Coolant consumption ?

[MustangNoob]

Hey folks,
As you know many cars are going low in coolant from the factory. Same happened with mine. Almost 2 months ago filled it up and since then I have been checking it almost every week. Here are the pics taken early on the morning , before starting the car and at an ambient temperature of about 20C (68F). These photos are two months apart and you can clearly see the difference. When I went for an oil change a month ago , dealer said that they found no issues, no leaks. I also see no leaks or signs of leak inside the engine bay or the floor. What could possible be happening here ?

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[Neggytive]

hell that amount of variance can be caused by temperature variations.

Same thing with oil, and until recently only Harley marked their dipsticks for oil level hot and oil level cold to account for variations in volume due to temperature.

Now you know why tires pressures are expressed as read when cold, watch your tires go up at least 2 degrees when they get some heat in them

Brake fluid reservoir, same thing, the MAX amount has some head room above it to allow for expansion

Transmission fluid changes, (especially in Toyota's require the fluid to be at 192 degrees to set the level due to that fluid changing volume with temperature) are also specified to be done at a certain temperature.

 

[135Hoser]

If you unscrew the cap, does the level go back to max?

 

[D/\rK•650]

That difference in levels is definitely within limits. Also is the car in exactly the same position in both pics? A passenger side dip can cause this effect, leaning to passenger i mean. Absolutely normal nothing to be concerned about. Enjoy your mustang!

 

[D/\rK•650]

Also in the picture top, there is condensation in the tank like it's hot and the bottom picture it doesn't have it. This could be the reason for different levels?

 

[Zig]

Isn’t that the overflow tank? Air bubbles and burbs can cause discrepancies in levels.

 

[D/\rK•650]

Isn’t that the overflow tank? Air bubbles and burbs can cause discrepancies in levels.

That's what im thinking....level changes right ?

 

[Alan Applegate]

Getting anal about water levels without any other clues, is like weighing yourself several times a day when you're on a diet. In other words, day to day variances are quite normal.

 

[Starship Enterprise]

The level seems fine. Maybe check the cap to see if it’s on tight.

I am wondering why your coolant looks black? This pic of my engine bay is still when it was pretty new, but in any of my cars I’ve never seen coolant that dark after any mileage.

It should be a nice bright gold/yellow.

 

[Vapor]

The level seems fine. Maybe check the cap to see if it’s on tight.

I am wondering why your coolant looks black? This pic of my engine bay is still when it was pretty new, but in any of my cars I’ve never seen coolant that dark after any mileage.

It should be a nice bright gold/yellow.

Mine looks like lemonade also lol I had mine for a month and a half now.

 

[Starship Enterprise]

I don’t care about coolant change intervals…if mine ends up looking like used motor oil, I’d flush and fill. That looks awful in OP’s pic.

Almost makes me wonder if there’s a gasket leak or something.

 

[MustangNoob]

The level seems fine. Maybe check the cap to see if it’s on tight.

I am wondering why your coolant looks black? This pic of my engine bay is still when it was pretty new, but in any of my cars I’ve never seen coolant that dark after any mileage.

It should be a nice bright gold/yellow.

Good question. I t has been like that for a ling time. I just checked the engine oil level and its in the 3 rd x - with in the limits. As for the coolant I opened the cap and I noticed an "oily" surface. It could be actual oil ...definitely taking it to the dealer this week. Here is a pic

 

[dusman59]

That coolant shows a problem. Even a small amount of oil in the coolant would not show on the dip stick. I have seen coolant with 25k miles and not look as bad. Get it documented. The dealer should be on this quickly. If your dealer seems complacent find another dealer.

 

[DT-GT]

I agree with the previous posters who suggested that there may be a problem and that this needs to be checked-out. I was just out in the garage and my coolant overflow tank is clear and the coolant looks very much like clear lemonade or lemon-lime. 7200+ miles on my 2025 GT. Good luck!

 

[LouG]

Coolant does evaporate slowly in normal use.
But, unless it's a trick of the light, I think that looks a bit off too.

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