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Thread: G4 reservoir is slowly leaking coolant. Update - solved: heater core hose.

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    Senior Member Dirk Diggler's Avatar
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    G4 reservoir is slowly leaking coolant. Update - solved: heater core hose.

    I just cant catch a break with our two Mirages lol. 10 days ago I was checking the fluids in our Mirages and noticed my fluid was a little low on the 2014 hatch and almost empty on the G4 2017. I go out, buy Asian blue 50/50 that specifically states its for Mitsu Mirage. I add the coolant to my reservior tank 1st, the 2014. I waited till my engine was cold and filled it up just a hair past the full line. I realize that can cause trouble of overfill but as of 10 days and a 1000 miles, there's been no issue at all. The G4's coolant reservoir looked empty, I filled it between the low and full marks. Then I checked it the next morning, it was at the same level. Fast forward 10 days to today and the reservoir is almost empty. I filled it again and checked under the car. No puddles or drips, I think its the dreaded internal leak, hard to find, hard to diagnose. I havent spotted any milky residues, nor is the G4 blowing white smoke or displaying any dash lights. I called the dealership to schedule an appointment in 4 days. They said the radiator MIGHT be covered under powertrain warranty if it was a structural failure and not something like a rock damaging the radiator. If warranty doesnt cover it, they quoted $1400 to replace the radiator! Unbelievable how exspensive our parts/labor are. I pray to God its just a cracked hose or something else. If the G4 had a blown head gasket the check engine light would come on, yes? The car is running fine oddly enough too. Thoughts?



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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    I'm thinking (hoping) rock damage.

    Should have a noticeable, distinctive smell.

    A radiator is one of the easier repair tasks.

    Buy one used.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member Dirk Diggler's Avatar
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    No, rock damage means the warranty wont pay for the repair. If its a blown headgasket maybe the warranty will cover it. The engine has already been replaced on this car before we bought it. We found that out, after the fact unfortunately. Has anyone else dealt with a blown head gasket on here? Lots of white smoke would be pouring out if that was the case, right?

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    Senior Member daleWV's Avatar
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    I think the first thing I would have done if I found the reservoir looking empty would be to take the radiator cap off and if its low there completely fill it, noting how much antifreeze it took. Then I would have filled the reservoir to the full mark and go from there. This would probably save some troubleshooting time if there was air trapped in the cooling system from when they replaced the engine before. Eventually it will become obvious if its just air working its way out or coolant is truly being lost somewhere. Just my two cents.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dirk Diggler View Post
    I just cant catch a break with our two Mirages lol. 10 days ago I was checking the fluids in our Mirages and noticed my fluid was a little low on the 2014 hatch and almost empty on the G4 2017. I go out, buy Asian blue 50/50 that specifically states its for Mitsu Mirage. I add the coolant to my reservior tank 1st, the 2014. I waited till my engine was cold and filled it up just a hair past the full line. I realize that can cause trouble of overfill but as of 10 days and a 1000 miles, there's been no issue at all. The G4's coolant reservoir looked empty, I filled it between the low and full marks. Then I checked it the next morning, it was at the same level. Fast forward 10 days to today and the reservoir is almost empty. I filled it again and checked under the car. No puddles or drips, I think its the dreaded internal leak, hard to find, hard to diagnose. I havent spotted any milky residues, nor is the G4 blowing white smoke or displaying any dash lights. I called the dealership to schedule an appointment in 4 days. They said the radiator MIGHT be covered under powertrain warranty if it was a structural failure and not something like a rock damaging the radiator. If warranty doesnt cover it, they quoted $1400 to replace the radiator! Unbelievable how exspensive our parts/labor are. I pray to God its just a cracked hose or something else. If the G4 had a blown head gasket the check engine light would come on, yes? The car is running fine oddly enough too. Thoughts?
    Unless it's covered under warranty or a recall notice, I would never let a dealership work on any of my cars. $1,400 to replace a radiator is a prime example of this.

    Just using one source (rockauto.com), they list 4 different radiators for our Mirage. They range in price from $69 to $115.

    https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...,radiator,2172

    You do not need a Mitsubishi OEM radiator. A radiator is one of those items that can be easily replaced with a cheaper aftermarket product. Scotty Kilmer has done a number of youtube clips on replacing a radiator, & he feels cheap Chinese radiators are perfectly fine. He's never had a problem with one.

    Unless it's done under warranty, I would have a local mechanic shop take care of this issue for you. $1,400 is really out of line. New antifreeze and some other things may need to be done, but it shouldn't cost $1,400 to do.

    You radiator may not be your problem. If it is, I would go somewhere else for service.

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    Senior Member Dirk Diggler's Avatar
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    My appointment is Saturday morning, Ill see if they cover it under warranty, if not, Ill take it to a trusted mechanic.

  9. #7
    Probably just a rad leak. I've had a few that took a rock in the small area on the rh side where it's exposed. They all leaked really slow and were hard to see without pressure testing them. Make sure the dealer doesn't do anything unless you authorise it first. If it is a rad, just do change it yourself or find a cheap shop and buy an aftermarket one.

    And yeah, typically a blown head gasket or cracked head will smoke white pretty bad or blow compression into the coolant. It's possible but doubtful unless you ran it out of coolant then overheated it.
    Mirage videos:

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fummins View Post
    ...all leaked really slow and were hard to see without pressure testing
    +1

    If you suspect you have a leak somewhere in your cooling system, the easiest thing to do to help identify the source of the leak is to perform a pressure test. I guarantee you that this is the first thing they will do when your car goes to the shop. It's a pretty simple process that doesn't take a lot of time. Here's a quick video of how it's done...



    You can usually borrow a tool like this from a place like AutoZone for free.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member Dirk Diggler's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fummins View Post
    Probably just a rad leak. I've had a few that took a rock in the small area on the rh side where it's exposed. They all leaked really slow and were hard to see without pressure testing them. Make sure the dealer doesn't do anything unless you authorise it first. If it is a rad, just do change it yourself or find a cheap shop and buy an aftermarket one.

    And yeah, typically a blown head gasket or cracked head will smoke white pretty bad or blow compression into the coolant. It's possible but doubtful unless you ran it out of coolant then overheated it.
    Thanks Fummy. Yeah Ill take it into the dealership 1st to see if the warranty will cover it, I doubt it though considering he said they will $100 regardless to look at it. Im sure he is used to denying warranty claims on leaky radiators, people scoffing at the $1400 price and taking their car elsewhere. You described the symptoms perfectly, no idiot lights, no overheating, no white smoke, probably just a slow leak from the radiator. If I do replace it with an aftermarket at a different shop, I hope that wont void out the warranty. Can I check the front of her car for the potential rock damage?

  14. #10
    If you have ac, the ac condenser covers most of the radiator. But doesn't cover a small 4" or so patch on the rh side(passenger side). That's usually where it'll be damaged. Bent fins don't matter, it's the thin tubes that hold the coolant, they don't take rocks very well. If anything is obviously bent then you might want to save your $100 and buy a rad as they won't cover that under warranty.

    I wonder if your cvt cooler could be cracked? Leaking coolant into your transmission?????????????

    You could go find a deer and ram into it, then have insurance buy you a new one? I learned years ago I'm covered for hitting animals even though I don't have collision coverage. Check your policy first though lol.


    Mirage videos:

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


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