Tiny coolant leak

pop a zip tie on it.

That stated, when coolant expands it heads to that tank and its hot, over time it will steam out a smidge and SLOWLY decrease the amount of fluid in the res (there will also be natural evaporation out the top due to general heat under the hood).

You are fine.

 

I agree.

I had to top mine off once in 7+ years.
If I remember correctly, it was down to maybe 1/3 way on the reservoir.

 

I’m glad this is normal! I just wanted to make sure that it’s nothing serious in the long run. Haha.

thanks!!

 

Oh ok! Sorry, I don’t know different clamp names… haha.

 

I might just replace the clamp with another oem one and call it good if it’s normal to seep coolant there.

 

I wouldn’t say it’s normal for it to seep.
Mine evaporated out. I didn’t seep out the cap.

I’d use a band/screw clamp and call it good.

 

Sorry, that’s what I meant. Haha. It seeps a little then dried out.

 

Mine has had pink crust there for years. Too lazy to fix it, coolant level never really changes or goes down

 

if its fluctuating so much to where you need to put in more and more coolant then your probably loosing some somewhere, if it rises and falls a little bit thats not a bad thing, I deal a lot with dirt bikes and they do the same thing but i dont have to add coolant, my tacoma does this but again i dont have to add any, what does your oil look like? frothy browness? or normal, there are several reasons this can be happening, when you turn your truck on in the morning does blue tinted smoke leave your tail pipe? if any of this is happening you definetely are leaking inside your engine or trans somewhere if not you may be loosing some in a hose somehwere at the end of the day this is more than likely fixable and not a HUGE deal. let us know.

 

I’m gonna keep my eye on it for now, I bought worm clamps if it gets worse. If not, I’ll order a new oem clamp!

I took it to the dealer and they inspected the hoses and pressure tested the system. They said it’s most likely from the water portion of the 50/50 oem coolant evaporating. I asked about the drain plug on the reservoir that it has dried up coolant on it, but they told me that’s normal, which sat uneasy with me until some of y’all told me I’m not the only one!

 

Thats good glad you got it figured it out you may find lots of little things that seem odd or not right and then find out it aint a big deal when i got big into dirt bikes i always got hung up on the smallest things.

 

I partially blame my job bc I expect a well maintained vehicle/machine. Haha

 

It will do the same thing no matter what clamp you put on it or how many times you add a dab to keep the tank at halfway point between full and low. Just moistness dribbling and drying from expansion and contracting cycles of the coolant from being heated to near boiling and then cooling to ambient temp over and over. That krusty dried stuff will be around the cap seal and the vent hole in it.

Now if it empties the tank every week then that's when the issue is most likely the water pump growing a pink stalagmite behind the pulley and then it's time to replace the pump. discoloration of coolant and oil and it's head gasket time.

 

ohhh good to know! If the crustiness is going to be there regardless, I’ll just at least use the new oem clamp so it doesn’t looks rusty. thanks!!

edit: we are talking about the crustiness on the drain plug on the reservoir, right? Haha. Thanks!

 

always had a miniscule leak there since a young auto age. Like you i dont like leaks, it just seems to seep out of the hoses around the tank ever so slowly. Well, i havent done a thing, the white pinkish powdery residue slowly builds around the tank, and once a year i wipe it off and top off, maybe a half range worth.

 

Oh gees… fortunately, mines only the drain plug for now… I’m really into attention to detail so I’m sure my local mechanic is going to hate me

 

Normal

 

Fuel line hose clamps are designed better without the slots to dig in and mess up the hose so you can get them tighter.

I’d stick with the oem rubber part, since it’s designated for coolant, vacuum caps aren’t.

If you really want it to not leak permanently you can stick the new cap on with some gasket glue.

 

Are the fuel line clamps the same as the ones that’s on there now? (For the reservoir tank drain)

 

My experience is the coolant level in the overflow tank varies according to conditions, so you have to learn what the average level is both fully cold and completely hot. In the winter there is a lot less in the tank when the coolant is fully heated and the same when it's cold: nearly at the "low" level when the engine is cold. In summer when the engine is hot and the conditions are the same, the level is right at the "full hot" line and about half full when the engine cools. YMMV, but I think it more accurate to check the level cold before starting off. Coolant expands quite a bit when it's hot, and contracts more in the winter than in summer. For me, the "sweet spot" this time of year is about half-full cold, 3/4 full hot. In the summer when it's had a good run and it's in the 90's the level is at the "full" line.