Checking water level in a Sagaris
Discussion
How do Sagaris owners check the coolant/water level in their cars?
I've recently had the cooling/expansion tank mod done on my early T350C which adds the extra expansion tank as I believe is found on the Sagaris (mounted on body at the side of the engine bay).
The new expansion tank has no water in it so I can't check there. Going by the correct level for the water prior to the mod you should fill it to about half way up the first expansion tank (which has the brass cap on it now with a hose going to the second expansion tank). Obviously these expansion tanks are not plastic and therefore you can not read levels without looking in these tanks! I used to use a wooden stick which I would have marked for the correct level and I would drop this down the expansion tank (the one in front of the engine as on earlier Speed Six cars). I would have to remove the brass cap to do that now which doesn't make sense to me.
Am I missing something obvious here?
I've recently had the cooling/expansion tank mod done on my early T350C which adds the extra expansion tank as I believe is found on the Sagaris (mounted on body at the side of the engine bay).
The new expansion tank has no water in it so I can't check there. Going by the correct level for the water prior to the mod you should fill it to about half way up the first expansion tank (which has the brass cap on it now with a hose going to the second expansion tank). Obviously these expansion tanks are not plastic and therefore you can not read levels without looking in these tanks! I used to use a wooden stick which I would have marked for the correct level and I would drop this down the expansion tank (the one in front of the engine as on earlier Speed Six cars). I would have to remove the brass cap to do that now which doesn't make sense to me.
Am I missing something obvious here?
Being able to check the level like this was how I was expecting to do it until I actually got the car back! I was under the impression that as I got the car back from having the mod done with no water in this new tank that this is the way it should be and it was just for expansion. This is where the confusion came about as I could not work out how to check the levels!
The photo below (of a generic Sagaris engine bay, not my car) shows the expansion tank I have had installed (big green arrow) and where the old expansion tank cap used to be (small blue arrow) which is now replaced with a brass cap. I used to use the "wooden spoon" technique with the old expansion tank.
I have previously been told the correct level for the water was just below the pipe going into the engine block from the first tank. Obviously filling the new expansion tank would mean a fair bit more water in the system (which would make sense to me as the water level is then much higher than the top of the radiator).
Does the Sagaris instruction book tell you the correct level for the water as I am guessing it would be the same in my T350C with this mod?

The photo below (of a generic Sagaris engine bay, not my car) shows the expansion tank I have had installed (big green arrow) and where the old expansion tank cap used to be (small blue arrow) which is now replaced with a brass cap. I used to use the "wooden spoon" technique with the old expansion tank.
I have previously been told the correct level for the water was just below the pipe going into the engine block from the first tank. Obviously filling the new expansion tank would mean a fair bit more water in the system (which would make sense to me as the water level is then much higher than the top of the radiator).
Does the Sagaris instruction book tell you the correct level for the water as I am guessing it would be the same in my T350C with this mod?

So do I! I wish my bonnet had a bonnet stay to allow the bonnet to be propped up
I have to use my back at the moment!
Can anyone shed some light on the correct level of coolant in my T350c with the later expansion tank??? I'll have to try to get hold of Dom again at TVR Power to get an answer, but he is a hard man to get hold of!
I have to use my back at the moment! Can anyone shed some light on the correct level of coolant in my T350c with the later expansion tank??? I'll have to try to get hold of Dom again at TVR Power to get an answer, but he is a hard man to get hold of!
Ok. I'm just worried of over filling as by doing this you can have water steam out of the cap which has been a bad problem for me (hence the mod). I've already had one engine die due to cooling problems, I want to make sure I am doing everything 100% correctly so this doesn't happen again!
Gassing Station | Tamora, T350 & Sagaris | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff



