so i just checked my car this morning and my coolant is completely gone in the extra coolant tank, i checked the radiator and theres no leaks. there is a coolant leak from the bottom of my car towards the mid front where the driver seat and passenger seat are located and im not sure where its leaking from. it seems to be leaking in the middle where the exhaust is. does anyone know what the problem might be?

 

Odds are the coolant tank split - check the seams for a crusty white residue. It's not an uncommon problem.

 

From my reading there seem to be several popular sources of coolant leaks. The slow leak on our '06 is apparently from the thermostat (one of the more popular sources), so a new one was ordered. We'll take it in tomorrow for the exchange.

Your final drip location sounds like it may be farther back than ours. Our slow leak (topped up from the bottom line to the top line once in a month) dripped down on the ground from just to the right of the front plate center, about 8 inches back from the front bumper, but where it drips down from is not a reliable clue to where the leak originates. It's very tight and dark in there, making a slow leak hard to trace; especially with so much area wet from coolant.

You might also try to check coolant hoses and clamps. A water pump failure would probably show up in a tell-tale dash light indicating an over-heated engine.

Disclaimer: I'm not a mechanic, but I sometimes try to think like one.

 

jam3s: Oh yeah, the coolant tank is another popular source that I forgot to mention on the twin thread to this. The white ones are apparently more prone to split than the newer off-white ones.

 

Awhile back I also checked my coolant level in the reservoir and found it to be gone. In my case it was the thermostat gasket. Went on down to the dealer and was told to get the gasket, you also have to buy the thermostat. I do not know if a gasket can be purchased in the auto parts store, but I would check. I purchased the parts, replaced the thermostat and gasket and no more leak!!

 

It is your thermostat housing gasket.

 

i am actually taking it to the shop tomorrow, but they said it might be my heater core. is it possible that it might be the heater core? my heater works fine though when i turn it on.

 

Possible, but far more rare than either a split tank or leaky thermostat.
Posting the year of the car would help - the 05/06 are more prone to thermostat, the earlier cars are more prone to the coolant tank.

 

I had my heater hose replaced I had expected it to be the thermo gasket (been replaced twice)...nothing was wrong with my heater working but around when I noticed the leak I also noticed that my temp gauge would spike even though it was a slow leak. To get the temp down I'd have to turn on the defrost. But that was just a temporary solution not a long term fix. Without pulling out my records I wanna say it was under $300 for the heater hose replacement. The thermo was sameish, alil more.

 

my heater core split this morning. MINIs are small so it is easy to tell if you core is broke. windows fog up far worse than they ever have and the cabin smells like antifreeze