Damage Report: Running low on coolant in Central TX summer?

[krazy]

Hey all,

So I did a noob thing and I'm trying to get a feel of what *potential* wear or damage I might have caused.

I drove around in a Central TX summer (110F days) slightly low on coolant. Probably for a total of ~1,500 miles over 3 months of (the worst of) summer.

That said, I ALWAYS kept an eye on my temp gauge and it *never* got above the 3/4 mark. For most of this summer, I ran between 1/2 and 3/4. (Stock thermostat, btw.)

(My understanding is the Bentley manual says that below 3/4 is acceptable. Although I know a well-maintained system should run at/below 1/2.)

While I don't think anything is actually damaged from it, I'm curious what parts might have been worn excessively or things I might wish to keep an eye on, after this. Trying to turn this into a learning experience. (i.e. Could my head gasket blow a little sooner than usual, now?)

UPDATE - Topped off today with about 1 cup (~0.25 L) of 50/50 coolant/water mixture. That's how 'low' I was running.

Thanks!

[TobyB]

Nothing. It's fine.

If you feel the need to atone for it, change your coolant
if you haven't in a few years. The anti- corrosion additives get 'used up'...

t

[e30davie]

My M20 started to get a bit warm in the Australian Queensland summer, and i found i was missing like 1.5L of coolant due to a pinhole in a coolant hose.

In my one off anecdotal experience, a good condition m20 cooling system appears to put up with losing alot of coolant and not overheating dramatically.

[jlevie]

I suspect that the temperature is going above the halfway point when idling. Which would suggest that the fan clutch could be bad. But even in 110F weather while driving at 35mph or more the needle should be below the half way point. The thermostat could be bad or the radiator could be partially plugged.