Coolant loss

[geoff200]

The level of coolant in my plastic reservoir keeps going down. There is no other evidence of a leak. The level of coolant in the radiator seems constant whenever I remove the cap.

Could this be evaporation? The reservoir is not sealed, although of course the main system is presurised. My dealer tells me that you can loose about a litre or so of water just by having your A/C on regularly. Any ideas.

[kenchan]

hummm...I should check dat myself as my service engine soon lamp came on today. my car's only 5,000miles old...wat a piece of crap.

[Kenny-G]

lose a litre of coolant by having the AC on regularly? That is new for me....never heard of it.

How old is your car? I think you should check the engine oil dipstick make sure you oil has no sign of coolant (green), if it does, your hand gasket is blown.

Have a shop pressure test your cooling system. Replace the radiator cap if it is more than 3 years old.

[kenchan]

i read through the P11 manual today because my car seems to be having some kinda problems with the engine....not sure wat. anyway, the manual says that the coolant level should not go low after a few days of use and it says to take the car in for repairs....so you might wanna take your car in next time.

[geoff200]

I think that A/C explanation is boll!!cks too. I'll try a pressure test next. Thanks for the advice.

Don't despair Kenchan - It is probably just teething problems - these cars are very reliable. I think that I have read that the ECU puts out the engine warning light even after the problem has gone away and keeps the light on for 15 more engine starts. You could always try starting/stopping your car a few times. I guess it would be much better to reset the ECU after reading off the engine code but then this is a job for the garage as you're car is new and still under warranty and all that!

[kenchan]

wow, is that right? damn, I should've started/stopped the engine over the weekend. well, trying to get an appointment right now with the dealer, but monday's are always impossible...sucks.

[geoff200]

Sorry, 50 times not 15. My Haynes manual for the Primera GT (SR20DE engine) says the following:

Faults detected are stored in memory, until the starter motor has been operated 50 times. If the fault is not detected again within this period, it will automatically be erased from the memory. Faults can also be erased from memory by setting the control unit to self-diagnostic mode 2 and then switching it back again.

You can learn how to reset the memory by following this link to the very informative sr20 site http://www.sr20de.net/engine/ecu_codes.html

I guess your car is too new to be doing this yourself though.