My daughter has a 2008 Justa with around 112,000 miles. I was checking the oil level the other day (it burns a bit) and noticed the coolant reservoir was empty. When I added coolant, it gurgled a bit then filled; so the level was slightly lower than just the reservoir tank. After driving I topped up the coolant the next day. She's driven the car a few times since then. The coolant is at the lower mark when warm, so it's dropped a bit.
I'm not sure where it's going. There aren't any puddles under the car, so it isn't leaking. I don't see any white smoke (steam) coming out of the exhaust like it's going into a cylinder. It doesn't seem to be leaking into the oil either as the oil looks fine (not milkshake-y). There's no check-engine light illuminated. I hoped it was a leaky heater core, since that is a cheap and easy fix. I pulled the cover next to the driver's pedal to expose the heater core. The carpet underneath looks and feels dry. I turned on the heat and directed it through the dash vents. I don't smell anything. I don't see any greasy deposits on the glass from the defroster.

I'm afraid that it's a head gasket and it is just "burning" too small of an amount for me to see at the exhaust pipe. I don't think the car is worth enough to have that fixed. This is a horrible time to be car shopping.

Can anyone give me any ideas on what to check?

 

a common leak on the GEN2 is the thermostat housing which is kinda hidden and on the top of the block. When the leak is small the leaked coolant tends to cook off before dripping over the side so it can be hard to detect until you look under the 'stuff' on the top of the engine to see the therm' housing area and check for residue of cooked coolant.

This was SUCH an issue that there was even a 'limited warranty extension' for SOME VIN ... but that extension was to 10 years . . .

 

Thanks for the reply. I actually replaced the thermostat housing 3-4 years ago. Wish I knew about this then.

I'll definitely take a look at it.

 

Took a look today and didn't see where coolant might have leaked from the thermostat. Head gasket is really the only other think I can think of (other than cracked head or block).

 

Call your local auto parts store for a loaner pressure tester. This is how I found my thermostat leak.

 

Kind of along the same line. Looking at the FSM. One page says the cooling system capacity is "5.2L (1.4 gal.)". Three pages later it says "5.2L (2.17 gal.)". Does anybody know FOR CERTAIN which of these is correct? Yes, I know that 5.2L is about 1.4 gal. But that doesn't make the 5.2L correct.

 

The bleeder screw on top of the thermostat housing was loose about 1/2 turn. It was pretty crusty too. Hopefully, that's all it is. Going to have to keep an eye on coolant levels.

 

Is that maybe the difference between the NA vs turbo?

 

Didn't think about NA vs turbo. The manual doesn't stipulate.

 

This happened to me too. Buy another bleeder screw right now, it will fail. I got a pressure tester from Autozone and saw some bubbling from the bleeder screw so I went to tighten it and it broke off.
I got a new bleeder screw and repressurized the system. Turns out it was the thermostat leaking and running down the transmission and burning off before it left any coolant on the floor. Move some of the wires and inlet piping and see if you notice some blue/green marks on the transmission going toward the rear of the car.