Just found an issue with the wife's 2000 2.4. The car randomly over heated, it spiked to full temp and flashed the warning light. After a cycle of the car, it went away and would not come back for a few days.

I checked the coolant and there was none in the reservoir but no visible leaks. The cap seems good but I cannot figure out where the coolant is going. The oil is good (no coolant present), whatever coolant is in there looks good (no oil present), idle is smooth (haven't tested compression but I bet all four are good), no smoke from tailpipe.

I tried to 'burp' the coolant system by removing the radiator cap and letting it run to temp. All this did was cause the coolant to dump out of the now open system. I guess the thermostat could be bad but could that explain the coolant loss?

Sorry for the long post. Thanks for any info.

 

If the vehicle is loosing coolant and no noticeable leaks underneath, then i would definitely say the coolant is going through a leaky head gasket or intake gasket. Signs of this would be detected by looking at the smoke coming out of exhaust pipe after the car has warmed up. it is possible also that the coolant is just leaking into the crankcase. The dipstick for the oil would show elevated levels and the oil would appear to be murky or somewhat greenish appearing. Remember if your having overheating problems and losing coolant. you either have an internal leak or external leak, which is more visible. it may not leak when cold but after warmed up a pipe or fitting may open up and produce the coolant loss. good luck