Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to?: Motoring Technical Car/Motor Issues forum

Technical Car/Motor Issues > Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to?	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Auntie Lockbrakes	Replies: 13

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Sun 6 Nov 11 22:47

Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to? - Auntie Lockbrakes

A yellow "low coolant" light came on when I started the X3 yesterday 2 hours after a short run. Sure enough, the radiator expansion tank (in black plastic that you can't see through by the way...) was just about empty. Half a litre of SWMBO's drinking water nabbed from the back seat cured the problem. Now the car is garaged and I am sure there are no leaks, so where does half a litre of fluid go to? Evaporation? It's been winter here, so no scorching temps.

Cue mass castigation because Yes, I know, I should have checked the level at least 6 times in the past 6 months but didn't..!

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Sun 6 Nov 11 23:06

Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to? - Bromptonaut

Watch it carefully for a bit; check at least weekly. Leaked coolant has a sweet/damp smell - are you ever aware if it either in he cabin or on opening the bonnet?

It could just be weeping from a joint or in worse case seeking a way through the CH gasket.

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Sun 6 Nov 11 23:12

Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to? - Ted

I think there seems to be , in some cars, a natural level at which the car is happiest. I've been monitoring the Vitara for a few weeks since it got a bit hot and the fans came on. That was very low coolant and I topped it up straight away. It overheated solo and, after top-up, towed the 17ft caravan home with a good gauge reading.

You can't see the coolant in my expansion bottle either so I've found a 1/4 inch bar of steel, slightly rusty, to dip it with. I marked the half way point between the bottom of the container and the top of the filler and topped it up with a coolant mix to that level. I check it every week now and it sits constantly at about 1 inch up the ' dipstick , even after a 70/80 mph run to the Lake District and back a few days later.

If I do get any more ' hot sessions ', I'll get the water checked for hydrocarbons but I've no leaks, or steam at the back end. Just hope and pray that the old ' Joint de culasse ' isn't on it's way !

The Jowett, which has no expansion tank, even when filled up to the radiator filler neck, always drops to a level where the water in the top tank can't be dipped. Seems to be quite happy to run with that arrangement between us, though !

Ted

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Mon 7 Nov 11 09:08

Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to? - madf

Check carpets for leaks from heater.

failing that it's going out the exhaust via the head gasket...or you have a radiator leak which only opens under pressure

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Mon 7 Nov 11 10:04

Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to? - Bromptonaut

The other possibility is that the pressure cap is leaking though there's usually a tell tale smell and streaking around the vent if it is.

Replace as a precaution.

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Mon 7 Nov 11 20:15

Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to? - Victorbox

Or water pump weep hole is warning you of potential failure: tinyurl.com/73bpfnc

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Mon 7 Nov 11 20:34

Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to? - Falkirk Bairn

The expansion tank on my X-trail was very low about 6 months ago.

Topped it up with just water and since then the level has remained constant - so why and where the litre went in the early Spring I do not know.

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Mon 7 Nov 11 23:23

Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to? - rtj70

>> Topped it up with just water

And you're happy to have topped up with just water for winter. Might get down to -20 deg C easily where you are I would think.

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Mon 7 Nov 11 23:51

Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to? - FocalPoint

More worryingly, what about the corrosion? Anti-freeze these days is as much about controlling corrosion as about stopping freezing. I understand it also contains water-pump-seal lubricant.

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Tue 8 Nov 11 00:08

Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to? - Lygonos

0.5 litres of water added to ~9.5 litres of coolant (roughly 50:50 water:antifreeze[+corrosion inhibitors]) isn't going to cause significant dilution.

If done repeatedly however....

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Tue 8 Nov 11 00:25

Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to? - rtj70

It might make a difference in Scotland! :-)

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Tue 8 Nov 11 00:37

Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to? - Lygonos

I live not far from FB - minus 20 is fantastically rare, even minus 10 is a novelty.

40% ethylene glycol : 60% water is sufficient to -22/23 so a little dilution from 50:50 should be ok.

It's an X-Trail so I bet he's out every day even when the snow is 2 feet deep ;-)

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Tue 8 Nov 11 19:59

Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to? - Auntie Lockbrakes

Gonna take the X3 on a 100-mile sprint up to the Big City tomorrow. If the coolant level drops during the journey then I'll be assuming there's trouble. I guess the budget for the towbar will be spent in a workshop instead..!

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Wed 9 Nov 11 12:42

Topping up the radiator - where's it all gone to? - madf

>> I live not far from FB - minus 20 is fantastically rare, even minus 10
>> is a novelty.
>>
>>

Far South from Scotland, in the Staffordshire Moorlands we have seen -19C in 2009 and -18C in 2010..

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