing to worry about but it is something all owners need to check from time to time as mentioned in the owners manual.This along with all other fluids and ofcourse tire pressure.Jens

 

Thank you all for the great info!

 

DO NOT fill it to max. Fill it up to the Min level. When your car GETS HOT, it will go up to max, anything more it will overflow. So only fill it up to MIN level.

 

I am almost sure it just evaporated. Last time I brought my car into service was @ 15k miles, and that was over a year ago.

Thanks for the info EricL and Jens.. I will keep an eye on the fluid level from now on