hi all.

just returned from a short trip in my 2000 Magna with no noticeable problems engine temp was normal . as i turned off the car i heard a gurgling/rumbling sound coming from the front passenger side in front of wheel, i found a average size puddle on the ground of coolant, it appeared it had leaked from the over flow coolant bottle. i took off the over flow line and checked that it held pressure which it did. i filled the coolant bottle with water and nothing leaked out. there is no crack in the top or bottom lines so i have no idea what the issue is !

i ran the car for about 10min in the garage and the temp sat at the usual mark with the the radiator fan running with no leak.

has anyone got any ideas on what it could be? there was some traces of coolant around the bottle like on the splash guard.

i understand 10min in the garage isnt a very good test but i am a little nervous to take it for a drive and i would have thought coolant would still have been running through the system during that 10min. so im confused ! help me!


cheers!
Reece

Don't Panic!! It's fine... Water expands with heat, the water/coolant in the overflow get's hot but doesn't get cooled like the fluid in the radiator.
The sound would almost replicate boiling water, I've had this before myself and panicked a little. Anyway wait for your car to cool, top up your fluids if need be and all should be right.
You should always monitor your gauges while driving anyway.

I'm sure someone will add to this should I be lacking information.

Your radiator cap is probably cactus and not holding pressure. Grab a new one of those and it should solve the issue.

Is it deffenitly coolent? The aircon evaporator drains its water near that spot.

Could be a faulty cap and or thermostat.
My money is on cap, based on the information provided.
Remember, don't fill your overflow bottle right up, because the coolant expands when hot, and that's the bottle is there, to catch that overflow, and return it to the cooling system when the engine cools.
The cap of the overflow bottle has a level indicator on the stalk, use this as a reference.

"Is it deffenitly coolent? The aircon evaporator drains its water near that spot. "

Fairly easy to tell - if the fluid on the ground is coloured, it is coolant. If it is clear, probably condensate from the A/C. I was doing some work on my car after a major overhaul and for about 2 hours, there was a regular drip of fluid. I then put in some anti-freeze (green), and checked the next day after a run, but no green water on the ground, so all good!