Return to my 3.2 after a shop to see fluid trickling down the car park.

Usual frisson of excitement- oil, ATF, water.Will it be £ or £££.

Establish is water and leaking from hose junction area behind water pump.

Temp gauge been normal and no low coolant warning.

Top up header tank at adjacent filling station. Remove pressure cap for the 10 miles home and leak slows to drips.

Culprit was this stainless hose clip. Moved very loosely as soon as tried to get a screwdriver on it. First time I have seen one fractured in 60 years of motoring.





Now to check if low coolant warning is working - did likely disturb wiring slightly when removing MAF to clean it a few weeks back

 

Ignition on, stick a long screw driver into the coolant tank and press down the float. It is a white ring. Use a flashlight to see it. Check for the red dash light, it should be on. Remove screw driver, and float floating, light off.

Time to snug-up all the hose clamps!

 

Replaced the broken hose clip.

Couldn’t see a float for the level sensor. Drained the header tank and still no warning light.Touched the wiring to the sensor to check not a poor contact and the whole thing came out of the tank.

And the low coolant light came on.

Is this sensor a press fit and click back into the header tank? Doesn’t look like anything is broken

And is there a rubber seal to replace ?

Concerned I push it back in, top up coolant and it pops out again as soon as the system is up to pressure.

And how does it work as it’s not a float type ? Changing resistance when not fully immersed ?

 

G'day Joe,

The sensor fits up into a sealed tube which is part of the coolant tank, the sensor doesn't have to hold system pressure. It is not very secure so I used a dab of silicon to hold it in place.

The level sensor is a white floating ring, around the sealed tube, with a magnet in it and if the coolant level drops the ring drops and the reed switch opens and you get the warning light. You can see the float ring if you shine a torch into the empty coolant tank.

Cheers,
Jeff.

 

Thanks. Found the torch angle needed.

Grubby little circular Float sitting at bottom of empty tank in its cage. . Covered in what looks like a dirty grey limescale. Does seem to move up and down and rose once I topped up header.

Sensor reluctant to stay in position but will as suggested give it some help once I check it’s working

Car originally registered in a hard water area tho soft where I am near Edinburgh. Doesn’t overheat so radiator seems clear.

Hoping to recover my MKIV from the paintshop this week.

Thanks, folks