2008 Infiniti G35x Coolant Leak

40

Asked by Mmichaels Jan 30, 2020 at 05:25 PM about the 2008 INFINITI G35 x Sedan AWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Car has been leaking coolant.  Occasionally
finding spots under the rear drivers side of the
engine.  Found a spot today near under the
reservoir.  Having to top off every 2-3 days.

“Mild” white smoke from exhaust, but it’s also cold
in Cleveland and might just be the air temperature.

First mechanic pressure tested coolant system,
found no leak and sent me on my way.

Second mechanic flushed and refilled.  Said
coolant was very bubbly.  And mentioned that it
“might be” the head gasket.  Ended up losing heat
and having to top off coolant 3 days later.

Third mechanic pressure tested coolant and found
no leak.  Then performed a combustion leak test
and found no leak (he used that chemical stuff that
changes color). Said he thought that ruled out the
head gasket.  He said he had no idea where the
leak was coming from.   $100 spent.  He gave me
a bottle of K-Seal to try.

Heater does not smell and there is no dampness in
the floorboards.  I marked my reservoir bottle
coolant level and it doesn’t appear to go up or
down even when we run low on coolant.  

Anybody have any other ideas?   Looks like it’s up
to me (and hopefully you) if three mechanics can’t
find it.

2 Answers

40

After deciding that nobody was going to find the leak except for me, I decided to start simply and remove the plastic coolant reservoir for inspection. It was bothering me that the level in the reservoir stayed constant even when the car was running low on coolant and losing heat. Why wasn't the system drawing coolant from the reservoir? Why didn't the level in the reservoir go up and down depending on whether the engine was hot or cold? Very strange. After removing the reservoir and both hoses (supply/return and overflow), I noticed that the reservoir didn't leak through the supply/return nipple. Turns out it had a gummy clog. I rinsed the reservoir with hot water and cleaned the supply nipple with a Q Tip and got water freely flowing through it. Reinstalled and filled the reservoir to a sharpie line I drew on it. Started the car and sure enough, my coolant level in the reservoir went down as expected. Drove the car to work and the coolant level went back up as the car heated up as expected. So my wild and crazy theory now goes as follows (please feel free to smack it down): As car heated up, the engine tried to return coolant to the reservoir. Since the reservoir was clogged, it wouldn't accept the coolant. Therefore, the radiator cap released pressure AND the excess coolant as steam. Coolant would then condense and appear in the form of an untraceable leak under the car. Because of the clog, when the engine eventually called for MORE coolant, it couldn't pull it from the reservoir leading to the level just dropping and dropping without a resupply. Eventually this would lead to loss of heat and a rising engine temperature requiring me to top off with new coolant. So I'm crossing my fingers that unclogging the reservoir with a Q-Tip could have fixed a coolant leak that three mechanics failed to find. Wild long-shot? Probably. But I'm remaining hopeful.

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