Hi guys,

long story short,about six months ago, my 16gk engine started misfiring, took it to the dealership, they replaced my cat, spark plugs, gasket converter, fuel injector, fuel joint and a bunch of stuff.

Today was a somewhat cold day, -10 degree Celsius, feels like -17. I was topping up my wiper fluid and i realized the coolant level drop significantly. It was pretty much at the min line. I know for sure in august, i have top it to max line from my record book.

Should i be concerned and bring my car in again?

Holidays are coming up and i would rather not get stuck on the side of the road.

:S

 

nah, just add some honda coolant. it's a maintenance item. i had to add some earlier this fall too in the GK. as long as it's not dropping super quick its probably fine.

 

Just like air pressure in tires drops with the temperature, fluids also tend to shrink in volume with drop in temperature. This might be what you're seeing although the drop seems more drastic than can be explained by colder weather. Anyway, top it up a bit and check it frequently over the next while. Also look under the car for signs of an external leak.

 

It's cold & things shrink, even your coolant. Top off with the correct stuff & you'll be fine. Keep an eye on it just to make sure it is just shrinkage factor.

I had to add a bit to my wife's MINI last week.

 

Its also common for small coolant leaks to occur during very cold ambient temps. The coolant seeps out for a few minutes, but when everything warms up it stops.


You won't get stranded on the side of the road. But as mentioned, it's Good Practice to check the coolant level and keep it AT LEAST at the MINIMUM level.

PS, if the dealer/shop are nice guys, they might add coolant to your reservoir for free. It should only take a cup-full. It's normal for the level to require topping up a few drive cycles after any service where the system was opened. (This includes removing the air intake...Honda uses a coolant passage that warms the PCV a little)

 

I've got 75k miles on mine. I've had to add to the bottle twice. The first time was un nerving, but it keeps running fine so I'm not worried about it.