How do coolant overflow tanks work

Opened the radiator cap. Removed the overflow tank cap and blow air with my mouth through the cap hose. This helped me flushed any debris that may have accumulated in the system. Removed the overflow tank and cleaned properly. Fixed back the radiator cap,hose ,overflow tank and cap and filled the radiator completely with water. Started the car and noticed that the problem has been solved after driven the car for 2 days.

Everything is now good. No more problem. I have similar problem and all my mechanic seems not to have perfect solutions, i already change to new radiator but it continues and i was advised to Change the top gasket, please chijioke. Which city are you based i need your help to fix mine, am frustrated by this. Table of Contents. Looking for Replacement Parts? Vic Reply. I have the same problem with my uplander.

Larry Reply. This might take you back to your high school chemistry class, but things expand when they get hot. When it comes to coolant specifically, it also creates steam and gas pressure that needs to go somewhere. Back in the day, this hot coolant would just be vented to the atmosphere the ground to be precise , but in the spirit of keeping our one earth intact, auto makers designed tanks to catch and reuse the expanding coolant.

The end result was two different types of tanks that are used to do just that. An overflow tank can also be referred to as a recovery tank and is the simpler system of the two.

The best way to determine if your vehicle is using a overflow tank would be to find out if your radiator is sporting a pressure rated cap, since this is what determines when the coolant starts flowing between the cooling system and the tank. This system also relies heavily on the pressure created by the expanding coolant. Note that the cap has a large spring underneath with a small tab in the center.

As the pressure from the hot coolant builds and exceeds the rating of the radiator cap, it will compress the larger spring to expose the overflow port. This allows any steam and excess coolant to pass through the line and into your overflow tank and remain in there until the temperature in the system drops. Once the vehicle cools down, the pressures naturally want to equalize. This lower pressure creates a vacuum and pulls the coolant from the overflow tank back into the cooling system via the small valve inside of the radiator cap.

With this configuration, the tank is always under pressure, and your pressure rated cap is located on the tank rather than the radiator itself. Hi Mohammed, I am not sure if 0. Thank you so much I have replaced it with 1. Generally no. I am running an electric fan on the radiator and an electric fan on the ac condenser. The radiator is a 4 row unit and cools well. If i put a recovery tank on the truck what cap pressure should I use?

The radiator has a pressure release hose under the cap but there is no coolant overflow tank so when it gets hot the coolant just pukes onto the ground. I am looking at different universal tanks online and see some with two valves one for in, one for out and other tanks with just one valve for both in and out. Which is best?

How does the one-valve tanks work? Top off the radiator, then top off the overflow reservoir to the full line. Make sure you only do this when the engine is completely cool. It is very dangerous to remove the radiator cap while the system is hot and pressurized. Add more coolant as needed during this process. I got the radiator replaced last year, but this is my first time at this shop. If your radiator leaks too much, your car will eventually overheat.

Some cars can leak a lot of coolant before any symptoms arise, but once you overheat an engine you are at risk of much bigger problems, such as warped heads and cracked blocks that will require expensive engine work or replacement. With some temperature gauges, the needle only starts to move off center once your engine gets dangerously hot.

If I did, does the bottle position or height relative to the radiator make any difference? And if I do install one, can I add a little more coolant to the radiator or do I still leave a couple of inches empty on top?

Do I stick with the 15 cap that came with the radiator? The cooling system. Water pump. Radiator cap. Still have questions? Leave a reply. If you have a car question, submit it to our community for a faster answer. Cancel reply. Your Comment. Leave this field empty. Related Posts. How Long Does Gasoline Last? Latest Posts.