Hi all,
recently bought my van (1989 t 25 diesel) ,just been checking fluid levels oil,water etc.looked at the coolant bottle behind reg plate and was empty so
topped up,but soon as i went for a run and checked level again ,it had emptied and filled the main coolant bottle in engine bay(which i might add id missed idiot !!).
so whats is the function of the second coolant bottle behind the reg plate,as the other is obviously the main one.(also it has had a new 1.9 td engine put in so not original).any ideas for a newbie ?????
thanks guys.
The tank behind the number plate is for just a top up and overflow. The other tank is pressurised once the engine is running and that is critical. If you've let the coolant drop that low you may now have air in the system. In the meantime, you will probably have to keep topping up until you have a full 16 litres of coolant back in the system. Keep checking and keep topping up. Do not overfill the top up tank as you need to leave space for coolant flowing back in.
Ralf85 wrote:The tank behind the number plate is for just a top up and overflow. The other tank is pressurised once the engine is running and that is critical. If you've let the coolant drop that low you may now have air in the system. In the meantime, you will probably have to keep topping up until you have a full 16 litres of coolant back in the system. Keep checking and keep topping up. Do not overfill the top up tank as you need to leave space for coolant flowing back in.
hi there , thanks for the reply,just spoke to the guy i bought the van off...he said there has never been any water in the top up tank,it has always been empty,does this sound right. ??so when i put some in today ,it seems to have gone straight into the main one,i didnt want to put any more in in case it over fills it.
regards
Have a read of this http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/bleed ... 29710.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; it's for bleeding the system, but there is lots of information about the tanks, caps, levels etc.
What!!! That approach is so stupid.
The header tank should always be full and is topped from the tank behind the number plate. If the level drops you need to top it back up to the max mark. That's how you can keep the system topped up and keep an eye on any problems that might occur with leaks.
My top up tank is always on the max, but the header tank drops gradually over weeks of driving. I top the header back up right to the brim once the engine is cold, but it drops down again gradually over the next few weeks. Why might this be? I would have thought that the top up tank should automatically re-fill it?
Ralf85 wrote:What!!! That approach is so stupid.
The header tank should always be full and is topped from the tank behind the number plate. If the level drops you need to top it back up to the max mark. That's how you can keep the system topped up and keep an eye on any problems that might occur with leaks.
Why's it stupid??
Its written by a man who spends his days repairing t3s
Ralf85 wrote:What!!! That approach is so stupid.
The header tank should always be full and is topped from the tank behind the number plate. If the level drops you need to top it back up to the max mark. That's how you can keep the system topped up and keep an eye on any problems that might occur with leaks.
Why's it stupid??
Its written by a man who spends his days repairing t3s
Ensure the valve in the cap for the pressurised tank is working.It should work one way.Some go faulty and coolent is not under pressure allowing it to cause the top up tank to go empty after a short time.
Negativegravity wrote:My top up tank is always on the max, but the header tank drops gradually over weeks of driving. I top the header back up right to the brim once the engine is cold, but it drops down again gradually over the next few weeks. Why might this be? I would have thought that the top up tank should automatically re-fill it?
reads like your header tank cap is not functioning correctly.
Same here, definitely worth trying new cap. I've been through a few caps in case one/two was faulty, all decent brands. Now looking for leaks as in other thread.
Negativegravity wrote:My top up tank is always on the max, but the header tank drops gradually over weeks of driving. I top the header back up right to the brim once the engine is cold, but it drops down again gradually over the next few weeks. Why might this be? I would have thought that the top up tank should automatically re-fill it?
reads like your header tank cap is not functioning correctly.
Or it might be the pipe that goes from that cap to the top up tank is not sealed. That pipe never has pressure in it, but it does need to be well sealed or, when the system tries to suck coolant from the top up tank, it can suck air instead.
Re those caps (Dalek caps as they have come to be known). Don't buy them from GSF or Just Kampers. Both are known to sell poor quality ones, and poor quality coolant system parts is just what you don't want on a T25
Best buy them from that strange bloke mentioned above that has no idea when it comes to bleeding T25's or much else to do with them for that matter HERE (and now only £5.92 )
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