Well I got my car back from the shop today and one of the things I had done was a coolant flush. Anyway after the drive home I had the car running in the driveway to cool down for about 10 mins. When I pulled the car into the garage I smelt coolant and noticed that it was leaking out of the back by the coolant tank. I pulled it back out and took it for a ride and the temp came back down and it does not appear to be leaking. My thought was that the car started to get hot because I had the trunk lid open and the fan was not able to do its job and aide in the cooling of the engine. The temp then rose to about 220 and caused the pressure to build and coolant to leak out of the tank. I noticed that the car does not like to sit in traffic and the temp will climb slightly but nothing like this especially after a coolant flush. Any thoughts?

 

there is often overflow from the cap, after a flush or adding coolant ( if it was a significant amount ).. it's difficult to get the level right as you're adding, if it's after a rad replacement? and you need more than a cpl litres. i'd check the cap, keep an eye open for any other leaking ( assuming the tank itself hasn't cracked ( also common ).. but beyond that, i suspect it's just some overflow.. absent obvious failure of the tank.

add: temp was 220?!?. hmm... should be a smidgen over 180

 

yes the temp climbed while the car was sitting and the trunk was open so the fan wasn't doing its job. once I went for a ride the temp went back to normal. I will keep an eye out and I have a call to my mechanic so we will see what he says. Like I said it has never happened before.

 

did you visually check the level in the tank? remove it VERY slowly to release the internal pressure if the engine is warm/hot. make sure it's at the max line.. that should tell you what you need to know.. but yeah, call the guy you paid. good idea

 

yes I will do that, I am just waiting for it to cool down. Thanks for your help

 

no problem. everyone helps here...hope that's all it was. if nothing's leaking now? and once you've checked it? go for a drive