Radiator expansion bottle level

[Foxhill]

I have regularly checked my coolant level over the past few months with no noticible changes apart from now. The level has gone down to min. Everything seems to be running ok, no loss of power, no white smoke, oil seems ok although the level has gone down slightly. I bought the surf from a garage about 7 months ago, its been serviced, new coolant and radiator cap plus thermostat the mileage is about 120k klms. I have topped the level up and been for a run, the level has now gone up about an inch, there is no sign of leaks. Have I got a cylinder head on the way out?

And can I go on holiday to the Lakes next week?

Neil

[Smurf]

I wouldnt panic just yet, if the head is gone it will far more likely pump all the water out into the bottle, you may have just sprung a slight weep on a hose or the water pump or rad, have a good look around the engine bay when it is hot for any steam escaping.The other possibility is that there was still a bit of air in the system which has now worked its way out so the cooling block has sucked back more water than usual??? The engine should use a bit of oil through the turbo so dont be alarmed at a drop of oil level, mine has gone from max on dipstick to 1/2 way between max and min in about 6,000 miles and it just passed its emissions test at 0.84ppm.
Hope that helps

[kitesurf_phil]

I wouldn't panic. When mine is hot the level is just below max. When cold it is just above min. It's just greedy. I have topped my expansion bottle up just three times in 16 months.

I nearly had a heart attack a couple of days ago. I had just switched off the engine, after a good run and heard a gurgling under the bonnet. It only lasted about a minute. Coolant level OK. PHEW!

[Big Jonah]

I have regularly checked my coolant level over the past few months with no noticible changes apart from now. The level has gone down to min. Everything seems to be running ok, no loss of power, no white smoke, oil seems ok although the level has gone down slightly. I bought the surf from a garage about 7 months ago, its been serviced, new coolant and radiator cap plus thermostat the mileage is about 120k klms. I have topped the level up and been for a run, the level has now gone up about an inch, there is no sign of leaks. Have I got a cylinder head on the way out?

And can I go on holiday to the Lakes next week?

Neil

What you've been topping is mearly the expansion bottle. This should be at the minimum when the engine is cool. After the engine has warmed up, the now warmer coolant will expand in volume, which will be dumped into the expansion bottle. Whent the engine cools back down, it will be sucked back into the coolant system.

Always check (& fill up) the level of coolant via the rad cap. If this is ok, chances are you don't have a problem.

The cooling system can have air locks, especially in the heater matrix. If these shift, you'll notice a drop in level of coolant.

I had an air lock that took a few weeks to shift. Stopped the engine, to hear lots of bubbling, which I thougth was the head going again. I didn't drive the beastie for a while, dreading the worse, until I could get my mechanic to look at her. He couldn't find anything wrong!

Now, every time I do a coolant flush, I know that the bubbling will be back a day or two later, as the last of the air makes it way out. I just keep checking every day first thing in the morning for a week after a flush through.

If the head goes, you'll get the white vapour in the exhaust gasses. A quick test you can do is to start the engine from cold without the rad cap on. If every thing is ok, it should take 10-15 mins before the coolant starts to over flow. If there is a crack in the head, the exhaust gases from the chamber will pressurise the coolant instantly, and it will over flow straight away.

Hope this is of help. Pleanty more information on here about these probs if you try a search.

As quite a few of us have been there, I know how it feels.


Good luck!

[kitesurf_phil]

Do a search on "burping the cooling system". It will turn up an excellent article by one of the Aussie Surfers. It's a method I have used on several cars in the past and it works well.

[Foxhill]

Reply

Thanks for the prompt replys, the temperature gauge is still normal so I will keep an eye on things for a few days to see if anything changes. I will consider trying the test mentioned without radiator cap if the level drops too much. Thanks guys, Neil