so i havent driven the 8 in a while and every so often i take it out to drive since i got a miata.

when i start the car the coolant light goes on so i turn off the car and the coolant bottle is just about empty. below the minimum mark. yet when i look under the car there is no evidence of any leaking coolant. also my undertray is removed so it would just drip onto the floor.

the coolant would only go to empty if the car was sitting for a while. usually after i fill it up and take it out for a drive the coolant level doesnt drop. but if i dont drive it for a couple days the coolant drops below minimum. im not sure if its leaking slow enough for me not to notice, or not a leak at all.

also i have not seen any power loss or any visible smoke from the exhaust pipes leading me to believe there is an issue with the engine itself.

i have also noticed that ever since i have installed the sohn adapter and running idemitsu premix the car smells more. is this normal? it smells so much that it leaks into the cabin and have to roll the windows down. not sure if this is related to the coolant issue.

things to note
-replaced coolant bottle/sensor around 47k [faulty sensor]
-replaced OEM radiator to Mizu around 68K [cracked nipple]
-installed sohn adapter around 77K [ running idemitsu premix]
-compression test done at Tripoint Engineering at 77K [102F 95R rotor]
-no related CEL lights other than the Coolant light

 

Bump for replies!

 

Basically coolant only has 2 places to go..

leaking out....either from a hose...the heater core inside the car...or from the radiator, or the block

Or leaking into the combustion chamber inside the engine...

The first option usually results in a puddle...unless it happens driving and you don't notice it

The second option will result in lots of white sweet smelling exhaust

You need to pressure test the cooling system....if there is an external leak it will be obvious....

 

If there's no visible leak then your coolant seal is probably blown and it might very well be time for a new engine.

 

I hope it's not the last one ^.
check for any leaks, and the any signs mentioned above, then add coolant and try again.

 

Oh no! Could you revert back to your OMP and discontinue the Pre-mix to check for the sweet smell off your exhaust(as dannobre mentioned)? I, for a fact, know that my engine has a broken seal/plug internally 7,000 miles ago. Decrease and discoloration of coolant fluid in the coolant reservoir, excessive gunk in the dip stick, sweet smell of exhaust fumes, and sometimes hard start(even with new plugs and upgraded starter). That was almost four months ago.

 

hmm well i checked again, and there is a slow leak around the radiator drain bolt. but its very small. maybe a couple drops. but i guess it would be more noticeable when the car is on and it is pressurized. but thats the only thing i know of.

hmm good point. but i doubt that my coolant is drained that much through a faulty seal. and if that were the case i would have smoke coming out of the tail pipes right? were talking the coolant bottle from above Max line to below Min line. thats way too much coolant not bringing up a cloud of smoke.

but as i mentioned earlier, there is a very very very small leak near the rad drain bolt. i just dont know where or what kind of washer it is.

 

Like the video linked in my previous post; mine didn't necessarily have the white smoke, but you'd notice it immediately while the Air Pump is on.

Otherwise...

 

hmmm, well i just checked the dip-stick, no goop what so ever.

as for the air pump, mine is disconnected. currently dying a horrible whiny death.

as for the video, wow, that looks horrible Charles! my 8 doesnt start like that at all! so far mine starts with a turn of the wrist.

but for pressure testing, how would i test the system? never done it before.

 

UPDATE

so i took the car out for a quick drive and looked to see if there was any leaks. it seems like the hose i replaced is loose. it was the hose next to the washer fluid reservoir for the RB water temp sensor. didnt notice it before because the firewall insulator was soaking up the coolant.

 

By far the nicest option

 

Lol!
Thanks for the help guys!