On our 2002 Escape, a few months back I asked how I might find a coolant leak. Well, the leak we had seemed to happen only once. Driving from Sacramento to Reno in a very cold snowstorm, it seems like we lost about a pint of coolant. This was right after Christmas.
Fast-forward to today, and it seems like we no longer have a leak.
Is it possible that something about driving in very cold temps (well, cold by California standards, that is) would cause this? It was about 20 and snowing pretty hard. Maybe the leak is in the heater hose and doesn’t really leak a lot until the heater is cranked?
I’d like to find this leak, although it doesn’t appear to be critical. I haven’t added any coolant to it since this incident.
I wonder if something iced up once, then thawed.
Something like the reservoir or the hoses between.
Check your coolant for proper mix against freeze point.
I am the tech manager at prestone coolants. It could be what we call a “cold vehicle leak”, meaning something contracted enough to slightly leak. That said, 7 out of ten vehicle failures are caused by overheated engines and poor cooling system service. You should have a technician check it out with a pressure tester to be sure. And, if if you have never had yopur cooling system serviced and coolant changed, your about 3+ years overdue.
I once had a T-bird that would leak from the gasket where the plastic side tanks clamped to the radiator, but only when it was cold.