Going through more coolant than would be expected?

The engine fan is activated by coolant temperature, and it is normal for it to turn on when the coolant temperature increases. Be certain that your coolant level is correct, and expect it to engage from time to time, especially in warmer weather.

If the engine overheated with the loss of coolant then expect a warped head. Make sure the radiator hoses have no leaks, cracks or feel spongy. Leaking freeze plugs will cause coolant leaks on the lower part of the engine too. A worn clutch has no effect on the cooling system. Excessive engine wear has possibly happened since the coolant loss. Oil can over heat and cause bearings to fail. It would be a good idea to have the engine checked out to see what the level of internal wear actually is.

Well, i would have to say all of the above is a direct result of the water pouring out of the bottom. your coolant system must be full to function correctly, by the cylinders heating the coolant to keep them cool, and then the coolant is cooled back down in the radiator. you can damage the cylinders and more if you run it like that. look for exactly where the water comes out when you pour it in (try to contain any coolant. water alone would be fine to let run on the ground) my hunch is that you probably had a freeze plug come loose from the block, or blew a heater or radiator line. a freeze plug is the little 2" metal circle plate (or even block heater) pressed into the side of the engine under the exhaust on both sides. another possibility could be the water pump. this would be coming from the front side of the engine. there are also many other leak sources, but these are the most common. check the oil. if it is creamy, then there is coolant going into the engine. a freeze plug is an easy fix, as they sell rubber expansion plugs to plug the hole. you sinply stick it in and tighten the nut/screw as per directions and done. a blown hose is relatively simple to fix, but can also be complicated, depending where. most of the heater connections have o-ring and plastic clips that tend to be difficult at times to dis-assemble. a water pump would be expected to fail anywhere between 100k-150k miles typically, and is a cheap repair (i would expect 2-300 in my area)

OPERATION
The primary purpose of a cooling system is to maintain engine temperature in a range that will provide satisfactory engine performance and emission levels under all expected driving conditions. It also provides hot water (coolant) for heater performance.

Fig. 1 - Cooling System Operation - 2.0L/2.4L 1 - HEATER 2 - HEAT UP 3 - COOL DOWN 4 - PRESSURE CAP 5 - COOLANT OUTLET CONNECTOR 6 - WATER PUMP 7 - ENGINE 8 - COOLANT RECOVERY CONTAINER 9 - RADIATOR

Fig. 2 - Cooling System Operation - 2.7L 1 - HEATER CORE 2 - COOLANT PRESSURE CONTAINER 3 - COOLANT OUTLET CONNECTOR 4 - ENGINE 5 - WATER PUMP 6 - THERMOSTAT 7 - RADIATOR

When sitting still, yes both fans on a car equipped with two fans will run. The temperature ranges you posted seem within acceptable range. That said, the water (coolant) should not boil at those high temperatures, but some overflow is expected/normal. Ensure that you are not adding pure water to the radiator and instead are premixing it with antifreeze coolant or adding premixed 50/50 that you can buy at auto stores as this will keep the water from boiling and freezing.

As an added point of information, the hose leading into the overflow jug is two-way, meaning that when the coolant in the radiator cools down enough, it creates a vacuum and pulls coolant back into the radiator.

Zach

Not sure what a burning header smells like, but I would expect two possible smells. First, if the blower motor itself is going, you might smell the windings getting hot - like a transformer burning. If this were the case I would expect that the motor wouldn't spin on the low speeds.
The other smell you sometimes get is when the heater core leaks. Then you will get a coolant smell inside the car and sometimes (usually) a wet carpet as well.

It`s either going to be a head gasket, intake gasket, or cracked head or block. I wouldn`t expect the head or block to be cracked unless it has frozen or been severely over heated. It`s more than likely a head gasket.

Why are you even driving it?
You can't expect us to guess here.
Where is coolant going,out the exhaust,water pump leaking,leaking hose,radiator
You know the possibilities,fix it yourself or get it to a repair shop

Check the coolant level first.(!important) The coolant must be between the "MIN" and "MAX" mark, rather closer to the max, supposedly.

Then take your time to properly describe that blinking red light as you possibly expect a proper answer to your question.

Did the coolant solve your issue? Then it's for a long talk and as simple as knowing about the problem will not change its state and I'd bet you're not going to fix it on your own (right?), take it to the dealer.
But first describe that light more accurately...

Hi and welcome to FixYa,

Initially, the coolant not needing a refill is a very good sign. It indicates that the colling system of your engine have no leaks and therefore is working as expected, to maintain operating engine temperature.

On the other hand, the left wheel going hot while difficult to drive with vibrations would indicate the there are problems on that particular wheel. Most probable problem would be wornout brakepads that of course would need replacing. It may be to your advantage to replace both left and right at the same time. Likewise, pls inspect the rotor, it may have been damaged and may require a re-surfacing. A remote possibility is defective wheel bearing.

Good luck and Thank you for using FixYa. Happy New Year.