Coolant coming out of reservoir

Hey there,

I've noticed coolant is coming out of the reservoir cap and from the hose from the rad. Coolant level while cold is right on the the full line. Not sure why now it's starting to come out of those two exit points. Picture below you can see the caked coolant. Temp outside has been pretty warm around the 70's..

 

Plastic parts are getting old, not sealing like they used to.

 

It's normal wear and tear. What you would be looking for are active leaks, as in you see liquid dripping. My 2012 looks exactly like that. I'm no scientist, but I believe that its just vapor from coolant as it condenses after a hot trip through your motor. You'll be alright to just clean it up with some water. If it's really bothering you, you could put a hose clamp on the narrow overflow line. Be careful that you dont break off the nipple.

-J

 

Yep put a hose clamp on it

 

Mine was leaking a lot like that too. I cleaned everything and the hoses looked and felt fine but my radiator cap was original, crusty and the rubber seal was hard and cracked. Replaced it with a new one and o haven't had any issues since.

 

What is your mileage? Do you hear a whooshing sound from under the left dash? Check for bubbles in the expansion tank after driving. These are symptoms of a head gasket going. Unfortunately there is a fair amount of info on the issue.

 

Yea was just curious on why they both went at the same time, especially being very recent. Truck has 150,000 miles on it. Don't hear a whooshing sound. When I turn off the truck theres a weird noise maybe more of a gargle.

 

Happens when I run the A/C tho

 

Start with the simple fix first and try a new radiator cap. Clean everything up really good and monitor.

 

My understanding is that its just an expansion tank for the radiator. As you loose coolant through thermal loss, that reservior tops off the lost fluid in your radiator as well as allow for extra fluid to expand into as to not blow your radiator. The black cap on the expansion reservoir allows for air to expel as fluid level changes in the tank. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

With my understanding, replacing your radiator cap might not have anything to do with your reservoir getting those pink crusties. Dont get me wrong, at 150,000 miles, it wouldn't be a bad thing to replace your radiator cap as the seals might not be up to OEM standards anymore. Just make sure you get a properly rated radiator cap. It'll be a good time to check for sludge underneith your old radiator cap that could be signs of the dreaded head gasket.

-J

 

As stated above, that overflow tank is only intended to serve as a place for excess coolant to get pushed into from the coolant passages expanding. When the engine gets hot, the coolant gets pushed out of the system into the overflow tank. When it cools off, it creates a natural vacuum and pulls it back from the tank. It should be noted the tank is NEVER under pressure so the cap on top of it isn't even required to seal. If the level is getting high enough that it's coming out of the tank lid then the system is over filled or you have a problem.

Sometimes you may develop a small leak in a hose where the coolant system doesn't hold a vacuum. Thus, coolant will get pushed into the tank but won't get sucked back in. This leads to the tank eventually overflowing and your radiator/cooling system will have air pockets in it (very bad).

My suggestion would be to go drive the truck and get it fairly hot. Then pull over and immediately open the hood to inspect the tank. Note the level in the tank and whether the contents is boiling or not. DO NOT take the cap off the radiator at that time; you'll go to the hospital.

 

Is the end of that small vent hose blocked with something? Looks like a rodent has been gnawing on the black cap pretty good. For comparison, my 2012 has never leaked in either location to my knowledge. I get more leaks around the washer fluid cap from rough dirt roads than the expansion tank..

 

OP, this happened to mine and it turned out the short rubber plug piece on the bottom of the overflow tank was leaking. Took an actual screw clamp to stop the leak.

If this were mine, and a new radiator cap does not stop things, or you do not find a leak in the overflow tank I would look to see if bubbles were coming up through the radiator when the engine is running and also get the hydrocarbon test kit and check for combustion gasses in the coolant. I'm hoping it just something simple though for you.

 

2006... Dare I say it?

Get it checked for a blown head gasket.

 

I wonder what the production month (and year) are? Maybe if the OP can look a the sticker on the door pillar and report back I can then check the production date break to see if the old HG was used vs. the new design gasket.

 

A leak there would absolutely cause a vacuum failure and cause it to constantly push coolant into the tank and never retrieve it. Might be time to look at the oil.

 

Air leak somewhere is pushing coolant up and out. Leak or head gasket.

 

Another 06 Tacoma,my 06 did the same thing,and it was blown headgasket,got rid of it.
My manufacture date was March 2006.

 

The production date for the new design HG begins Nov. 2005 and continues to July 2015 when 2nd gens ended so this concerns me. Just an odd failure maybe? I certainly hope we do no see more reports beginning of 2006+ failures.....

 

Mine was a 2011 and failed at 90k. I know of a 2015 that failed.