When a car’s coolant level drops, there can be several factors that led to it dropping such as a leak in the cooling system and high engine temperature. But, is it normal for the coolant level to drop?
It is normal for coolant levels to drop if the temperature of the engine is too high and this occurs because of the rapid disappearance of water from the coolant as a result of evaporation. If the coolant level drops, top it up with more coolant.
If cars can speak, it will be easy to use a car for 5 years without having to visit the mechanic. It is bad because we need to pay more attention to details to avoid more problems.
What Does It Mean For Coolant Level To Drop?
When there is a decrease in the amount of content in the coolant of your car’s engine, it means there has been a natural loss of water because of high-temperature intensity or moving the car over a long distance.
Coolant Levels can also drop abnormally, possibly if you experience a level drop overnight; it is most likely there is internal or external leakage in your coolant reservoir. It will need the attention of an expert to check where the leakage spot is and either fix or replace it.
Sometimes, the leakage can be from a blown head gasket or a damaged cylinder bore, but either way, leakage is a leakage, and it needs to be replaced or fixed if possible.
Is It Normal For Coolant Level To Drop?
You shouldn’t get yourself fidgeting when your coolant level drops. It is normal to have it drop once in a while, depending on the car’s condition and the atmospheric reading. When the coolant drops; it simply needs a top-up.
Managing the situation will require ensuring your engine doesn’t overheat to the extent of causing rapid evaporation of the water in the coolant.
Moreover, it is normal for your coolant to drip for about 0.25” in four months which should be approximately 1″ by the end of the year. anything bigger than that can be caused by other factors such as extremely hot weather or leakages.
What Causes Coolant Level to Drop?
There are three major reasons why your coolant level can drop, they include:
1. High Temperature
As humans lose water through perspiration, and plants lose water content through transpiration, cars also get to have a fair share of these losses through evaporation.
The coolant reservoir can lose its water content little by little through evaporation when the temperature of the day is so high. This is more common for people that live in extremely hot weather or during hot weather seasons.
If your car is parked in a place with high sunlight, you can as well move it to a place with little sunlight intensity and if you can find it, fill up the lost content by adding more water to the reservoir to raise back the coolant level that has dropped.
2. Coolant Leakage
Leakage in the coolant reservoir isn’t common. If there is a leakage, it is likely the coolant reservoir is old and isn’t as effective as it used to be.
If there is a leakage, to have the best result, you will need a replacement. Replacing is the only way to save you from the stress of checking the level of content many times a day and you need to do it immediately because of the importance of coolant to cars.
3. Weather Condition
Hot weather, cold weather, night, and day all have their influence on a coolant level dropping. It is abnormal to have your coolant level dropping overnight. It does. It is maybe a leak or your car needs some urgent attention.
When the weather is a little cooler, the coolant level might drop because the fluid is composed of a larger percentage of water, because of that when the temperature drops, the coolant shrink or contracts, this is likely to happen if the car is left for so long with use.
When the weather is hot, the engine gets lightened up with heat, so the coolant level also drops with time.
4. Not Having Enough Water/Coolant
Adding coolant to the coolant reservoir should be done effectively. Not putting enough is a problem for your engine and might cause your engine to experience more problems if not properly monitored.
Choosing to fill your coolant tank with less than enough doesn’t sound appropriate because this minor act can cost you more money fixing up a damaged engine. You should at least ensure your coolant tank is 30% full at all times.
How Much Coolant Loss Is Normal?
Your coolant level at a one-year cycle shouldn’t exceed 1; this means for every 4 months, you should have an approximated reading of 0.25’’. This is proof that your car is in a good condition and it functions accurately with no sign of leakages.
Should You Fill Up Your Coolant Tank?
Filling up your coolant tank is preposterous; you should at least maintain a 30% level each time. Having your coolant tank filled up can cause the coolant to spill to the ground after it has been heated and made to expand.
Disadvantages of Coolant Dropping?
A drop in coolant is normal, but an outrageous drop can cause quite a several problems for you and the well-being of the car. Here are a few things to know about.
Bubbling Radiator
A common cause of coolant dropping excessively beyond normal means there is a leakage somewhere, maybe internally or externally, a leakage will cause the coolant to disappear faster, which as a repercussion can cause a bubbling radiator.
When you find bubbles in the radiator or the coolant overflow tank, it results from combustion gases being forced into the cooling system. This is dangerous to the car’s engine and can cause more severe damage to the vehicle’s engine.
Overheated Engine
The cooling system of an engine plays a big role in ensuring there is a temperature balance in a car’s engine, regardless of how long the car is being made to travel.
When there is a leak in the coolant tank, air automatically finds its way in, which lowers the boiling point of the engine and causes steam to be produced.
When air and steams is combined, heat will be inevitable, which will cause the car’s engine to function abnormally because of severe heat being produced.
White Smokes
Because of this severe heat, white smoke is likely to come out from the car exhaust even after warming up the vehicle.
This means the overheated engine has caused more problems and something is definitely wrong with the internal engine, maybe a cracked cylinder head or a head gasket blown off.
Either way, you want to avoid these things. If it then happens, see a car doctor.
Final Thought
A natural drop in the coolant shouldn’t bother you. If it goes beyond normal, see a mechanic and have your car checked before your car engine becomes a victim of more severe damage.
