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Thread: Radiator and Coolant Level

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    Senior Member mitsumi's Avatar
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    Question Radiator and Coolant Level

    Hi All,

    How would I know if the radiator still has coolant inside?

    I ask because, the level on the reservoir is not decreasing.

    I only did one top up before after a long drive but after that nothing it stayed on the same level.

    I tried to open the rad cap but could'nt see inside but the rad cap is wet.

    Also what is the ideal temp of the Coolant? Because Im using Torque App in my phone and when Im on the road it gets 90c for the Coolant Temp, is it accurate?


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    Quote Originally Posted by mitsumi View Post
    Hi All,

    How would I know if the radiator still has coolant inside?

    I ask because, the level on the reservoir is not decreasing.

    I only did one top up before after a long drive but after that nothing it stayed on the same level.

    I tried to open the rad cap but could'nt see inside but the rad cap is wet.

    Also what is the ideal temp of the Coolant? Because Im using Torque App in my phone and when Im on the road it gets 90c for the Coolant Temp, is it accurate?
    Around 100 celcius is pretty normal. The tank would only decrease if when the car cooled, the vacuum inside the cooling plumbing didn't have enough and sucked in more from the only place it can, the reservoir (usually because of a leak).

    There's nothing really wrong with pouring more into the radiator until it reaches the top a few times (making sure not to mix coolant types, otherwise you'll make jelly) until you start to see the reservoir rise, because it's being dumped out to avoid overpressurisation when the coolant heats up (providing your radiator cap is working normally).

    If it was decreasing consistently you'd have a leak somewhere and hopefully not in a bad place.
    Last edited by skyblue; 07-19-2021 at 09:19 AM.

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    To remove the radiator cap, you push down and then turn when the engine is cold. You should have coolant all the way to the top of the rad. The reservoir level is not an indication of coolant level in the cooling system.

    One mistake I've seen many times in the Neon world was people only putting coolant into the overflow reservoir and not making sure the radiator is full leading to overheating and blown head gaskets, or even worse:

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    '17 Mitsubishi Mirage 1.2L ES Plus 5MT
    '94 Ford Ranger 5.0 Turbo 3 Speed

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    Quote Originally Posted by mitsumi View Post
    Hi All,

    How would I know if the radiator still has coolant inside?
    - Remove the cap (when cold) and look down in there.

    Quote Originally Posted by mitsumi View Post
    I ask because, the level on the reservoir is not decreasing.
    - Generally a good sign.

    Quote Originally Posted by mitsumi View Post
    I only did one top up before after a long drive but after that nothing it stayed on the same level.
    - I suppose you mean you topped up the reservoir?

    Quote Originally Posted by mitsumi View Post
    I tried to open the rad cap but could'nt see inside but the rad cap is wet.
    - Shining a light down in there, you should see either coolant or fins. If you see fins, you'll want to add coolant and try to determine a leak.

    Quote Originally Posted by mitsumi View Post
    Also what is the ideal temp of the Coolant? Because Im using Torque App in my phone and when Im on the road it gets 90c for the Coolant Temp, is it accurate?
    - Maybe someone on here would know where the coolant temp sensor is located. The coolant temp in the radiator itself is kind of irrelevant. What would be helpful is to know the coolant temp as it enters the radiator and then again as it leaves the radiator. But the coolant temp from the Torque App would be based on sensor location, but is of course important.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2020 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.4 mpg (US) ... 18.0 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member mitsumi's Avatar
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    i see.. so maybe tomorrow ill have a pic on the rad while the cap is removed so that you can see what im saying that i couldnt see anything from inside.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage GLS 1.2 manual: 3,108.4 mpg (US) ... 1,321.5 km/L ... 0.1 L/100 km ... 3,733.0 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by mitsumi View Post
    i see.. so maybe tomorrow ill have a pic on the rad while the cap is removed so that you can see what im saying that i couldnt see anything from inside.
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    skyblue - I'm going to guess the coolant is just coming out of the engine at that point. It depends on coolant flow direction, which I don't know which way it goes. But, that would be the best place to put it assuming it is right out of the engine, where the coolant would be the hottest.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2020 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.4 mpg (US) ... 18.0 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by mitsumi View Post
    i see.. so maybe tomorrow ill have a pic on the rad while the cap is removed so that you can see what im saying that i couldnt see anything from inside.
    Come to think of it, I don't think I've had the radiator cap off of mine. Could be there's a bit of a baffle plate under the cap, making it not a straight shot down into the radiator. But still, with a light shining it around in different directions, you should be able to see either coolant or (not fins really, but whatever one would call the) innards of the radiator.

    And come to think of it, either one of the crap vehicles built at HMMA / KMMG were built with a remote filler neck for the coolant, or a vehicle I owned had such a set up. There was no way to see any of the radiator, but with enough coolant, it would still fill to that neck.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2020 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.4 mpg (US) ... 18.0 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.9 mpg (Imp)


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