weird coolant setup

[timmy_tam]

hi all
i notice that lately, coolant seems to be running low quite a fair bit

i noticed that from the reservoiur bottle in the engine bay, one tube leads to the radiator, while another is blocked
and one more leads to under the car where it drips out

is this a bad set up? is excess coolant just dripping away?

i'll have picts up if anyone needs them
thanks!

[SweetWagon]

there is supposed to be an overflow hose well too..... overflow, but it shouldnt be leaking all the time, only when the system pressurises and there is too much coolant in the system. pics would be good

[samuels]

hi all
i notice that lately, coolant seems to be running low quite a fair bit

i noticed that from the reservoiur bottle in the engine bay, one tube leads to the radiator, while another is blocked
and one more leads to under the car where it drips out

is this a bad set up? is excess coolant just dripping away?

i'll have picts up if anyone needs them
thanks!

VN series 1?

[immortality]

VN series 1?

no, s1 is a closed system. s2 has a pressure bypass radiator cap and overflow botle. pics would be good

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

I would say your radiator cap needs replacing. When the system pressurises the coolant is going into the expansion bottle then out the overflow pipe.

[samuels]

no, s1 is a closed system. s2 has a pressure bypass radiator cap and overflow botle. pics would be good

i realise this,thats why i asked if it was series one,there was no mention of radiator cap, thats why i asked,the pipes they are describing sound like it was once a closed system,because some people don't realise that when the pressure cap goes on the series one,you can take the guts out of your new cap and put it into your old cap,as GMH don't make series 1 pressure caps anymore,(the ones with the moulded pipe line(s) coming out of pressure cap)

[immortality]

i realise this,thats why i asked if it was series one,there was no mention of radiator cap, thats why i asked,the pipes they are describing sound like it was once a closed system,because some people don't realise that when the pressure cap goes on the series one,you can take the guts out of your new cap and put it into your old cap,as GMH don't make series 1 pressure caps anymore,(the ones with the moulded pipe line(s) coming out of pressure cap)

i guess that would be the s1.5 cooling system as the s1 doesn't have a plastic pipe coming from the pressure cap

[samuels]

i guess that would be the s1.5 cooling system as the s1 doesn't have a plastic pipe coming from the pressure cap

ummm yes they do....well they did until the modification,if you didn't want to keep the overflow bottle,you just put on the cap now supplied by GMH,block off the over flow pipe and leave the overflow bottle in place,but many a fussy people remove the overflow bottle and hoses,and from memory the overflow bottle (also)had 2 moulded in pipe lengths to be able to clamp the over flow pipes in,one hose was pointing to ground for pressure build up,so water/coolant could be released to the ground

[timmy_tam]

thanks for all the quick replies

here is a picture of the bottle





as you can see in the second and 3rd pic, the hose runs out the top and just ends under the car.
HOWEVER, i did once have a different bottle, the different L shape one with no extra holes

series 1 and 2 perhaps?

have i gone from one model to the other where i shouldn't have?

[samuels]

thanks for all the quick replies

here is a picture of the bottle





as you can see in the second and 3rd pic, the hose runs out the top and just ends under the car.
HOWEVER, i did once have a different bottle, the different L shape one with no extra holes

series 1 and 2 perhaps?

have i gone from one model to the other where i shouldn't have?

looking at your pictures,it looks like it was a series 1 motor and coolant setup,but it looks like someone has put in a series 2 motor and left the series 1 pressure tank in

[SweetWagon]

yeh thats a bit odd. s2 car and engine with s1 overflow bottle!?!

[michaelw]

Make sure the overflow is not in the air stream as you drive. I had a S1.5 setup and if the overflow was stuck down one of the holes in the frame (to stop it dripping on the paint work), the rushing air would suck the coolant out.

When I just rested it in the engine bay all was well.

Mike

[samuels]

Make sure the overflow is not in the air stream as you drive. I had a S1.5 setup and if the overflow was stuck down one of the holes in the frame (to stop it dripping on the paint work), the rushing air would suck the coolant out.

When I just rested it in the engine bay all was well.

Mike

looking at the picture above...from memory the series 2 don't have that bottle pictured....thats a series 1 pressurised water tank,the series 2 have an over flow bottle on the passenger side don't they? like the series 1 overflow bottle,thats on the passenger side,going on that picture,someones changed motors and i'm guessing from series 1 to a series 2 motor and haven't bothered to set it up correctly,allowing the old pressure tank to be the over flow bottle which is causing the problems...most likely leaking from one of the blocked pipes,once again looking at the pic,why would you leave the big pipe unblocked on the pressure tank,thats where the series 1 hose hooked up to thewater pump connection....

[timmy_tam]

thanks for all the help guys
clearly, the bottle is in the wrong car model
my only guess is that when the car was restored after being knocked off, someone must have swapped it over for whatever reason i don't know

question now is...is this the cause of my droppping coolant level?
and is it a bad setup? should i go back and find the correct model?

or does it not matter?

thanks all

[SweetWagon]

looking at the picture above...from memory the series 2 don't have that bottle pictured....thats a series 1 pressurised water tank,the series 2 have an over flow bottle on the passenger side don't they? like the series 1 overflow bottle,thats on the passenger side,going on that picture,someones changed motors and i'm guessing from series 1 to a series 2 motor and haven't bothered to set it up correctly,allowing the old pressure tank to be the over flow bottle which is causing the problems...most likely leaking from one of the blocked pipes,once again looking at the pic,why would you leave the big pipe unblocked on the pressure tank,thats where the series 1 hose hooked up to thewater pump connection....

Yeah thats the s1 pressurised bottle, s2 have overflow on drivers side too, s1.5 is the only one to have both with overflow on passengers side. Its a 91 model so that came out with a s2 engine so no engine swap, someones just changed the bottle.

thanks for all the help guys
clearly, the bottle is in the wrong car model
my only guess is that when the car was restored after being knocked off, someone must have swapped it over for whatever reason i don't know

question now is...is this the cause of my droppping coolant level?
and is it a bad setup? should i go back and find the correct model?

or does it not matter?

thanks all

it would think it is causing it, best to swap it for what it was made for anyway. Just go to a wrecker and ask them for one, they'll have heaps