does coolant drop a little in morning and rise when warm?

[chipvan]

hi guys i changed a pipe the other day ,and bleed it up using seesaw method,alls been fine and it didnt over heat,but does the coolant drop when cold?

just going to bleed again this morning to make sure, heaters get hot and engine is at a lower temp than its ever been...use to get to 92 ish before now sub 90.

just having a panic on thats all!!


engine oil clear and no creamy stuff in there..cant see any water leaks anywhere..

[mikeonb4c]

Yes it does. As long as it doesn't go below min mark it should be fine. A low coolant alarm is the best insurance

[chipvan]

great ,thanks pheeeeeeeeeeeew!! iam just having a real panic,just moved house and no spare cash!

the bongo is ponting down hill at this place,so i spose that could change level.

yep got the low/high and engine temp haydon kit..saved my bacon a few times...

this morning is the third bleed,so iam geting the hang of it now..spose it cant hurt to be sure,after bleeding the 1st time heaters hotter,and engine runs cooler so needed it anyway..

[jaylee]

To my limited knowledge... I only remove the header tank cap to dip the levels when stone cold.. (20mm in a lolly stick.)
These levels for me were constant until a few weeks back when i discovered a rad leak.. New rad, new coolant, all back to normal now..!

Having a panic..? It's probably wise to be diligent on these matters...

[widdowson2008]

Haydns kit is certainly worth the investment. Where exactly do you have the sensor fitted? and which piece of kit is it?
Just interested in your temperatures.

[haydn callow]

The level should be checked when COLD......get the level exactly onto the FULL line marked on the tank......if you always check it when cold then this level should not change,

When everything is HOT...expect the level to rise by 1 to 2 cms.

You always have your Low Coolant Alarm as a back up but unless there is a problem the level should NEVER drop below the sensor screw at which point the alarm will sound....
If the alarm ever does sound....stop at once and find out why......if you spot just a slow leak you can then top up and carry on till it sounds again...repete the process untill you can get it fixed asap.
If it is a large leak and the tank has gone empty....do not just top up......you must fix the leak and bleed it.

NEVER drive it if in doubt.

[helen&tony]

Hi
Coolant must be checked when cold, oil checked when warm, after it has stood a short while to allow it to drain down.
If you park on your own drive, put a couple of bricks where your front wheel is, and mark the drive with a felt-tip so that you can check nobody has moved the bricks. Next put a strip of masking tape vertically beside the coolant level register marks on the header tank. Mark the level with a biro. Next day, back up to the bricks with your rear wheel, and mark the level again when cold. Do this a couple of times each way, and, presuming that the levels are constant, measure halfway between, and mark. If the new half-way mark is below the level on the tank, top up by the same amount to your new level mark (either the forward or rearward level...you choose)....PLUS, choose another visible mark to drive to each time, so that you can remove the bricks!....SIMPLE!!!!!
You can check oil levels when warm at the supermart.
IF the coolant level drops, you're losing it...FIND THE CAUSE!!!!!
Coolant levels also drop from summer to winter, and as the coolant occupies 13 litres by volume, you can expect such a volume, spread around all the pipes and components, to contract quite considerably....It can contract by as much as 10 mm or thereabouts from the hot season to the cold! (as confirmed with another member who is a respected contributor). I have found, whilst logging levels daily over nearly a year, that the contraction between summer and winter to be a measured 12 mm
That is to say that summer here last year was cooler than usual, at around 36 C. to a low of minus 23- 25 this winter, so, about 60 degrees variance in ambient temperature has produced 12 mm drop in 60 degrees. You cannot deduce that for every 5 degrees you have a millimetre of drop, as it will be a bigger drop/ increase as temperature is at either end of the scale, but it's a guide!...
Well....you did ask
Cheers
Helen

[chipvan]

Our drive is on a hill,so i did the bleed front uphill, the level was at max,went of for a drive and all was good.then backed in with front down hill and high alarm went off.so looks like a tad to much in there now,whats the best way to take a drop out,will do this on flat when cold.
Thanks for the input

[chipvan]

Ps found a clip that needed a tweek,no leaks now

[Northern Bongolow]

Coolant levels also drop from summer to winter, and as the coolant occupies 13 litres by volume, you can expect such a volume, spread around all the pipes and components, to contract quite considerably....It can contract by as much as 10 mm or thereabouts from the hot season to the cold! (as confirmed with another member who is a respected contributor). I have found, whilst logging levels daily over nearly a year, that the contraction between summer and winter to be a measured 12 mm
That is to say that summer here last year was cooler than usual, at around 36 C. to a low of minus 23- 25 this winter, so, about 60 degrees variance in ambient temperature has produced 12 mm drop in 60 degrees. You cannot deduce that for every 5 degrees you have a millimetre of drop, as it will be a bigger drop/ increase as temperature is at either end of the scale, but it's a guide!...
Well....you did ask
Cheers
Helen

[chipvan]

As i over filled system,i let cool then syphoned some out of header tank to correct level,does this sound okm

[haydn callow]

Sounds good to me.....park it on the flat somwhere and get the level onto the FULL line COLD.

[chipvan]

Thanks,will do....you cant belive how many times your kit has saved us!!