What could it be? I am very short on finances, and older female. I have been filling resevoir with water before each trip I make and watching the temp. After a 15 mile trip it is pretty much empty.
“passenger side front of car.” Misread that.
This could be something as simple as leaking coolant reservior bottle. Much cheaper than a heater core. Take it to a local garage and ask if they can determine where the coolant is leaking from.
Tester
The reservoir bottle is located above the wheel well on the passanger side. It is leaking at the front corner - I just can’t see where it is coming from - but, I think the bottle is further back
You have to raise the vehicle in order to determine where it’s leaking. The reservior could be leaking, dripping down on the inner fender/subframe, and running down to the front of the vehicle where it hits the ground.
Tester
I guess that your problem started small and has been getting worse? The practice of replacing a proper mix of radiator fluid and water is not helping. Generally, you should be adding a mixture of 50% water and radiator fluid. The radiator fluid sometimes come premixed according to this formula, so make sure you read the product’s description when you buy fluid. This is in my opinion a rip-off, but it is more convenient. Make sure as well the fluid is appropriate for your car. Add the correct mixture of fluid and water and see if the problem doesn’t at least slow down.
That’s in the interim. You need to get this car into a reputable radiator shop (look online to see what’s available in your area and then check them out for reviews).
You may likely have started out with a small leak, which could have been caused by nothing more than a weak pressure-cap. It is very common to lose fluid via the reservoir, not because the part is leaking, but because the car overheats due to inadequate pressure and the car loses fluid from the filling cap on the reservoir after you have shut off the car.
You may have noticed evidence of this while you were adding water to the reservoir.
Since you have replaced the coolant with water at this point, the water is not only setting your radiator up for major corrosion, it is very likely a factor in the car’s inability to maintain a cool temperature.
Also, if the car has been exposed to very cold temperatures since you began this practice of only adding water, it may be that you have caused a freeze-out plug to burst. Water expands when it freezes, and the manufacturer puts small round aluminum plugs into the block to act as a kind of circuit breaker for freezing coolant/ water mixtures that freeze - preventing damage to the block if there is too much water in the mixture or it just gets that cold that any mixture including water will freeze.
Hopefully you need to just replace the radiator cap, and maybe the thermostat, and get a flush and add the proper mixture of radiator fluid and water.
It’s common for the radiator inlet tank on these cars to split. This happens on the front of the radiator, making it hard to see. Sometimes a radiator shop can replace the tank for less than a whole new radiator. Hope this helps.
I have only been putting water in the tank for 3 days. I live in las vegas and the temp has been over 100 degrees everyday, so there is no possibility that it ever froze. I will get some anti freeze as soon as I can afford it. ( Really sad that I don’t even have money for a gallon of antifreeze! ) I am just trying to baby it until payday which is still one week away. I drive with the heat on, watch the temp, and make sure it is always at least full with water. Just trying to somehow determine what could be the cause. Thank you.