radiator bottle low

[infurNOS]

my radiator bottle seems to be getting significantly lower after everytime of driving my car. surely we are not meant to fill it up every time we take our cars out for a drive are we? is it possible there is a leak somewhere?
thanks

[shadou]

probably a bad coolant change, but if you want to test for leaks I suggest you bring it to the mechs or a radiator repair shop and get them to test for it, if no obvious leakage is visible

[teh_mechanic]

the bottle is an overflow bottle.as the coolant in your entire system heats up it expands,pushes on the spring in your radiator cap and opens a flap that allows it to flow to the overflow bottle.then as the car cools down when it has stopped a the fluid cools down and retracts,so it creates a vacuum which sucks the fluid back from the overflow bottle into the system to top it up.

for your bottle to be going down either:
1. your radiator wasnt topped up fully when you filled it (or someone else filled it).this can be deceiving because you can fill it but there can be air pockets trapped half way through the system.

2.you have a leak.sometimes if you have a leak the system doesnt get vacuum to suck fluid from the bottle on cool down,but it may be a small leak.check for leaks,if none,top up your radiator and keep monitoring the level

[Limbo]

top it up and keep a look out for leaks agree with above

[civic88]

so when the radiator runs low on coolant the overflow bottle provides coolant to the radiator?

[infurNOS]

thanks guys!

[OMG.JAI xD]

do a pressure test too..
its quik .. n easy .. and spots out a leak easily.

who knows, you might have a cracked coolant resevoir.

[misteR_bilzz]

if youve checked all the above like your coolant levels to make sure your radiator is FULL and there are no leaks, your radiator cap may have had its days.

It may not functioning properly so your the flap to the overflow bottle is permanently open sending an excess of radiator fluid to the overflow bottle and it gets blown out the exit hose from the overflow bottle.

[mrwillz]

sometimes i just top it up a lil with water

is it bat??

[misteR_bilzz]

generally u shouldnt mix coolants let alone water with coolant which isnt the dilutable type... i guess it shouldnt be a problem unless the majority of it is actual coolant if its mostly water than it could start to cause rust

but someone can confirm.

[civic88]

generally u shouldnt mix coolants let alone water with coolant which isnt the dilutable type... i guess it shouldnt be a problem unless the majority of it is actual coolant if its mostly water than it could start to cause rust

but someone can confirm.

yeh thats true apparently water amkes very good coolant the reason why it snot advisable is becaus it causes corrosion to the radiator

[teh_mechanic]

yeh thats true apparently water amkes very good coolant the reason why it snot advisable is becaus it causes corrosion to the radiator
yep,straight water would actually keep your engine cooler than the best coolant you can buy.....but corrosion would be off the scale,so its not worth the extra cooling.unless you buy the proper anti-freeze/anti-boil coolant,most coolants are just corrosion inhibitors

[SHIFTY]

top it up with water and check with leaks...

check the hoses....

[Limbo]

guys seriously, good coolant will get the car at the right temp & keep the car cooler than water.


yep,straight water would actually keep your engine cooler than the best coolant you can buy.....but corrosion would be off the scale,so its not worth the extra cooling.unless you buy the proper anti-freeze/anti-boil coolant,most coolants are just corrosion inhibitors

[teh_mechanic]

guys seriously, good coolant will get the car at the right temp & keep the car cooler than water.

coolant is a corrossion inhibitor,not a water cooler nor does it have better cooling properties than water....better coolants that contain glycol can lower the freeze point and raise the boiling point of water,but dont actually cool better.theres a product called 'water wetter' that is said to help with cooling.

this is a pointless argument,ofcourse we all use coolant,im out of here :)