So yesterday I was driving in carbon canyon in Malibu and my Z started to overheat. It shut off on me and I just rolled down the hills until I got to a gas station to add anti freeze. There was literally no coolant left and it drank almost the entire bottle after putting it all in the plastic resivoir and in the radiator. Now it doesn't overheat but the temp gauge is fluctuationing going up passed the normal op temps and then it goes back down to normal then goes back up. I'm assuming another problem is the thermostat but I doubt it since I found out the nissan dealer in downtown LA I had my oil change at said they top off all fluids...but there was literally not a drop of radiator fluid and my car drank the entire bottle of coolant and I checked for leaks. Will the fluctuations subdue overtime when the engine circulates the coolant?

 

No- more than likely you have air trapped in your cooling system and will continue to have overheating problems. A bigger problem is where all that radiator fluid went to in the first place! There's a leak somewhere and it's not a small one...

 

I looked underneath it, took off the plastics underneath to see if there's puddles of fluid and I see none.

 

That's a worrisome prospect. Is it possible you have an internal leak somewhere (blown head gasket or other issue) that is allowing antifreeze to mix with combustion? Have you drained the oil to make certain there's no traces of antifreeze in there? Either could mean catastrophic engine failure in short order if not corrected.

Better keep a sharp eye on coolant levels and turn the concern scale up.

 

Does your engine oil look milky?

 

It is brand new fresh oil. And I checked the coolant again and it drank it all off again. So I believe there is definitely a blown head gasket and the coolant is being burned off somewhere. I made it to downtown Nissan LA and there checking the problem out. Hopefully it's nothing major because I really want to bring this car back to CT with me.

 

Kind of stole the fun out of that drive through Malibu, I bet. That's one of my favorite drives in the country.

I'd add dye to the coolant and see if I could find the source of the leak with a black light and some goggles. Are you seeing any white smoke come out of the tail pipes?

 

Another possibilities..
The heater core is leaking ( That should leave a puddle by the firewall ) ...
One of the radiator tanks crimps is coming apart... ( look for white stains under the hood on hoses shroud etc. ) .
The water pump is weeping ( unlike a conventional car it's a strange beast ) ...

I would check 2 things EVERY morning, 1) How much coolant have you lost from the day before and top it up each time when cold. 2) If the oil starts to look milky.

Have the dealer pressure test your cooling system ASAP.

Mike

 

So Coolant was being mixed in with the oil in the oil pan and my oil pan is screwed along with my timing chain and water pump. Cost to fix is 8k to replace with a new engine. Unfortunately, I am not a Z owner anymore. I was considering getting a 370Z, but after seeing so many nice Mustangs in California, I picked up a 2015 Ford Mustang GT at Santa Monica Ford. I loved my Z and will get another one again. But I've never owned an American car and thought this was the right time to get America's sports car to drive back to Connecticut. Pics of the new Mustang tomorrow when I pick it up.