coolant levels....cloudy header tank

[Pablobongo]

Hello all......trying to find the thread for checking my header tank level with a lolly stick!.....i have a low coolant alarm, so know its not that low, but i remember reading on here that you can dip a lolly stick into the header and visually check the level that way......but how far up the stick should it read in cms?.....

[haydn callow]

2 cms

[Doone]

The coolant dipstick info: LOLLY DIPSTICK HERE and PENCIL/LOLLY DIPSTICK HERE

[lev8]

Why not give the tank a good clean and you will be able to see the level.

this is how I did mine

Leave the pressure cap on header tank, remove one hose at a time and plug it and the tank outlet, a rubber glove finger and rubber band for instance

get a suitable container and drain the tank, by removing the cap.

remove tank from vehicle

I found phosphoric acid to be most effective, also Calcium, Lime, Rust (sulfamic acid) was good too.

It takes a while, hours... agitation helps. let it soak a while, shake it and so on

After the tank was clean, I thought it might have been quicker with a bit of abrasion, but you can't get in there with a bottle brush etc. Whatever you use, must be completely removed. One thought is a number of small ball bearings, count them in and count them out. Shaking with an abrasive will be much more effective.


When clean connect hoses first and then top up with reserved fluid.

good luck

[Pablobongo]

Thanks for the replies all......did the dipstick test and she was spot-on!.....lots of lovely coolant,exactly where it should be!!