Losing coolant

[Hsnberg]

Hi gang!

I have been pouring a significant amount of coolant into my 1995 mazda protege 1.5 DX. It has 158k miles on it. About 4-5 days ago I filled the reservoir to about 3/4 full (engine cold), and it is already down to 1/4 full. I have done this 2 other times. I don't see puddles under the car, although I haven't tried putting paper under the car to really check. But to lose this quickly, I figure that I would see puddles. I just had the timing belt/valve cover gasket changed. In the process, he did a coolant flush. I asked him if he saw any leaks and he said no.

Do you susupect that there is a leak? Or is there something I don't know about how the reservoir works?

Thanks in advance!

 

[concept]

Assuming your head gasket is in good shape (and your engine oil is not milky white), your water pump may be in need of replacement. When a water pump seal fails, coolant leakage typically occurs only when your engine is running. To check, look underneath your car while it is idling. If you see dribbling coolant coming from the pump, you have found the culprit.

 

[Hsnberg]

Assuming your head gasket is in good shape (and your engine oil is not milky white), your water pump may be in need of replacement. When a water pump seal fails, coolant leakage typically occurs only when your engine is running. To check, look underneath your car while it is idling. If you see dribbling coolant coming from the pump, you have found the culprit.

The water pump is brand new. A week ago, I did timing belt, drive belt, water pump, valve cover gasket, and crank and camshaft seals, and coolant flush.

 

[concept]

Did you look at your oil and coolant? - anything out of the ordinary?

 

[MaxPower]

It's possible, but unlikely that the cooling system is finishing bleeding.