Im a car Noob!Need Help with Coolant/overheating!

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So yeah,Its my first car and im quite clueless relying on help from people to Learn! I drove my Car For maybe 10 minutes yesterday after it had been sitting there for some time (a few weeks?)....Upon Returning home And checking the engine There was water Leaking From The Fill cap On the radiator and very hot.....

I dont have a Leak,im about 99% Certain but i DID check my Coolant Resevuar today and It was below the "low" Line.Would a Lack of coolant Cause the car To Overheat after a short Period of driving it or could it be My Thermostat?

Ehrm,I Heard that coolant doesnt get "used up" Which i dont understand....How can a liquid in your car never get used up? i live in hawaii so tempertatures are mostly 80 to 90 degree year round....and its a new car and combined with my lack of expierence its all a learning thing right now! Yay.....Im going to buy coolant and add it to the Resevuar tomorrow and then drive it for a brief period to See if that fixes things but do you Absolutely NEED coolant in your car? Will it overheat if there is NO COOLANT and JUST WATER in the radiator?

Cause my radiator HAS Full water but ZERO coolant.....is that my issue of overheating Most likely?Btw,I have a 3 liter V6 Dodge Caravan 94...if thats important!

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do you live where it is cold? That is very important. You may need to be flushed badly. What color is the water red, milky?

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You got to have correct amount of either water or coolant or your car will overheat. Coolant is more effective and doesnt freeze up during cold weather. The other item responsible for cooling the engine is radiator/cooling FAN. Make sure its working. Cars dont drink water only gas. The water/coolant only circulates around the engine to keep it cool, and always needs topping up because of loss due to tiny leaks or evaporation.

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If water was leaking from the filler cap on the radiator that means either the cap was not on properly or the rubber seal needs replacing, or the radiator is boiling due to insufficiant water or a bad thermostat. (there are other reasons a radiator boils but they are unlikely.)

When water in the radiator heats up it expands in volume, some of the hot water will flow via a tube into the resevoir. When the water in the radiator subequently cools it contracts in volume. This contraction causes a vaccume in the radiator which draws water from the resevoir back into the radiator.

I suggest the following. In the morning before you start your vehical remove the radiator cap. Can you see the water level? If you cannot see the water level put water into the radiator until it over flows.
then replace the radiator cap.
Top up the reservoir bottle to mid way between the low and high mark.
Drive your vehical for 15 mins. On the dashboard will be a temp guage. watch this gauge and see if it enters the red zone. if it remains in the green zone you are probably Ok.

coolent is best but water should be Ok

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@mrhunt,

Several things in your post combine to make me wonder about this...

You say this is a new car to you?

Where did you get it?

Cars run a coolant ~ water mix for a number of good reasons. It is much less corrosive than straight water, and has an increased boiling point.

(speculation from here requires more information )

I would suggest having the vehicle looked at by a professional, provided you bought it from an individual, and have no recourse to get it made right.

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Ehrm,Well i do have a mechanic working on it but Some other parts are on order and he's sorta a friend of the family so he does it on HIS time and Not when I Really NEED it done which is alright cause his work is dirt cheap.....ANYWAYS.I topped off my radiator With A bit of coolant/Water and Filled my Coolant resevuar with half coolant half water and drove it for roughly the same period.

The Car didnt Get hot/Enter the Red zone on my temp gage and when i was done i opened the hood and nothing was boiling or anything....Im going to drive it tomorrow again To See what happens but it was strange.....Maybe it WAS just low levels??

My roommate keeps insisting That The Coolant Resevuar Should Remain EMPTY At all times? Ive read lots of tutorials Online saying that the resvuar should be FILLED...Which is correct?

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Btw,ALL Cars are new to me.This is my first car so all Of this is "new" To me.Its a 94 Thought so actually about 15 years old or so....

I purchased It From My Boss at work.

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@mrhunt,

mrhunt wrote:

Btw,ALL Cars are new to me.This is my first car so all Of this is "new" To me.Its a 94 Thought so actually about 15 years old or so....

I purchased It From My Boss at work.

Ah! so 15 years old puts everything in a different light.

Never ever ever buy a car from someone that is important in your life.

Your room mate is wrong. From this point on don't listen to anything he has to say about cars.
How much water/colant did you add directly to the radiator not including what you put in the reservoir.

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Yeah,Thats what i kinda Suspected with my Roommate!

Uhm,I Only added A very small amount of Coolant to the radiator Just to top it off as it was already Mostly Filled with water.the Majority of the coolant i put into the Resevuar,Id say a 70% coolant 30% Water Mixture....As per what the directions said to.

And Yeah,ive made some mistakes buying this car but they've not been THAT bad and The important thing is that Im Learning About it contstantly and That ive done it on my own which is something im super proud of.When it comes time to my second car i'll be a ******* pro!!

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Btw,Could there ever be a harmful amount Of coolant To Add? obviously i wouldnt Fill the entire Radiator with coolant but what if you did? Or didnt mix the water to coolant Ratio properly? what would happen?

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Im a car Noob!Need Help with Coolant/overheating!

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