coolant

[evil_jesus]

Just been out and checked coolant, i took rad cap off and to my horror it was dry, so i set the heaters to hot and filled it back up and ran it for 15 mins. my expansion tank is 3/4 full with red fluid/coolant... took about 2.5/3 ltrs of water. Now i dont have any obvious leaks, so is it likely to be my rad cap not holding pres ure or thermostat ....or should i start worrying about the head.

Edit : am i better getting gen toyota thermostat from RT or the one from milners and also the same with rad cap ??

[BUSHWHACKER]

Just been out and checked coolant, i took rad cap off and to my horror it was dry, so i set the heaters to hot and filled it back up and ran it for 15 mins. my expansion tank is 3/4 full with red fluid/coolant... took about 2.5/3 ltrs of water. Now i dont have any obvious leaks, so is it likely to be my rad cap not holding pres ure or thermostat ....or should i start worrying about the head.

Edit : am i better getting gen toyota thermostat from RT or the one from milners and also the same with rad cap ??

Roughtrax or Toyota for the parts as they'll be good quality and around the same price too.
Now you've topped up the coolant, leave the rad cap off over night to get rid of any air-locks.


p.s. Put the rad cap on the drivers seat before you go to bed so you won't forget to replace it in the morning.

[evil_jesus]

yea, have left it off and sitting on the top of dash, so will put in on when i finish work. when i just checked the cap the rubber on it was solid and feels quite brittle

[Koi]

top up, start up give couple of blips on the loud pedal and turn off. Top as required and repeat this until no more coolant is needed. Take for drive and then check again when cooled down.
It may be worth changing rad cap and thermostat, check rubber hose from expansion tank as if its perished/ split etc it will affect the ability to suck the coolant back in to the system

[The Lang-Shankit Scunner]

Had the exact same prob with mine, it ended up being the pipes from the cap to the expansion, the metal outlet and the L-shape plastic into the bottle where both bocked, and when the system was under great pressuer it was leaking and evaporating straight away.

Try unblocking them as it sounds the exact same as mine, when i took pipes off and poked a drill bit up the metal outlet by rad cap it took a few pokes coolant came flooding out, never had a problem since.

[evil_jesus]

well checked it again today and it seems the levels are ok, checked the pipes to expansion tank and there all clear and in good condition
But what i did notice is that driving the 25 miles to work i had the heaters on just to make sure it was circulating all ok was that ever now and the the temp coming from the heaters changed from hot to hotter ( i u understand that ) is this down to the thermostat ?

Also am i best getting toyota red coolant or is there another alterative thats just as good ?

[stormforce]

well checked it again today and it seems the levels are ok, checked the pipes to expansion tank and there all clear and in good condition
But what i did notice is that driving the 25 miles to work i had the heaters on just to make sure it was circulating all ok was that ever now and the the temp coming from the heaters changed from hot to hotter ( i u understand that ) is this down to the thermostat ?

Also am i best getting toyota red coolant or is there another alterative thats just as good ?

some people reccomend the toyota coolant and others put Halfords or the like coolant in
i would think every thing should be ok but just keep an eye on the gauge and levels for a bit just to be on the safe side

[BUSHWHACKER]

some people reccomend the toyota coolant and others put Halfords or the like coolant in
i would think every thing should be ok but just keep an eye on the gauge and levels for a bit just to be on the safe side

Don't mix the two types though!

[stormforce]

Don't mix the two types though!

the Toyota one is already mixed aswell i think

[BUSHWHACKER]

the Toyota one is already mixed aswell i think

I mean don't mix Toyota red with other brands.

[stormforce]

I mean don't mix Toyota red with other brands.

sorry Vince i meant the toyota one is already pre-mixed so don't water it down

[Koi]

[QUOTE=horse_flesh]that ever now and the the temp coming from the heaters changed from hot to hotter ( i u understand that ) is this down to the thermostat ?
QUOTE]

could have been airlocks moving around thus restricting the flow of coolant and then moving and better flow hotter air

[evil_jesus]

thanks for advice guys..... will get stat and coolant changed now asap and will let you know

[evil_jesus]

ok, think i may have just found the problem ... a small crack about 2cm away from the filler hole..so what are my best rad replace options...R/trax recon, R/trax gen or milners.
Also is this a easy job ?
And is there a idiots guide anywhere for it ?

Also the new rad cap i got from R/trax is somewhat diff from the one on mine. the rubber seal that sits inside the rad neck is a slightly smaller dia and probally half the thickness....i spoke to barry and he said this was ok, but when i put it on and went for a spin, got back i found it was letting out.
now this new cap does not close to the same pos as the old one (ie lugs parallel with front of car)... is this right ?
and where the hell is the thermostat in the 3L

ps , thanks for all your other replies and help....its much appreciated

[evil_jesus]

anyone ....