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I just got another Coolant Level Low warning. It is a valid warning as the coolant level was down to about the half of the header tank. This happened for the first time about 2 months ago. I have checked for leaks and have found none. I checked the oil filler cap and no emulsion. Any idea where the coolant is going?
Check for excessive steam in the exhaust on start up. Also check the level in the atmospheric header tank by looking with a torch in the gap between the open door and the wing on the righthand side. It will be empty but it should be about half full. Are you filling the black header tank to a absolute brim? There must be no air gap at all.
Also check the level in the atmospheric header tank by looking with a torch in the gap between the open door and the wing on the righthand side.
Richard
That is genius my friend and is worth at least a pint!
Looking through the gap with my latest toy I see this:
Looks empty to me A hole at the top of the tank!
So looks like I need a new tank. Thanks to your fantastic tip I did not need to first take of the wheel and the liner to find out!
That is genius my friend and is worth at least a pint!
Looking through the gap with my latest toy I see this:
Looks empty to me A hole at the top of the tank!
So looks like I need a new tank. Thanks to your fantastic tip I did not need to first take of the wheel and the liner to find out!
That has got to be rodent damage. It makes you wonder what else the little monsters have been chewing!
I doubt whether the hole is the reason for the coolant loss as the tank is open to the atmosphere anyway but it certainly won't help. Once you have a new tank and it's half full, then re-assess whether there is really any coolant being lost.
Once you have the wheel arch liner out, have a good look at the black pipe which goes from the black header tank to the top of the atmospheric tank. If the mice have chewed a small hole in that, or in the tank nearer the bottom, you could be losing coolant behind the liner which might not be obvious.
Little buggers seem to love coolant. I have a new tank but the feed tube has been chewed through too in 2 places. Trying to trace the route of this tube. Not easy to find! Do you think I can just use some silicon tube?
Wow, routing that tube across the firewall and into the wheel arch was a major task. There were moments I wondered if it was possible without dismantling half the engine bay but after a few hours and many scraped knuckles it’s in with the new tank half filled with the tube primed. That should be the end of my Coolant Low warnings. Off to Provence on Friday so I will find out!
That has got to be rodent damage. It makes you wonder what else the little monsters have been chewing!
I doubt whether the hole is the reason for the coolant loss as the tank is open to the atmosphere anyway but it certainly won't help. Once you have a new tank and it's half full, then re-assess whether there is really any coolant being lost.
Got down to the South of France without a
hitch but now I have the damn Coolant Low error again. The overflow tank is half full and I made sure the tube from the header tank to the overflow tank was full. Just put a little under 1 litre of distilled water in the header tank. I guess I must have a leak elsewhere!
Might want to check the coolant hoses in the engine bay and from under the car. I had an O ring on one of the radiators perish and was leaking drips when warm, would leak all the time really slow from there.
Putting in a litre a day at the moment. A little worrying so far from home. Had a good look when the engine was hot but can’t see/smell anything.
That is really bad. Coolant must be flooding out somewhere. If that much was going into the combustion chamber I'm sure you would see steam and white smoke coming out of the exhaust.
One common problem with coolant leaks is the norma connectors that go to the octopus hose on both sides of the engine right over the cats. The coolant will burn off when it hits the cats, so you may not see a puddle, especially when you're driving distances (of course).
Coolant level low
