I think I'm losing coolant!!

[Vx-Man-G]

Hey folks,

Following the recent overheating and subsequent thermostat replacement, I've been keeping an eye on the coolant, I thought it had gone low last week but thought it may have just been down to the water circulation due to drainage when the stat was replaced.

I then topped it up last week with red antifreeze coolant, and today I check it and it looked as though it had gone down a lot.
I've topped it up again and will keep an eye on it again.

Issue is there is no visible leak anywhere, not patches on the road where parked, no mixing with oil, everything external looks dry, I've even checked when the car is hot to check for leaks in case it's drying up quickly with the heat, but nothing.

Can anyone offer anything up in terms of what's going on, or if the water level is still actually trying to settle itself following stat change.

No leaks visible, temperature gauge is behaving itself. I don't think it's me being paranoid.

Only thing I would add it when it's hot and I open the cap, one the boiling stops the water does seem to come come up a little in the header tank, but still seems a bit short to me.

Thanks.

[lizzard-t]

Hello tic tac a wakker man .
1) water under atmospheric conditions will boil at 100 degrees Celsius, when put under pressure it raises the temperature that water boils at , around 105-115 degrees Celsius,
So when you open the cap the level will rise slightly as you have seen
It may Well still be dispelling air pockets, ( like a heating system) we find that even after a few weeks when we have drained and re-filled a heating system air can be drawn off at high level , because air has entered the system
depending on how much you have had to put back in when checking the cooling system , you should be able to tell if its just air pockets that have been dispelled or that there is a small leak
if in doubt and that you still kep having to top up then find someone with a pressure tester that would be the only way if no leaks are observed.







1877887778-87888888 degrees faranheight .!

[Vx-Man-G]

Hello tic tac a wakker man .
1) water under atmospheric conditions will boil at 100 degrees Celsius, when put under pressure it raises the temperature that water boils at , around 105-115 degrees Celsius,
So when you open the cap the level will rise slightly as you have seen
It may Well still be dispelling air pockets, ( like a heating system) we find that even after a few weeks when we have drained and re-filled a heating system air can be drawn off at high level , because air has entered the system
depending on how much you have had to put back in when checking the cooling system , you should be able to tell if its just air pockets that have been dispelled or that there is a small leak
if in doubt and that you still kep having to top up then find someone with a pressure tester that would be the only way if no leaks are observed.







1877887778-87888888 degrees faranheight .!

Great advice, thank you.

I must add that I did have to re-read the first line as I thought you were calling me a hand jobber....

[Vx-Man-G]

Right folks, I'm deffo losing coolant.

I had a look this evening, from what I can see everything is dry, apart from the base of the header tank.

I did spill some coolant over it a few days ago but surely that would have dried by now. Its definitely fresh wet, as I can see it on top of the gear box.

Question I have is would the overheating have damaged or cracked the tank, or is it more likely a split pipe that's leading off the bottom into the engine?

Help appreciated.

Thanks.

[Howy]

Hi,could be the reservoir but the level sensor has a rubber seal,I would go for a new reservoir complete with sensor and fit a new cap.Check the bottom hose for tightness though first.

[Vx-Man-G]

Hi,could be the reservoir but the level sensor has a rubber seal,I would go for a new reservoir complete with sensor and fit a new cap.Check the bottom hose for tightness though first.

With the sensor, will the whole unit need to be out of a B20DTH, or are they all the same?

[Howy]

IIRC they are all the same ,except VXR.

[Vx-Man-G]

IIRC they are all the same ,except VXR.

Nice one, thanks. I'll check tomorrow properly first, I have a feeling you might be right as the pipe itself didn't seem to be too wet.

[Howy]

Just to give you an idea on what's out there:

FITS Vauxhall Insignia 2008>2017 Coolant Expansion Tank Bottle BP113-646 | eBay

[Vx-Man-G]

Thank you.
I might try to pop down to a scrap yard at the weekend, a second hand I've should suffice, right?

Where is the sensor located on the tank, so I can examine mine first?

[Vx-Man-G]

Just to give you an idea on what's out there:

FITS Vauxhall Insignia 2008>2017 Coolant Expansion Tank Bottle BP113-646 | eBay

Mine is without the sensor. I dont think the above is correct then. I think part code is: 22924025
A local scrapper has got one, he has just gone to check condition.

If thats shot, then I will just order the new one off ebay.

[Vx-Man-G]

Update guys...

I have changed the coolant header tank yesterday, I have checked it today and underside of it seems dry. The water level hasnt dropped from yesterday, if anything it looks like its increased (), I am hoping this has resolved the problem.

Weird how the overheating cracked or split the tank. I inspected the old one closely, it didnt have any obvious major crack on the outside, but when I looked closely it looked like there were some cracks on the inside, but I just find it strange that it would happen in the first place.

Hopefully this should sort itself out now.