coolant level - please help.

[Gavola]

my S2 elise overheated yesterday in the line for 60th Anv day....my coolant is always on the minimum line when cold but still managed to over height and disperse excess coolant on road yesterday when temp fit 110+. Knowing that the coolant expands when warm do any elise owners have their coolant below minimum when engine is cold?? Thanks so much. Gavin.

[beez]

Is it a K series S2? The coolant in my S1 was always well below the min line i tried topping it up once but it just spat it all back out again.

On a trip to Le Mans a few years back it was a hot year about 40c and the car was running at about 100c most the trip a few times it got to about 110c the fan kicked in and dropped it back down. When i checked the coolant it was at its normal level below the min line.

[noodleman]

Did your fan cut in????

[NWTony]

If the temp got to 110 then your fan isn't working, the fan should cut in at 102 I believe and it will quickly bring it down to normal. The Elise has low levels of coolant anyway, so running it low won't help and I don't think it would prevent it boiling over anyway.

Check to see if the fan has siezed which they often do or whether it's just a switch or fuse that has failed, I suspect the fan myself and to change it it's a clam off job, although I believe you can cut the old radiator in half in the clam and replace it with a samller one you mount directly to the radiator itself. I'd check the Selo wiki if I were you.

[andy_s]

Mines an S2 K series and the coolant level is right on the minimum line and has been for three years.
I've never seen mine that hot though - as above, the fans should have kicked in long before I'd have thunk. Anyway, I don't think it's down to coolant.

Enjoy the w/e though?

[Ikemi]

The coolant level in my S1 has been a bit of a concern for me over the past few days! I've owned the car for nearly two years and I know from experience that coolant levels are always low. In the morning before work the coolant would be a couple of centimetres below the minimum level, which would then increase to the minimum level after a short run - All good, 'tis a pressurized system

However recently in the morning there has been no coolant in the tank! After a run, the coolant returns to minimum level as per usual. Once I leave work at the end of the day, the coolant has disappeared again from the tank!

I topped it up yesterday with lots of coolant and went for a 3 hour hoon - It dumped loads of the stuff and is doing the above again. The only thing that has changed in my driving is that recently I've been doing many trips up to Lancaster (4 hours!) and back ... Hmmm!

Usually my fans kick in at 90-95C - Never seen it over 98C before, even on a scorchingly hot day!

[Gavola]

i could not hear if my fan had cut in as I was in a queue of other lotus all queing for the HQ & everybody's fans when coming on and then off it was very difficult to tell if yours was running or not! :-( At least I was correct in thinking it's best to have coolant at the minimum when cold.....however will have to wait for hot day to test then fan....tried to idle car today having been on a long journey and she just sat at 90C (perfect)...... i think i may have had just a little too much coolant in car. Thanks to all. Will keep you informed of the on-going "Gav's Fan Story" soon :-)

[NWTony]

The coolant will find it's own level as it just loses any excess anyway, you would have to keep topping it up religiously to hold it above it's natural minimum. As a rule of thumb, it tends to sit at or just below the minimum when cold.

[TIPPER]

My S1 has since I've owned it always sat well below minimum when cold and just on or above minimum when the engine is warmed up. I've done 30k miles (including a few track days) with it like it and no worries. Just keep a regualr eye on the levels - if it moves from what's normal for yours then it time to perhaps be concerned.