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Low coolant

23K views 12 replies 12 participants last post by  tomato123 
#1 ·
I have just under 1400 miles on my 2017 RAV4 and noticed the coolant level is right at the "LOW" line. The engine was cold and car parked on level ground. I went ahead and topped it off with Toyota SLL coolant but am concerned this will become an ongoing issue. I am aware that some water will evaporate from the system but this seems a little excessive.
The car was built November of '17.
 
#3 ·
From page 480 of the '16 Hybrid manual:

The coolant level is satisfactory if it is between the “FULL” and “LOW”
lines on the reservoir when the hybrid system is cold.
■ Engine coolant reservoir

If the level is on or below the
“LOW” line, add coolant up to
the “FULL” line. (P. 586)
 
#5 ·
I'd top it off and keep an eye on it. If it continues to go low you may have a bad radiator cap, preventing pressure venting, which could possibly causing some coolant to leak out from hose connection points, or through the actual hoses. Do you see any crusty residue on your coolant hoses, or near hose clamps (might need to check underneath)? There are pressure testers for testing radiator caps (such as Mityvac MV4560). Also are pretty cheap to replace.
 
#6 ·
Just keep an eye on it. At 54,000 miles, my '13 Rav4 coolant was 16 ounces low. The dealership refilled the reservoir and called the coolant consumption "normal". I'm now at 75,000 miles and it is again below the "Low" mark.

That's the most non-leak coolant consumption I've ever seen in any of my vehicles. I plan to watch it to see if it develops into a significant problem.
 
#7 ·
RAV4's are known to consume coolant quickly. And the coolant reservoir is pretty small on a car like this.


My RAV has around 3,300 miles and I have already topped it off once.
 
#8 ·
My Rav4 and my other new cars all had their coolant reservoirs drop to the low line or lower at the beginning. I believe some of it is due to trapped air pockets in the engine finally getting filled or bubbles clearing out. On mine they settled down after 1 or 2 top-ups.


Frank 2015 Rav4 XLE AWD with 19400 miles
 
#10 ·
It looks like the coolant reservoir itself has an air vent at the top. None of the other cars I've seen has that. I wouldn't expect much coolant to leak out from there but if it's shaken around enough (off road) I could see some possibly spilling out from there too.
 
#11 ·
Mine leaks or consumes a lot of fluid as well. At 4200 miles it was below the LOW line. I had been smelling "burnt" coolant everytime I get out of the vehicle and walk by the coolant tank side of the hood. The dealership said they pressure tested it and found no leaks. They refilled it and said since the tank has an air vent, you could smell coolant in the air around that side of the vehicle. So, I kind of buy the explanation for the smell of coolant. But, where does that much coolant go?

At 9500 miles it was again below the LOW line. The dealerships just seem willing to pump more coolant in and not find the leak. I have visually inspected the entire exterior of the engine and can see no visible signs of a leak. But it sure as heck is going somewhere. The cooling system is a sealed system and it should not need refilling every 5,000 miles. I have a 15 yr old Oldsmobile that I've NEVER had to add coolant to, other than when I flushed the system at 100,000 miles.

Coolant either leaks out, or is leaking internally at the head or intake gaskets. And this dealership seems unwilling to find the leak...or worse yet, they are incompetent and cant find the leak.
 
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