[Bajirao]

Hi There,

I am very new to this wonderful forum and wanted to get inputs on a coolant problem (or feature?) on my i30 Petrol.

The coolant level is steadily dropping and reached almost 'L' mark so took my i30 to dealership. They 'pressure tested' the coolant circuit and found no leaks, topped up the coolant free of charge. But to my surprise the coolant level is at almost 1/2 mark when cold (before starting the engine) the very next day.

I went thru some of the posts about similar topics here and over the web and am bit concerned if this is connected to bad head gasket or coolant getting mixed with oil etc.

Does anyone here have similar problems especially with petrol i30 (OZ version, made in Korea)? Please let me know.

Thanks in advance,

[Lorian]

Is there white smoke from the exhaust when the engine is fully up to temperature?

If you look in the oil filler is there any sign of white or throthing inside?

I presume you are aware you should always check the level when the water is cold? If they topped it up to the correct level when the engine is up to temperature then it's going to be low then next day when the water is cold.

I believe .au/Korean cars are generally supplied to the dealers with low water, and the dealer is supposed to top up as part of PDI. Not sure how old you car is though.

[Duckman]

I have noticed mine drop to just above low before, and taken note. A day or so later I checked gain to see if it was an issue I needed to deal with, and it was above half way... Both times were on cold engine temps. Maybe it's a certain amount through the system?

[Dazzler]

Hi  Bajirao  Thanks for you kind words - welcome to the Club.

I haven't really monitored the water level in my Diesel that closely but will make a point of doing so over the next few weeks. It has not been a common issue in either the Petrol or Diesel models on this forum anyway.

You have a 5 year warranty so just check it every few days until you are sure it is not going below the low point.

I would be surprised if it is a head gasket but you should take note of Lorians suggestions anyway..

[StarSeeker]

As Lorian said, if they topped up your coolant when the engine was warm, it will drop when cold, as hot coolant will expand and is probably best filled when cold.

When I collected my car, the coolant level (cold) was about half way and slowly dropped further after some miles to just above the minimum mark.  I believed this would have been down to the coolant working its way around the system and dispersing any trapped air. Mine has now settled down.

How many miles had your car done, when you went to the dealership with this problem

[eye30]

Are you checking on level ground?

it is surprising that a "gentle" slope can vary the level quite alot.

[Bajirao]

Thanks you all for the response!!

It feels good to be part of an alive forum.

Ya, my i30 is about 6 months old and has 6K Kms (about 4 k Miles) on it. Fortunately I stay very close to my place of work so not much commute.

I talked to the dealer again and he mentioned to me (in line with what you guys are saying) that when cold, the level will drop and should be between Mix and Min. I have made a pencil mark on the coolant level when cold and will monitor it for some days. Dealer told me that it should not change from that steady state level in the morning.

I also checked the oil and found that it still looks like engine oil (not greyish or milky stuff) .

Thanks again,

- Bajirao

[2i30s]

my coolant levels went up and down for months when i first got the hatch and the wife's cw also did the same thing. i never had to add coolant to the reservoir.it just varied in level from day to day.14 months and 15000kms later and its not doing it now.

[MRH130]

For some reason I don't fully understand, the petrol ones seem to do that. If you have a nett loss and it never comes back, that's when I would worry about it - until then do keep an eye on it but don't panic if it fluctuates a bit.

If they pressure-tested it and it held pressure it should be fine. If it was leaking through the head gasket a pressure test would normally show it, and the Beta engine is as tough as old boots and not prone to head gasket issues (although nothing in the whole world is perfect!)

Welcome to the club. 

[Myowni30]

I'm on my second 1.4 i30 in 9 months for various reasons. And my coolant level on both of them did/does seem to go up and down on its own for no reason 

Some days when hot its up to the max mark, next day it just below it. I keep it mid way between min and max when cold. So I think your car is okay. If the level drops below the min in the next few weeks then you may have a problem. But I should not worry about it, it seems the 1.4 petrol does this for some strange reason.

[Lorian]

Perhaps its relating to the thermostat being open or not. strange though.

[eye30]

my coolant level on both of them did/does seem to go up and down on its own for no reason 

Some days when hot its up to the max mark, next day it just below it.

My understanding is when the car is warm the coolant will expand and will rise.  Depending on the initial level it may be above the Max level.

The main thing is when it is cold the level should not be below the Min.

Check when cold and the level should be between Min and Max level.

Personally I tend to have it at about three quater level when cold.