[miami m3]

"check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

i was driving the other day and got the check coolant level warning -- i bought 1 gallon of premix --

turns out i was 1/2 gallon short -- i dont see any leaks and havent got the message again -- but there was white crud all over the top of the black box where you pour the fluid in

so what's wrong with my rover ? is it leaking from the top or something

i know my car blew 2 expansion tanks already (fixed under warranty) -- is this a different issue ?

 

[Gazellio]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

No idea but I got that warning about three weeks ago and topped up with about 1/2 pint of 50/50. The light came back on yesterday and have just topped up about another 1/2 pint.

I am confused as there is no sign of a leak (bright pink antifreeze) and its such a small loss but even so you should not need to top up every 3 weeks or so?

Maybe our problems are related - I am driving a 2006 AJ-V8 model.

 

[Dan_UK_1984]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

OP - if there was dried coolant crystals on top of the header tank it could have been that the cap wasn’t on tight? Or the pressure valve in the cap is failing and letting the system boil out through pressure release hole. It could also be that at a certain pressure a crack is opening up somewhere. Did your expansion tanks actually blow due to excess pressure? Or did they leak, if the system is getting over pressurized and breaking other components I would get an exhaust gas test done on the coolant to be on the safe side.

Gaz - if there is no immediate tell tail, you could find that there is a leak in the radiator that only opens up under high temp/pressure and is then being sucked in by the viscous fan, hits the engine and evaporates so you never see the deposits. Have a look at the engine fan - does it have a clean patch on the blades where hot water may have been hitting it? If that's fine then maybe if all the other hoses and connections are good it's a heater union pipe (between the engine and the bulkhead) best place to verify this is from underneath. I had a small hole in a hose that would only open up when revved to over 2k, so it was fine when on the drive, but leaked when driving. Another point of failure that you may not notice immediately is the water pump, when the bearing starts to wear the shaft wobbles, this will then destroy the watertight seal and coolant will seep past the shaft and will boil off very quickly, again a difficult one to see!

To both - with the engine fully up to temp and left running pop the bonnet and squeeze the top hose. It should be firm, almost hard but should have a little give (remember the coolant temp is over 100°C and desperately wants to boil so its going to be hard) If your hose is squishy then you possibly have a leak in the system that will cause two problems 1. you will loose coolant 2. the coolant in the system will no longer be pressurized and when it gets to 100°C it will boil which will result in air bubbles throughout the coolant which doubles the coolant volume until it has to find a way out very quickly = burst hoses cracked header tanks.
The next thing to try if the hose is firm is to turn the engine off and try again in 5 minutes, the engine will still be hot and the coolant system should still be pressurized, if there is a small leak - the hose will be completely squidgy by now.

 

[Gazellio]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

OP - if there was dried coolant crystals on top of the header tank it could have been that the cap wasn’t on tight? Or the pressure valve in the cap is failing and letting the system boil out through pressure release hole. It could also be that at a certain pressure a crack is opening up somewhere. Did your expansion tanks actually blow due to excess pressure? Or did they leak, if the system is getting over pressurized and breaking other components I would get an exhaust gas test done on the coolant to be on the safe side.

Gaz - if there is no immediate tell tail, you could find that there is a leak in the radiator that only opens up under high temp/pressure and is then being sucked in by the viscous fan, hits the engine and evaporates so you never see the deposits. Have a look at the engine fan - does it have a clean patch on the blades where hot water may have been hitting it? If that's fine then maybe if all the other hoses and connections are good it's a heater union pipe (between the engine and the bulkhead) best place to verify this is from underneath. I had a small hole in a hose that would only open up when revved to over 2k, so it was fine when on the drive, but leaked when driving. Another point of failure that you may not notice immediately is the water pump, when the bearing starts to wear the shaft wobbles, this will then destroy the watertight seal and coolant will seep past the shaft and will boil off very quickly, again a difficult one to see!

To both - with the engine fully up to temp and left running pop the bonnet and squeeze the top hose. It should be firm, almost hard but should have a little give (remember the coolant temp is over 100°C and desperately wants to boil so its going to be hard) If your hose is squishy then you possibly have a leak in the system that will cause two problems 1. you will loose coolant 2. the coolant in the system will no longer be pressurized and when it gets to 100°C it will boil which will result in air bubbles throughout the coolant which doubles the coolant volume until it has to find a way out very quickly = burst hoses cracked header tanks.
The next thing to try if the hose is firm is to turn the engine off and try again in 5 minutes, the engine will still be hot and the coolant system should still be pressurized, if there is a small leak - the hose will be completely squidgy by now.

Superb answer - will carry out the check procedure and report back ASAP

 

[Gazellio]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

OK so first of all I have the Jaguar Engine and I know you have the BMW so there may be a Pipe issue here!

There is a thin top pipe leading from the Cylinder head cover to the Expansion tank and that is Rock solid both when running and after the car has been turned off but still warm.

