1998 Rav Coolant Loss?

[The Mortgage Man]

We haven't had the Rav long so I am still finding my way around it.

I changed the oil and filters a couple of weeks ago and noticed the coolant was below the Low mark on the expansion bottle. So I topped it up to 2/3 between Low and High.

Just looked checked it now and its back below Low.

Is this a common fault? And if so, what is the cause?

Thank you in advance.

Jonathan

[crofter]

Hi Jonathon, I remember my last rav tended to favour the low mark on the tank and after topping up many times it always found the same level.In the end I just accepted that that was where it was happy as it never went any lower and it gave no problems.

Del

[gjnorthall]

Ir reduces the safety margin but theres otherwise nothing wrong in operating with the expansion bottle at the min level with the engine cold. The level will rise to somewhere between the min and max markings with the engine hot. This will eliminate any possibility of the bottle overflowing. With the engine stone cold - ensure that the radiator is filled to the brim with coolant. If you find the level dropping below the min level in the expansion bottle with the engine cold - there's a coolant leak. Frequent sources of leaks are water pump seals, perished rubber seals on the radiator cap and leaks from the radiator, heater matrix or hoses.

[The Mortgage Man]

Thanks for that guys. I am going to keep an eye on it. Fingers crossed.

Cheers