YET ANOTHER COOLANT QUESTION

[springer]

Sory folks, I know its probably been asked a thousand times and answered as many, but I have searched and found so many threads it's easier to ask again.

For a full drain and refill, approx how much coolant will I need.

My poor girl is still off the road, she got new hoses, and new steel pipes (the old ones were rotten to the core) and the garage said it had filled her with coolant, but after just a 500 yard trip home, there was no coolant in the expansion tank, so I know they have not filled her right. So my plan is to drain her (how and where by the way) and follow the u tube video's and do it myself.

Any help always gratefully appreciated, I really have missed my Bongo and NEED to get her back on the road.

[wonkanoby]

as its new fluid etc why drain it

just get a bit more of what they put in it and bleed it

why remove it all?

[wonkanoby]

are you sure its not leaking..a hose not nipped up may be

[wishmaster]

I believe its 13 litres of 50/50 mix, either they haven't bled the system properly or you've got a serious leak

[roundspoon]

i live quite near you and have been looking for a garage in barrow to do a thermostat and coolant change but no one
seems to understand the cooling system so i wont let them touch it
watched the youtube clips over n over again, going to have a go myself.
if you want a hand let me know and we could all learn something new
we could have a mass bleed

[Northern Bongolow]

14 litres it holds,but you will struggle to get it all out,and therefore cannot really measure it going in.
as said above,just fill it up with the same stuff that it has in it.

send me a pm if your struggling.

regards ady.

[Tripewriter]

The fact that the expansion has emptied at least shows the system is working, top it up and check it daily until it settles down.

Ask you garage which antifreeze they used.

How much coolant you use to top a 13/14 litre system depends on what temperature you want to be protected to. Neat antifreeze (Prestone) is about -37 degrees C the recommended level is 75% antifreeze max so in a Bongo that is 9-10 litres of antifreeze.

[haydn callow]

The fact that the expansion has emptied at least shows the system is working, top it up and check it daily until it settles down.

Ask you garage which antifreeze they used.

How much coolant you use to top a 13/14 litre system depends on what temperature you want to be protected to. Neat antifreeze (Prestone) is about -37 degrees C the recommended level is 75% antifreeze max so in a Bongo that is 9-10 litres of antifreeze.

The fact the expansion tank emptied could also be telling you you have a leak.

50% is generally accepted as the max amount of "neat" antifreeze to put the system....
So....about 6 liters should be fine.

why not just top it up for now with antifreeze and bleed it......see how that goes ....get a cheap gadget to check the protection level and adjust from what that tells you....

Personally ...in your position I would get it sorted at a bongo friendly garage....peace of mind.

[springer]

Thanks everyone for all the replies.

I have lost faith in the garage, for various reasons, so its a definate DIY job. For now I think I will just top up and bleed as per vids. Then hopefully take up some offers of help for a mass bleed , or maybe at a meet, get the old girl drained and bled by someone a bit more experienced than me.

Time for a trip to Halfords