There is a similar pipe leading out the other side of the Cylinder head cover and that is very firm but not rock solid.

There is a big thick pipe coming from the top/side of the Radiator and heading straight downwards - this is not particularly firm but not completely squishy. Not sure that this pipe is under boiling point pressure or even meant to be.

What next?

 

[Dan_UK_1984]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

OK so first of all I have the Jaguar Engine and I know you have the BMW so there may be a Pipe issue here!

There is a thin top pipe leading from the Cylinder head cover to the Expansion tank and that is Rock solid both when running and after the car has been turned off but still warm.

There is a similar pipe leading out the other side of the Cylinder head cover and that is very firm but not rock solid.

There is a big thick pipe coming from the top/side of the Radiator and heading straight downwards - this is not particularly firm but not completely squishy. Not sure that this pipe is under boiling point pressure or even meant to be.

What next?

Stupid question but as I don't know your engine, the thin pipe, is it actually a collapsible pipe? With the cap off does it squash?

Basically if the car has been off for 5 mins and there is still a decent amount of pressure in the system, you can rule out a plain leak, there are still leaks that can only leak under full load or hot running. If it is still hard after 5 -10 mins I would get an exhaust gas test done on the coolant (they put a "sniffer" in the header tank to test for CO2 bubbles) this shouldn’t be an expensive test. The water pump when it's in it's early stages of failure may only be letting a small amount of water passed the seal when the car is running, so it could still be that.

These are the sort of issues you can get with any car and any garage should be able to trace a coolant leak for you.

 

[Gazellio]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

OK so first of all I have the Jaguar Engine and I know you have the BMW so there may be a Pipe issue here!

There is a thin top pipe leading from the Cylinder head cover to the Expansion tank and that is Rock solid both when running and after the car has been turned off but still warm.

There is a similar pipe leading out the other side of the Cylinder head cover and that is very firm but not rock solid.

There is a big thick pipe coming from the top/side of the Radiator and heading straight downwards - this is not particularly firm but not completely squishy. Not sure that this pipe is under boiling point pressure or even meant to be.

What next?

Stupid question but as I don't know your engine, the thin pipe, is it actually a collapsible pipe? With the cap off does it squash?

Basically if the car has been off for 5 mins and there is still a decent amount of pressure in the system, you can rule out a plain leak, there are still leaks that can only leak under full load or hot running. If it is still hard after 5 -10 mins I would get an exhaust gas test done on the coolant (they put a "sniffer" in the header tank to test for CO2 bubbles) this shouldn’t be an expensive test. The water pump when it's in it's early stages of failure may only be letting a small amount of water passed the seal when the car is running, so it could still be that.

These are the sort of issues you can get with any car and any garage should be able to trace a coolant leak for you.

Wife is in the car but I will check when she gets back. The thin pipe was a soft pipe that was hard under pressure. However every pipe I squeezed seemed to have a different pressure inside it? Do you know what the BIG pipe coming out the side of the Radiator and straight down is for?

 

[Dan_UK_1984]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

OK so first of all I have the Jaguar Engine and I know you have the BMW so there may be a Pipe issue here!

There is a thin top pipe leading from the Cylinder head cover to the Expansion tank and that is Rock solid both when running and after the car has been turned off but still warm.

There is a similar pipe leading out the other side of the Cylinder head cover and that is very firm but not rock solid.

There is a big thick pipe coming from the top/side of the Radiator and heading straight downwards - this is not particularly firm but not completely squishy. Not sure that this pipe is under boiling point pressure or even meant to be.

What next?

Stupid question but as I don't know your engine, the thin pipe, is it actually a collapsible pipe? With the cap off does it squash?

Basically if the car has been off for 5 mins and there is still a decent amount of pressure in the system, you can rule out a plain leak, there are still leaks that can only leak under full load or hot running. If it is still hard after 5 -10 mins I would get an exhaust gas test done on the coolant (they put a "sniffer" in the header tank to test for CO2 bubbles) this shouldn’t be an expensive test. The water pump when it's in it's early stages of failure may only be letting a small amount of water passed the seal when the car is running, so it could still be that.

These are the sort of issues you can get with any car and any garage should be able to trace a coolant leak for you.

Wife is in the car but I will check when she gets back. The thin pipe was a soft pipe that was hard under pressure. However every pipe I squeezed seemed to have a different pressure inside it? Do you know what the BIG pipe coming out the side of the Radiator and straight down is for?

I THINK, rads always flow In at the top and Out at the bottom, so which direction is your hose going in? It’s a shame there is no RAVE for the jag engines, I’ve never been able to read up on their workings.

 

[Gazellio]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

TOP side to Bottom of engine - can't see exactly where!

 

[Gazellio]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

Found this AJV8 Engine & Transmission Technical Guide so I have uploaded it temporarily to my site:

http://www.garyelliott.co.uk/ranger/AJV8.pdf

If you want it I suggest you save it to your PC. Should be very useful to Jaguar Engined Ranger Rover owners.

