Reply to just checked my coolant and it seems completely empty? is that possible?

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[quote=Anonymous]I've had a couple of Odysseys and here are my thoughts: Don't buy coolant at the random auto parts store and don't add water to your system. Go to a Honda dealer and buy a gallon jug of Honda coolant - it's already premixed, so it goes right in. Like the PP said, open the radiator cap when the car is stone cold and top up the coolant. Also, add to the reservoir up to the fill line, Then, watch it closely.

Best case, you oil change technician has not been checking it and the level has been creeping down for years. The level stays pretty much where it is and the jug lives in your garage until you sell the Odyssey in three years.

OK, that's too sunny. You have a leak somewhere. You might find drips on the ground after you park; check carefully. Maybe just a leaky hose or clamp. It might also be from the water pump, which gives you the opportunity to change the timing belt at the same time.

If you don't find a drip, it might be from a tiny hole in your radiator after it's been hit by 10,000 rocks over the years. The coolant simply evaporates because the radiator is hot when the coolant leaks out. When you're parked, there's no pressure and it doesn't leak and there's no drip on the ground.  Maybe the heater core inside your dashboard is leaking; are the insides of the windows fogged with goopy stuff and the heat smells kind of sweet?

Worst case, the coolant is leaking through the head gasket into the combustion chambers (whitish smoke at the tailpipe) or into the oil system (foamy oil on the dipstick).

In almost any case, you're headed to the mechanic and your observations will inform their diagnosis. How quickly is it consuming coolant - 1 quart per year or 1 quart per week? 
They might do a coolant pressure test, perhaps using a dye, that will disclose where the coolant is escaping from the system.

On one of my Odysseys it was the water pump and on the other it was the radiator, which I replaced over a weekend.
Good luck. [/quote]

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