What could my possible problems be?

Asked by chiquila2601 Feb 22, 2014 at 08:36 PM about the 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Last night my car ran hot for the first time,
and the service engine soon light came on.
I let it cool 4 a while and then I checked the
reservoir which was completely empty so I
filled it with coolant. I turned the car on for
about 2 minutes and then I shut it off and
checked the radiator which was empty also.
I filled the radiator with coolant and I spilled
a little or a lot. Today I drove and the car did
not run hot but it was smoking very bad and
had a burning smell. The check engine light
is still solid. I had an engine diagnostic
done and the possible codes were for
coolant level, thermostat, or coolant temp.
Does it sound like I have a serious problem
or is the smell coming from the spilt
coolant? I am also hearing a rattling noise
when I accelerate.

1 Answer

199,615

I advise you to inspect the engine compartment for your leak. The smells could be from what you spilled but the fact is you were low on coolant and it had to leak out some where. I suspect water pump weep hole. This will typically have a slow leak when water pump is going bad and is not noticeable unless you inspect it.

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