jimlemans Posted April 15, 2013 Posted April 15, 2013 Hi guys, any advice or ideas would be greatfully received as I'm starting to get a bit nervous. Basically my coolant would always sit pretty much on the min mark, when it started to get cold last year (not sure if this is related or not) it dropped down a couple more cm's. I kept topping it up to where the join is on the tank but it always returned to the very low level. The other day after a drive I undid the header cap and coolant rushed into the tank and refilled itself back to the join line - this makes me believe that I'm not loosing and water it's just not in the tank?? The car is running fine temp normally in the mid/high 80's, yesterday it was more mid 90's for the first time (again not sure if this was due to the milder weather?) No mayo on the dipstick or oil cap. K series '03 Elise. It's in for a service in a few weeks so i'll get them to check it out then but is it anything to worry about? Cheers
jimlemans Posted April 15, 2013 Author Posted April 15, 2013 No puddles, it's parked in the same place at home and I have to reverse out of the space so I'd have thought I'd have noticed
DeanB Posted April 15, 2013 Posted April 15, 2013 Mine is an 03 K and never runs temps in the nineties unless it is stopped in traffic. On the move it is always high 80s. What concerns me about yours is the change. It used to behave exactly like mine but now behaves significantly different. I suspect your head gasket is on the way out. I hope not, obviously. Martin R on here is the man to tell you better than I can. Good luck.
Martin R Posted April 15, 2013 Posted April 15, 2013 The fluctuating temp is a concern. The fact water is rushing back into the tank might suggest the system is becoming pressurized. If it were mine i would do the following. Buy a new coolant cap, bleed the system and fit the cap. Take it for a good run and then let it cool for 3 or 4 hours. Slowly remove the cap and see if you get a large "hiss " or water rushing back into the coolant bottle. Good luck.
jimlemans Posted April 15, 2013 Author Posted April 15, 2013 Thanks, I'll try a new cap and keep my fingers crossed! Need to take it for a decent run as I wasn't able to see what the temp did without traffic lights and junctions breaking the journey up.
russelld Posted April 15, 2013 Posted April 15, 2013 Iabout. Thanks, I'll try a new cap and keep my fingers crossed! Need to take it for a decent run as I wasn't able to see what the temp did without traffic lights and junctions breaking the journey up. If your temp went up when you were in slow traffic / stop start lots of junctions etc this is normal & nothing to worry about. Also a lot of cars ( mine included ) will have a lower than min coolant level, if you top up it always settles back below the nim line. Again this is normal & nothing to worry about. If you open the cap after a drive it will hiss and the level will increase. Again this is normal.
jimlemans Posted April 15, 2013 Author Posted April 15, 2013 Hopefully I'm worrying about nothing. The temps always crept up into the 90's when I've been stood in traffic but not normally as high as 98 as it did yesterday in normal urban conditions which weren't that busy, as I said the ambient temperature was a fair bit higher than usual though. With having the service, MOT and tax due next month I could do without anything to sinister going wrong.
jimlemans Posted April 15, 2013 Author Posted April 15, 2013 On the short drive home from work (2.5 miles) the temp went straight up to 98* within 1.5 miles, then as I sat at a junction for about 10 seconds it fell to 91*. I set off and it briefly dropped to 87* before fluctuating between 95-92*. I left it idling when I got home for a few minutes and it settled at 90*. Not sure if this gives anymore clues or not, I'll order a new pressure cap tonight and get that on ASAP.
Martin R Posted April 15, 2013 Posted April 15, 2013 Doesn't sound good to be honest !! Indeed, i would still try a new cap and a bleed first though.
jhall89 Posted April 16, 2013 Posted April 16, 2013 I agree with last post from Martin. Mine always runs with water level at Min or below - if you put more coolant in it justs blows out and settles down at Min. Normal running temp is 84to87oC unless in traffic. Bleeding is not an easy process if you haven't done it before - there are 2bleed valves and car best on a slope; readup on the many posts before attempting! Good luck
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