Just overfilled the coolant / antifreeze reservoir...

Just overfilled the coolant / antifreeze reservoir...

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matt uk

Original Poster:

17,649 posts

199 months

Monday 17th November 2008
quotequote all
... and the question is - does it really matter?

I know, I know, amateur night at my house. It's late, dark and I never really learnt the difference between 'jobs that can wait until the morning' and 'well, well, well, the coolants low, can't have that can we...'

So, it's gone from being just below 'low' to being at the top of the reservoir, well above 'high'.

So, you tell me PH, I am not in the mood for making decisions.

Leave it, it'll be fine.
Syringe the excess out before the car detonates in a ball of flame.

Thanks for helping.

ExPat2B

2,157 posts

199 months

Monday 17th November 2008
quotequote all
You need some air to pressurise, or the system will split a hose or the expansion tank.


matt uk

Original Poster:

17,649 posts

199 months

Monday 17th November 2008
quotequote all
Many thanks for replying to what admittedly is one of the most boring thread titles I think I've ever seen on PH!!

Thought as much - so syringe the excess out before using the car again?

maxp

178 posts

185 months

Monday 17th November 2008
quotequote all
Definitely remove it, my car is going into the garage this Wednesday because i though it would be fine, what a wally i was!
Sitting in traffic the next day i see a nice constant plume of steam rising from the engine.

If a syringe is too much hassle, just dip any old kitchen towel in there and soak it up.

dugt

1,657 posts

206 months

Monday 17th November 2008
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it maybe easier to remove one of the hoses, depending on how it is in your car

doug

Altrezia

8,517 posts

210 months

Monday 17th November 2008
quotequote all
I reckon you'll be OK. 99% of cars will just push the excess out through the pressure cap.

*Al*

3,830 posts

221 months

Monday 17th November 2008
quotequote all
As said remove the excess, it's called an expansion for a reason.......hot water expands.Doesn't matter if it's just above 'Max'.

matt uk

Original Poster:

17,649 posts

199 months

Monday 17th November 2008
quotequote all
I did notice that on the header tank cap, there is a pipe that goes into the reservior, but also little pipe that runs off from the cap.. Hence my thoughts that maybe it didn't matter as it'd squeeze out any excess that way. Still, won't take too long to dunk a few wads of kitchen roll in there to soak it up.

Mark-C

5,007 posts

204 months

Monday 17th November 2008
quotequote all
matt uk said:
I did notice that on the header tank cap, there is a pipe that goes into the reservior, but also little pipe that runs off from the cap.. Hence my thoughts that maybe it didn't matter as it'd squeeze out any excess that way. Still, won't take too long to dunk a few wads of kitchen roll in there to soak it up.
Absolutely should be fine ... but better safe than sorry ... done it myself and only takes minutes to sort

NiceCupOfTea

25,280 posts

250 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
syringe is the easiest bet, but there'll probably be a drain plug on the radiator which you can undo with a 2p piece - unscrew it a couple of turns and drain some out, then do back up again. RUn th eengine with the cap off for a bit and squeeze the hoses to make sure there are no airlocks and you should be laughing.

GreenV8S

30,149 posts

283 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
The pressure cap will prevent the system from developing too much pressure so don't worry too much about it bursting something, but without the appropriate amount of air in the system to act as a spring you might find it spits water out and then takes a fair time to build the pressure back up again. If you're driving it hard in the meantime you could be in trouble. I suggest you just run it for ten minutes with the cap off, if it's as full as you're describing it'll probably spit water out anyway.

welshbikerduck

1,448 posts

188 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
I think we have all done it at some time or another. I remember i did it on a Supra Turbo a few years ago, a quick trip to the local Asda store, down the baking aisle, then paid my 89p for my new turkey baster. However the only turkey it was going near was me for overfilling the coolant.

On the upside, i still have that Turkey baster in my garage and it has come in useful on so many other jobs, so much so i now consider it an essential tool in my garage.

Marquis_Rex

7,377 posts

238 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
I dont know which of your cars it is. if its the E39 it will be fine.

Thats what the overflow pipe is for, it will find its own temperature/gas phase equilibrium at the right pressure and push the rest out.
I've over filled my old E21 and let it find its own level, done it to alfas, VWs , modern Jags with precision cooling and My amercan cars, I dont imagine it being any different for your Renault.

It amuses me that all the plebes on another thread say its fine to mix petrol and diesel arguing with the experts in the industry where as on here- there's advice of excessive caution laugh

gamefreaks

1,955 posts

186 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
Take the excess out.

The expansion cap can get clogged up and not vent properly. Also, pipes and joints that are older proberably won't have the same tollerence to pressure as when it was new!

Edited by gamefreaks on Tuesday 18th November 10:21

matt uk

Original Poster:

17,649 posts

199 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
Better pop out leter and replace the new turkey baster I found in the kitchen.. Great idea that biggrin

Levels now down just below the 'high' mark.

It was the MX5. First track day tomorrow. Could have been a disater!! paperbag

Knew I could rely on PH so see me right. Cheers for your help thumbup

Trooper2

6,676 posts

230 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
matt uk said:
Better pop out leter and replace the new turkey baster I found in the kitchen.. Great idea that biggrin

Levels now down just below the 'high' mark.

It was the MX5. First track day tomorrow. Could have been a disater!! paperbag

Knew I could rely on PH so see me right. Cheers for your help thumbup
I have a turkey baster in my toolbox at work just for such emergencies..... wink

christof54321

1 posts

116 months

Friday 4th July 2014
quotequote all
Aha. Turkey baster. Knew there had to be an easy way. Thanks guys. biggrin