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Coolant overflow container

Started by Rick Biarritz, May 20, 2010, 01:08:14 PM

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Rick Biarritz

The coolant gets hot and the pressure builds.  The coolant pushes past the pressure cap on the rad. and goes through a tube to the overflow container.  If the OF container gets too full, it flows out of another tube onto the ground.  Yes?  I see a tube from the rad. cap to the OF container.  I see another tube from the OF container that dumps to the ground.  So far so good?  My problem is this...  If I understand correctly, I fill the rad through the OF container.  I check the rad. level through the OF container.  There are marks on the OF container that read "ADD" and "FULL".  Before my flush yesterday, the water in the OF container read "FULL".  Now it is completely empty -- I suctioned it out.  My rad. is full right up to the top, but the OF container is empty.  Do I need to drive around for an hour or so, at which time, it will fill with hot coolant?  And then I top off the rad?  Am I right about topping off the rad. via the OF container? 

Thanks for the help. 

bcroe

Chances are, there is some air in the engine.  I would put at least the minimum level into the overflow container.  After driving some, check where the level is going.  I would expect it to be sucked lower, then add coolant.  Bruce Roe CLC # 14630

35-709

Bruce Roe posted his reply while I was typing mine but I will post mine also.

The engine/radiator are filled at the radiator, not at the OF bottle.  Once the radiator/engine is full you should then fill the OF bottle to about the ADD mark, then, run the engine and bring it to operating temp., the coolant should come up to the FULL mark, add coolant to the OF bottle if it is still below the FULL mark.  The OF bottle should read FULL when the engine is at operating temp --- something less than that when the engine is cool.  If the OF bottle is overflowing you are putting too much coolant into it.
Geoff N.
1935 Cadillac Sedan resto-mod "Big Red"
1973 Cadillac Caribou - Sold - but still in the family
1950 Jaguar Mark V Saloon resto-mod - Sold
1942 Cadillac 6269 - Sold
1968 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible - Sold
1950 Packard 2dr. Club Sedan
1935 Glenn Pray - Auburn Boattail Speedster, Gen. 2

Rick Biarritz

Ahh.  This makes sense, especially as I have just realized that the inflow tube reaches all the way down to the bottom of the OF container, and has a suction function.  Thanks. 

35-709

All OF bottles I am familiar with work with suction, sucking the coolant back into the radiator as the engine cools and the volume of coolant shrinks.  The OF bottles that are top loaders have a tube inside going down to the bottom of the bottle like a spray bottle.  Some are bottom loaders (mostly aftermarket) with the "overflow to the ground" tube and hose somewhere at the top.    My after market, polished stainless OF can is a bottom loader with 2 pipes, the radiator line goes in the bottom but does not go up inside the OF bottle, the "overflow to the ground" line also goes in the bottom but the tube inside goes up about 3/4s of the way so the coolant flows out if it gets overfull.  More than one way to skin a cat(fish).
Geoff N. 
1935 Cadillac Sedan resto-mod "Big Red"
1973 Cadillac Caribou - Sold - but still in the family
1950 Jaguar Mark V Saloon resto-mod - Sold
1942 Cadillac 6269 - Sold
1968 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible - Sold
1950 Packard 2dr. Club Sedan
1935 Glenn Pray - Auburn Boattail Speedster, Gen. 2