just wondering if it is normal to add some coolant from time to time....the coolant was down about an "inch" below the line in the reservior after driving 5000 miles in the last 3wks

information like vehicle, engine, mileage and possibly more are important.

 

in general - no. subaru considers small amounts of coolant loss normal.

you also have a few coolant temperature related questions from the past (i thought you did, so i looked it up). not sure if it's related but details are helpful:

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=69109&highlight=coolant

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=68450&highlight=coolant

 

that's new gen, you also had a number of coolant/headgasket questions in the old gen but i can guess that doesn't matter here.

you also have a few coolant temperature related questions from the past (i thought you did, so i looked it up). not sure if it's related but details are helpful:

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=69109&highlight=coolant

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=68450&highlight=coolant

 

that's new gen, you also had a number of coolant/headgasket questions in the old gen but i can guess that doesn't matter here.

Sorry..definitely more info was needed..the older gen subi was taken care of by simply adding the subaru coolant conditioner..However my question earlier was regarding my '01 2.5 outback with 60,000miles..it has been so many years with the older subarus of adding coolant, that I don't even know what is normal, except that when asking other people with different makes of cars, that no coolant is ever added

that I don't even know what is normal, except that when asking other people with different makes of cars, that no coolant is ever added

sounds good boss. i'm equally as confused as well, so join the club. i have plenty of subaru's that never need coolant added. but subaru suggests a certain level of adding is normal. you could actually do a search here and find a fairly recent post (this year) about it. someone else asked about a very new subaru still under warranty and mentioned taking it to the dealer. and interesting read and apparently sometimes some coolant needs added without any cause for alarm?

I haven't added (or lost) a drop of coolant in my phase 2 2.2 (98 legacy) since I did my clutch 1.5 years ago (pulled radiator to get more room to yank the engine out). Before that, I hadn't lost anything either. Lucky? Maybe, but at 145k I expect minor leaks.

 

I'd add the Subaru conditioner. I thought the newer cars came with it from the dealer?

Lucky? Maybe, but at 145k I expect minor leaks.

in my experience i'd say this is the norm. i've never noticed a need to top mine off.

 

I'd add the Subaru conditioner. I thought the newer cars came with it from the dealer?

good point. if your cooling system has ever been opened (water pump, thermostat, whatever), then the coolant additive should have been added as well. might be a good idea to have it flushed and have the coolant additive added with the new stuff.

 

that being said....you can check for a head gasket leak. this phase EJ25 in your car will leak externally at the rear of the engine where the head gaskets meet the block 99% of the time. look for any signs of wetness or seaping.

I looked underneath and I am glad to say that it is "bone" dry and very clean on either side of the head along the head gasket

I looked underneath and I am glad to say that it is "bone" dry and very clean on either side of the head along the head gasket

you won't see anything underneath - that's not where they typically leak. maybe you meant this, but it's on the rear side of the engine where they leak. picture if the firewall/steering wasn't in your way, you'd be looking at the back of the motor, not the bottom. that's the head/engine seam you want to check.

Does it smell like coolant?

Does it smell like coolant?

i don't even know if that means anything. there's reports of people with new subaru's that have a slight coolant smell to them and subaru says there's no issues. there are a couple threads like that around, you could find them with a brief search.

you won't see anything underneath - that's not where they typically leak. maybe you meant this, but it's on the rear side of the engine where they leak. picture if the firewall/steering wasn't in your way, you'd be looking at the back of the motor, not the bottom. that's the head/engine seam you want to check.

Thankyou

I experienced a rather slow but steady loss of coolant from my Sube's reservoir. At 47k miles I had the dealer check for leaks as well as drain and refill with fresh coolant plus additive; I had the cooling system refilled plus additive at the 30k service, but it was more than 2 years since then and I only put 17k miles on the car.

Dealer's service dept. reported no leakage found; they did a pressure test as well as check for visual evidence of leaks.

Since the most recent drain and refill, the coolant level has held steady for the first 5000 or so miles and for the past few thousand miles has been very slowly dropping.

I checked for seepage around the head/engine block area but can find none, nor any around the various hoses.

The temp gauge is always normal, there's no coolant smell, the heater works fine. The motor oil never appears contaminated.

Some Subie owners say they never experience any coolant loss, other say they do and that it's normal.:-\

So I just shrug my shoulders and and add a little coolant from time to time. As long as my Subie doesn't run hotter or show excessive coolant loss nor any really noticeable symptoms of head gasket failure, I'll just keep truckin'. No point in agonizing over this issue.

I experienced a rather slow but steady loss of coolant from my Sube's reservoir. At 47k miles I had the dealer check for leaks as well as drain and refill with fresh coolant plus additive; I had the cooling system refilled plus additive at the 30k service, but it was more than 2 years since then and I only put 17k miles on the car.

Dealer's service dept. reported no leakage found; they did a pressure test as well as check for visual evidence of leaks.

Since the most recent drain and refill, the coolant level has held steady for the first 5000 or so miles and for the past few thousand miles has been very slowly dropping.

I checked for seepage around the head/engine block area but can find none, nor any around the various hoses.

The temp gauge is always normal, there's no coolant smell, the heater works fine. The motor oil never appears contaminated.

Some Subie owners say they never experience any coolant loss, other say they do and that it's normal.:-\

So I just shrug my shoulders and and add a little coolant from time to time. As long as my Subie doesn't run hotter or show excessive coolant loss nor any really noticeable symptoms of head gasket failure, I'll just keep truckin'. No point in agonizing over this issue.

Sounds like my situation exactly

With boiling hot coolant getting into the overflow reservoir, is it not normal that some water dissipate into the atmosphere as vapor?

I've always thought that was the cause of the small coolant losses i get. Like down an inch in 6 months.