coolant

spitineye · Post by **spitineye** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 5:05 pm

just topped up this morning, but due to the difficulty of pouring and looking at the same time, i've missed the finishing line and gone about 3/4" above the FULL mark.

now, should i -

a) try and remove some down to below the FULL line, if so how?

b) leave it. as it expands, will the excess come out the breather pipe or overflow or whatever it is?

thanks chaps and chapettes

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 5:11 pm

Just get a length of tube and syphon it out - if not, it will probably come out through the overflow when it gets hot. Only problem with the latter is that a syphon effect may draw too much water out.

haydn callow · Post by **haydn callow** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:18 pm

Just release the radiator cap and let as much out as you want. Down to the full mark would be good.

Peg leg Pete · Post by **Peg leg Pete** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:30 pm

Begs the question as to why your coolant was low?

flippa · Post by **flippa** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:32 pm

hello spit i hope your not stood their waiting for the water to jump out of the rad cap

hadyn probably means the.. radiator drain plug ..bottom left just a trickle then you can keep an eye on the level till your happy

Post by **westonwarrior** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:40 pm

flippa wrote: hello spit i hope your not stood their waiting for the water to jump out of the rad cap hadyn probably means the.. radiator drain plug ..bottom left just a trickle then you can keep an eye on the level till your happy

No haden is correct, if you take the filler cap off the expansion bottle and then the one off the top of the rad it drains the expansion bottle.

You see the rad is lower than the expansion bottle.

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:41 pm

No - he meant the radiator cap. It's lower than the expansion tank and the water gushes out.

flippa · Post by **flippa** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:15 pm

crikey hit a nerve there

sorry lads but not an expert by any means just thought the simpleist way was to let a trickle out of the rad drain plug ...no unecessary removal or air duct ....also by undoing your rad cap hav'nt you just let air in your system which now requires bleeding

Peg leg Pete · Post by **Peg leg Pete** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:18 pm

I would just siphon off the excess

I doubt you would get a airlock, the radiator is above the cylinder head

ChrisEm · Post by **ChrisEm** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:20 pm

You won't get any air in, if you crack the cap on top of the rad you will merely get coolant out draining down from the expansion bottle.

spitineye · Post by **spitineye** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:35 pm

thanks everyone, i'll try all of the above tomorry

it'll give me something to do during dinner as a break from fitting boilers and radiat...

flippa · Post by **flippa** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:36 pm

if you cracked your cap on the rad won't you need a new one

sounds like a lot of bother to me!

ChrisEm · Post by **ChrisEm** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:40 pm

Bother???- undoing 2 plastic phillips screw eh?

Peg leg Pete · Post by **Peg leg Pete** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:45 pm

Actually when I had overheating problems I changed the radiator and expansion caps, I was adviced by a man who knew, that when the engine is running that if you had leaking caps they could create an airlock

flippa · Post by **flippa** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:22 pm

nice too meet you too chris iam quite new here and have recieved some much needed advice and help with my bongo

i apologise for laughing at haydns suggestion as i said iam a total novice i hold my hands up ...now i know that the rad is lower than the expansion tank

obvious really was'nt it i just went out and moved my bongo it was parked up hill silly me

does it really matter