Dan, There is a section on the Cooling system

 

[Dan_UK_1984]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

Found this AJV8 Engine & Transmission Technical Guide so I have uploaded it temporarily to my site:

http://www.garyelliott.co.uk/ranger/AJV8.pdf

If you want it I suggest you save it to your PC. Should be very useful to Jaguar Engined Ranger Rover owners.

Dan, There is a section on the Cooling system

Ta V much, saved and noted for future use! Have you ever checked out the Land Rover Global Technical Reference? Free to join but chargeable for the material there:

My Subscriptions Day Month Year
1 Model, 1 Year £8 £39 £154
1 Model, All Years £13 £64 £315
All Models, All Years £26 £154 £900

Cant say the guys at LR don't have a sense of humor!

 

[Gazellio]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

Found this AJV8 Engine & Transmission Technical Guide so I have uploaded it temporarily to my site:

http://www.garyelliott.co.uk/ranger/AJV8.pdf

If you want it I suggest you save it to your PC. Should be very useful to Jaguar Engined Ranger Rover owners.

Dan, There is a section on the Cooling system

Ta V much, saved and noted for future use! Have you ever checked out the Land Rover Global Technical Reference? Free to join but chargeable for the material there:

My Subscriptions Day Month Year
1 Model, 1 Year £8 £39 £154
1 Model, All Years £13 £64 £315
All Models, All Years £26 £154 £900

Cant say the guys at LR don't have a sense of humor!

Yup been there and decided they can keep the precious info

 

[minnesota mitch]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

Yes make sure top is on correctly but there is a issue that ive had the displeasure of paying for.which is some kind of coolant leak thats gets in the tranmission or gear box it cost 1300$at the dealer i had this problem 2-3years ago the dealer put my range on some overnight pressure test i came back to the stealership and went in the bay the next day and they showed me what had look like my tranny pull apartfrom the truck and show me the coolant and how it was getting in there and they couldnt say how but that it was a coolant leak.The coolant it self never went down significantly but my coolant alert would come on often which made me check the coolant but it wasnt visibly low so i took it in and 1300$ later the rest is history.

 

[Gazellio]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

Yes make sure top is on correctly but there is a issue that ive had the displeasure of paying for.which is some kind of coolant leak thats gets in the tranmission or gear box it cost 1300$at the dealer i had this problem 2-3years ago the dealer put my range on some overnight pressure test i came back to the stealership and went in the bay the next day and they showed me what had look like my tranny pull apartfrom the truck and show me the coolant and how it was getting in there and they couldnt say how but that it was a coolant leak.The coolant it self never went down significantly but my coolant alert would come on often which made me check the coolant but it wasnt visibly low so i took it in and 1300$ later the rest is history.

Sounds like a Steal at the Stealership! If the Coolant was not going down where was the fluid in the tranny coming from?

 

[Gazellio]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

Dan,

Since my last reply I have been checking the hoses regularly and interestingly ALL hoses I can find are now Rock Solid under pressure including the main Thick Hose leading out of the top and heading downwards. I check again after 5 minutes and they are all still pretty hard.

Not sure why the Big hose was soft on my first check a few days ago.

Why TF are FFRR so complicated and prone to minor faults? I ran my new D3 Metropolis TDV6 (LR3) for three years and 40k mls without a SINGLE trip to a forum or garage other than Regular service!! My new RRS went 12 months without even a service before I sold it!!

Land Rover can make reliable cars so whats up with the flagship FFRR.... :evil:

 

[miami m3]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

wanted to update the thread -- turned out that two hoses needed replacing - they were the hoses on the back end of the engine which cool the transmission -- or at least somthing like that

parts, labor and a coolant flush set me back $590 at an independent shop in miami - god i miss my warranty

 

[Gazellio]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

wanted to update the thread -- turned out that two hoses needed replacing - they were the hoses on the back end of the engine which cool the transmission -- or at least somthing like that

parts, labor and a coolant flush set me back $590 at an independent shop in miami - god i miss my warranty

Can you find out exactly which hoses they where? (I have minor coolant leak - I think)

 

[Dan_UK_1984]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

Well, on Saturday I started up - Bong "Check Coolant Level" Checked it and the header tank as empty and as per OP probably took half a gallon! I've done about 250 miles since refilling and the level hasn't dropped at all.

I'll keep an eye on it, but very odd.

 

[linuxfreakus]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

Pumps can leak on occasion when they are first failing. So can gaskets/hoses but my first guess is the pump. I have heard of people adding UV dye to the coolant and then the next time it leaks you can look for the dye with a UV light.

 

[Dan_UK_1984]

Re: "check coolant level" warning - i need 1/2 gallon ???

Better not be - it was a new pump a couple of months ago. Genuine part.

It made a right racket when it was failing, although I must admit that was my first thought. The odd thing though like I said is that I've done 250 miles since and it's not lost a drop.