My partners KE Verada has a rather interesting problem. We had the radiator replaced at the suggestion of the radiator guy here in Hoppers Crossing but the problem still exists.

We will fill the radiator up full with water in the morning and by the time he gets to work, the radiator is empty again (From Hoppers Crossing to Newport).

The strange thing is, the radiator reserve bottle level never fluctuates and the temperature gauge doesn't move from its usual position at Medium.

Anyone have any ideas?

Stuffed radiator cap and/or damaged overflow hose, dumps coolant onto the roadway as you drive.

But, you should check the exhaust. If it continues to put out steam or spit water drops after the engine has warmed up, it could be a head gasket problem. Any water in the oil or oil in the water?


((WATER? Did you say you put WATER in the radiator? OMG!))

put money on it being the water pump. water leaks into the valley of the cylinders, and evaporate before it can drip off, or evaporates enough to make it less noticeable. check the gearbox for signs of water marks.

Ignore above.

Get a pressure test, if the coolant level is dropping in radiator then has to be oing somewhere

Pressure test is probably the quickest way to find out what is happening, that's why, I guess.

The guy who did the radiator did a pressure test and it seems to be holding.

Bellto your post was not there when I started typing so was not referred to you, many will start with head gaskets and all doom and gloom, best to test the system first then save a heap of $$ guessing

OP, did they test the cap, did they hold the appropriate pressure on the system long enough? Did they do a Monoxide test.

Issue is many will get the guage, put it on the car and then leave it 10 seconds and not determine if there is an issue.

Another issue can also be there is a blockage in the overflow bottle, it will allow coolant into the bottle but the debris in there will act like a valve and not allow coolant to be drawn back out of the bottle. Can cause a similar effect however over time the level in the bottle will get very high until it over flows.

Try filling it up and letting it run for 10-15 minutes without the cap on and see what happens, if you have air trapped this should bring the air to the surface don't worry if the coolant bubbles out a bit just let it run and heat up without the cap on. It can't hurt to try it.

Bellto your post was not there when I started typing so was not referred to you, many will start with head gaskets and all doom and gloom, best to test the system first then save a heap of $$ guessing

OP, did they test the cap, did they hold the appropriate pressure on the system long enough? Did they do a Monoxide test.

Issue is many will get the guage, put it on the car and then leave it 10 seconds and not determine if there is an issue.

Another issue can also be there is a blockage in the overflow bottle, it will allow coolant into the bottle but the debris in there will act like a valve and not allow coolant to be drawn back out of the bottle. Can cause a similar effect however over time the level in the bottle will get very high until it over flows.

We put a new cap on the radiator and it still went down.

If I was to remove the overflow bottle, clean it out and refill the system, would it be a reasonable thing to try - at least to check off the list?

I did give the two extremes, rad cap not holding pressure to blown head gasket. Lots of other possibilities in between. lol

Seriously, a thorough pressure test will reveal a lot. External leaks will show up, but if none are found and pressure still drops, it is time for the monoxide test to see if exhaust gases are leaking into the cooling system and causing overflow of coolant. If that is positive, then you know.

By all means clean out the overflow bottle, while you are there check the hose and also check for obvious signs of leakage at the bottom radiator hose and tap, if your new radiator has one.

Does the cooling system hold any pressure at all? ie if the engine is hot, is the top radiator hose firm when you squeeze it?

This happened to me when some cheeky bugger swapped the hoses on the overflow bottle cap of another car - check yours to see if this hasn't happened.
(I'm not sure if the Magna has the same arrangement though?)

If it continues to put out steam or spit water drops after the engine has warmed up, it could be a head gasket problem
Not a dependable signal. Depends on ambient temperature.
In most of Oz take the car for a good run to dry the complete exhaust system out first ........Can take a while on some cars. Idling to warmup temp is no good.
Then see if the above is happening after the drive.
Remember though if you let the engine idle long enough afterwards and it is cold outside the exhaust will cool at the rear and the above will occur again.........
Ever been somewhere cold or really cold say Europe or Alaska???
Exhaust does the above nearly all the time no matter how long the engine has run. Food for thought....... Vee

this is happening to me also.however i have feelings its the water pump or my overflow bottle was cracked in the accident impact.