disappearing antifreeze

Some should come out into the overflow container and get sucked back in when needed. Make sure your overflow tube is in place and not cracked and that you don't have a hole in the overflow container.

That is a really good idea. The vehicle was in a serious front end collision a few years ago, and I know the washer fluid tank leaks ever since then. I'll bet thats it

Better stop driving your vehicle, and get your engine pressure tested, before you ruin the engine. Sounds like another infamous Toyota head gasket failure

Mike mighgt be onto something....before you drive again, look at your dipstick and see whether it's oil on the stick or a grey emulsion of oil and water (and whether the crankcase has lots more than five quarts in it. If this is so, you've got yourself a splendid broken head gasket and the coolant is running into the crankcase.

I'd usually agree, but in this case he says that the overflow bucket is broken and that the car isn't overheating. Both point away from a head gasket, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

I meant to mention in my original post that the oil is fine. For a long time I suspected HG too, When it was crashed a few years ago it overheated and I had the heads and HG fixed, but its acted funny ever since (I've only driven it a few hundred miles in 5 years).

Anyway, when I went to look at the overflow tank today it was fine, but it was quite clear that the liquid is being expunged out the overflow hose. But why?

By "fine", do you mean it was at which level marker (the hot line or the cold line), and with the engine warm or cold?

A blown head gasket could do that. Ways to check:

1. Put a sniffer into the radiator neck and see if hydrocarbon is detected
2. Leak down test

Are you talking antifreeze or oil? I mean the the oil is fine because its clean and where it should be.

I mean the overflow tank was fine because it was obvious the antifreeze was being spat out the overflow hose and not coming from the tank.

The overflow tank has markings on the side with the words "hot" and "cold". I'm wondering if the tank was overfilled.

Besides all the stuff that people have suggested, check your radiator cap. If it is not holding pressure, coolant will flow into the overflow tank when hot but might not be drawn back in as it cools. In this case, the overflow tank would be filled to the top.

If you do not have a compression gauge, check the condition of the spark plugs. If they are very clean without any gray deposits, then coolant may be leaking into the combustion chamber, although you would probably see white exhaust when warmed up.

Is this a 4 or 6 cylinder engine? If it is a 4 cylinder engine, pull the timing chain cover and make sure the timing chain is not loose and hasn't gouged the front of the engine, allowing coolant to leak.

Right. Wonder now how he's determining how it's losing antifreeze. Joe, are you just "topping off" the overflow tank? Are you opening the radiator every time? How do you KNOW you're losing antifreeze?

Good point.

You're getting double .sigs

I'm opening the radiator, and I see no antifreeze after an hour of driving.

You apparetly have a bad head gasket, have a preasure test done, WBMA

Then you either have a leak, a bad cap or as others have mentioned, a head gasket leak. Cheapest: Replace the cap, fill it up. Watch via the overflow. Everytime you undo the cap, you risk scalding yourself and/or blowing antifreeze into the overflow bucket. If, when you release the cap, it DOESN'T scald you or fill the overflow, you've no pressure so it must be as above, cap, leak or head gasket.

OK. Related issue: Do you know how to check the level in the overflow tank? If yes, please describe the procedure. I'm just curious about something.

:)