coolant

[karen]

apologises for the subject that has no doubt been done to death.

just returned from week up north so bongo has done about 400 mile trip - water level has been ok.
checked her this morning and header tank is empty. no viseable leaks and no puddles underneath.

do i just open top and top up with say a litre or do i start it and then top up or ?

obviously i hsve no idea how much i will need to put in so i assume more than 1 litre i have an issue.

i live near enough to Bill at kirkcaldy so if still an issue then i would pop it down there

assume as i have no idea whjat coolant was used then i should just use water

[dave_aber]

Best bet if you are close is to call Bill for advice directly.

Most likely you could top up with plain water and drive slowly to him - but if the water is all gone from the header tank it will need to be bled and any driving in that state could prove to be a costly mistake.

[MountainGoat]

Unless you checked the coolant level when you returned home it looks like you must have sprug a leak on your last few miles home. So you have been very lucky that you did not overheat. Heavy rain over the past few days will have washed away any leaking coolant.

Suggests that you take Dave's advice and contact Bill for advice. If you do top up with water and drive slowly to Bill checking your coolant level every now and again I would leave the Bongo standing outside your home for a while first to see if any coolant is lost both with the engine off and the engine running. Could be a pinhole leave that only looses coolant when the engine is running.

Tony

[widdowson2008]

Hi Karen
Sounds as if you are in the (good) habit of checking the coolant level regularly - not a bad habit to have.
Do you have some sort of 'low coolant' alarm? If not, I would recommend getting one fitted as a matter of urgency for peace of mind.
As has been already been wisely said, get Bill to check it out (idealy before you move it if possible).

[missfixit70]

If it's losing coolant - it's got a problem that needs finding & sorting, it should be a sealed, pressurised system. It should not be driven at all without being bled - just not worth the risk, especially if you've got a standard useless dumbed down temp gauge & nothing else telling you what the coolant temp or level is doing.

[Diplomat]

Unless you checked the coolant level when you returned home it looks like you must have sprug a leak on your last few miles home. So you have been very lucky that you did not overheat. Heavy rain over the past few days will have washed away any leaking coolant.

Suggests that you take Dave's advice and contact Bill for advice. If you do top up with water and drive slowly to Bill checking your coolant level every now and again I would leave the Bongo standing outside your home for a while first to see if any coolant is lost both with the engine off and the engine running. Could be a pinhole leave that only looses coolant when the engine is running.

Tony

Would add to this advice:

Run the front heater on the hottest setting. If it blows hot your level will not have dropped too much and it should be safe to drive carefully to someone for a second opinion. If it suddenly gets cold, stop and check.

Check along the plastic to metal join at the top of the radiator - take off the air cowling above the radiator in order to get a good look. If there is only a slight leak there it will evaporate of the hot rad and may not show up as drips on the ground. However, if it is leaking there it will get worse with time.

Did you smell hot coolant? That's what alerted me. I don't drive on if any strange burning smell can't be attributed to an external source.

A low coolant alarm makes a huge difference to peace of mind. It will warn you before you even drive off as well as when something happens en route.

Frank

[karen]

it has a mason alarm on it

if away anywhere i do tend to give it a check but afraid got home late last night so didnt check.

i will drop bill an email as i'm in no great rush and so prefer to make sure it's safe prior to moving . if bled her before a few times but only with assistance from mate of mine - can always get that done and see what i can see

[widdowson2008]

it has a mason alarm on it

if away anywhere i do tend to give it a check but afraid got home late last night so didnt check.

i will drop bill an email as i'm in no great rush and so prefer to make sure it's safe prior to moving . if bled her before a few times but only with assistance from mate of mine - can always get that done and see what i can see

Wise too

[karen]

do most just go for the Low Coolant Alarm or the combi with the tm-2

[bigdaddycain]

Most don't bother with any gizmo's and just check the level... Diplomat's advice (above) is sound if you don't have any low coolant gizmo's fitted... Simply switch on the blowers, if there is hot air blowing from them then the coolant level is ok

[bigdaddycain]

I would have a nosey about for a leak if you do have one though... Sometimes the leak isn't apparent and only leaks under pressure. In the meantime i'd add plain water to the system to keep it topped up till the leak is traced.... Mis-matching of coolants is a VERY bad idea, and one that is often overlooked on here.

[Northern Bongolow]

i would advocate a low coolant alarm for the following reason. if your level cannot be seen through a discoloured exp tank then the only option is to dip/measure it, this involves removing the cap.if the engine is hot this can be dangerous, and would never recomend you do this.
any modern AIDS that can be fitted to help must be a good idea surely. but are no substitute for the usual daily/weekly checks that a poss 15 year old lady may need.

[missfixit70]

do most just go for the Low Coolant Alarm or the combi with the tm-2

There's a factsheet in the members area that helps explains the relative merits, it's matter of understanding what they're telling you, or you could trust to luck & fit nothing at all & have no idea of what your system is doing.
Personally I've got an LCA (with hi level add on), Mason alarm & seperate temp gauge telling me the temp of the coolant leaving the engine. Each one has done it's job admirably & covers pretty much every base IMO.
Checking the level manually/visually is all very well, but a leak can occur at any point, sods law says it'll happen just after you've checked. I know of at least one person that ended up in hospital with bad facial scalds taking the cap off to check the level on an overheating bongo engine.