Coolant level question

[Yaris709]

The coolant level in my car has slowly gone down over the past 1.5 years and I mean slow. But soon as the engine is warm its back to a normal level. Is this a problem or should I just top up the coolant and go on about my way. It's still between min. & max in the coolant reservoir

[Yaris709]

Also to add. There's no sign of any leak anywhere. Not on the back of the block. Can't find any hoses leaking. No coolant in the oil.

[white89gt]

It is probably OK. Just add a little coolant and continue to watch it. My F150 very slowly.... like 3 years slow... went down about a half inch in the coolant bottle. I just found that it is leaking ever so slightly on the upper radiator hose where it clamps the the thermostat housing. It's on the bottom hidden, so I couldn't see it.

I realize you aren't talking about an F150, but just saying that leaks can happen in inconspicuous places, and never leave a drop on the ground.

[tmontague]

Im assuming the OP is talking about coolant loss and not just the normal fluctuations of coolant from hot to cold.

fwiw I have always noticed slight loss of coolant every 6 month, very minimal amounts but it does drop slightly. I typically add an ounce or so every year. It wouldn't hurt to inspect for leaks but chances are its a normal amount.

Area to check for leaks are the water pump, coolant hoses and radiator where the plastic meets the metal radiator. I've recently just found mine to be slowly leaking there and my Vibe had the exact same issue

[Yaris709]

Thanks guys I'll have a better look at everything to see if I can find a problem somewhere! Another question is what type of coolant do I buy for the yaris?

[tmontague]

Canadian Tire has a brand called "OEM" that has toyota/lexus pink coolant that is the same ingredients as Toyota OEM stuff but slightly cheaper. Other than that I'd recommend genuine Toyota

[06YarisRS]

I used Canadian Tire's OEM (concentrate) and mixed it with distilled water for my 06. On the 08 I bought the 50/50 Toyota Super Long Life Coolant from a dealership. Since coolant is +/- 50% water and water evaporates, then topping up is a normal process. I found the pricing per 50/50 oz to be quite similar. I agree with tmontague, in that I would only use one of those two products. Unlike Canadian Tire, dealers can usually be talked into a lower price, especially of you buy a few items at a time from them.

[Bluevitz-rs]

You only need to top up the overflow with some distilled water. There's no need to waste money on coolant.