Coolant/Antifreeze

[jacksonb123]

I did about 140 miles over the weekend and am doing a couple of hundred over the next two days in my 240 so did a quick fluid check this evening.

My coolant reservoir was below the minimum so I've filled this up but interestingly I topped it up to max two weeks ago.

Where does this stuff go ? I'm presuming it doesn't get physically used up by the engine that quickly and I may have a leak somewhere. Does that sound like a possibility ? There was some left in the reservoir but it was below the minimum mark which means it's eaten max to min in the last couple of weeks.

Regards

Ben

[chris m]

Check your radiator and the water pump for (developing) leaks. The rubber seal of the pipe connected at the back of the waterpump would be my first point of inspection, nicely hidden and the seal could have been poorly fitted if the pump was replaced at one time. If there is a (slight) leak you will see fluid or at least whiteish traces of escaping antifreeze.

Personally, I never top up coolant with a cold engine to max; just above min to leave enough room for expansion in the expansion tank.

Cheers, Chris

[Erling]

Good advice from Chris, but do not forget the heating system either. There are two hoses at the back of the motor that might leak. Also, there may be leaks inside the car. If you suspect this, pull the plastic trim covering the sill straight up, lift the corner of the carpet and feel with your hand under the soundproofing mats.

Erling.

If your is an automatic it might be leaking into the auto box from the rad.

[chris m]

Oh yes, and the heater valve itself (just above the passengers feet) is also a quite common source of unwanted loss of coolant (especially when the heating system wasn't used for a longer time).

Cheers, Chris

[Patrick Garland]

Also check the jubilee clips holding the hoses to the radiator. One of mine had rusted right through and was allowing a very, very slight dribble when the engine was hot. Replaced the jubilee clip and that was that sorted. My kind of job !

[jacksonb123]

After what seemed like a period when my disappearing coolant problem seemed to have sorted itself out, I noticed that there was none in the reservoir tonight. So I poured some in, only to hear it come trickling straight back out onto my drive.

It seems that it is leaking out of the bottom corner of the radiator on the opposite side of the car to the coolant reservoir, sort of level with the bottom of the air filter box. I took off the large funnel attached to the radiator that the radiator fan spins in and could see water spurting out of the corner of the radiator when I poured it into the reservoir.

I've also just noticed a trail on the road leading into my drive so I'm thinking it suddenly got worse than it had been during the couple of miles I drove today.

I've got a couple of questions that I'd really appreciate some help with here :
- Can I drive it at all with no coolant/antifreeze in the system ?

- I'm sure I've heard of something called RadWeld in the past, which I assume is for plugging leaks, is it worth going to halfords to get some of this. I'm assuming it is a bit like a puncture repair where I'd just blob it onto the dodgy area in an attempt to seal it up ?

- Finally, It looks like GSF cars have various different radiators for 240's, one of which will surely fit my car (1991 240 SE). Is it a big job to fit one ?
It doesn't look too bad having had a bit of a poke around looking for the leak but I appreciate it might be trickier than it looks.

Any help gratefully recieved.

Regards

Ben

i wouldn't put rad weld in if i was you it seems like you have quite a leak. your rad sounds as if its rotten and in my experiance becuase the cooling system runs at pressure when hot this can fail and cause more of a problem eg head gasket .

[jacksonb123]

Thanks Deano, thats what I'm thinking, have you or anyone on the formum heard of or had any experience with "Nissens" for replacement radiators ? They're selling aluminium replacement radiators on a popular auction site. Otherwise it looks like GSF will deliver me one pretty quickly.

[Clifford Pope]

I got a new radiator from GSF about 5 years ago - it's a plastic one with Aluminium fins, and has lasted perfectly.

It's a very easy job to do - just unbolt the two brackets on the top and it will lift out from its rubber seatings at the bottom. Worth checking for rust while you have it clear.

Yes, you can drive a very short distance with no water - the sort of drive you would measure in seconds not minutes.

It would be a good idea to check and replace the hoses while you are about it. I find old hoses often don't want to seal properly if reused. They take up the imprint of the old pipe or jubilee clip, and sometimes weep even when tightened up hard.