Thread: coolant capacity problem

You should bleed the system from thermostat plug, not from radiator.
When You see fluid at radiator top, You must close radiator plug. You can then add fluid in the Thermostat housing, but until level reachs the "X" mark in the expansion tank. Not more!
It seems your pump is not pumping trough the heater line because it is not correct bleeded.
You can do as with a normal centrifugal pump. I saw this method from another Disco mate here: with the fluid level in the correct mark at expansion tank you keep open the Thermostat plug, (but with attention in order to screw it instantly).
You run the engine and you will hear the air blowing until water with high pressure comes out. This is the reason i indicate attention. Tighten thermostat plug.
Then You don't open any plug. The only you can open is the expansion tank cap, in order to top fluid level until the "X" mark.
This will not fail!

Good luck!

Sounds like an air lock somewhere. Probably in/near the heater. On some vehicles there are bleed screws even on the heater hoses. What does the temperature gauge show?
What you can do is to take off the reservoir and elevate it above the present location (which is, unfortunately, not the highest point of the system). Then you start the engine whilst having the heater fully open and add coolant as the level lowers, taking care not to overheat the engine.

Good luck!
Cheers

thanks guys!
i did bleed it through the thermostat, result: the heater is working now and we lost a little bit of air, but it never actually shot coolant out "under pressure"... well, coolant did flow out but.. as I said, not under pressure...
and well, I did then raise the expansion tank, while running engine and heater, but the water did not drop (ran about half hour in total...)

so ... I have another question as to what it could be... instead of the original black expansion tank i have the white one installed... is it possible that this one holds less water (I am up to about 8.5 litres in the system... couldnt fill anymore even after bleeding, running, and cooling down... so were missing about 3-3.5 litres at the moment....?)?

anybody any opinion or input to that please?
cheers!

The new white reservoir is approx the same as older.
Scuse me for my bad redaction (my language is spanish), but this thing with pressure can be as you describe. I saw my mate holding the plug, heared a whistle (that could be the air trough a small gap) and my mate closed the plug quickly, with some water droping.

And regarding the reservoir raising, I was searching in my local club forum myself describing the last time I filled the system, and i didn´t lose the mark level too...
So Your system is now from my viewpoint ok
There is a difference in capacity between user manual and reality, i don't know why...


Regards

You may have blocked cores in the radiator if it was only flushed out.The water can run from top to bottom without going through the actual core.To ensure no blockages requires the tank taken off and the cores rodded.

Your "missing" coolant is probably the amount of water left in the block after draining the cooling system.

Although the lower hose is the lowest part of the cooling system water can sit inside the cooling system passage ways in the block even with the hoses off. It wouldn't surprise me if you had 3 or more litres in the block that is near on impossible to drain out.

Provided you have bled the system and the heater now works I wouldn't get too worried.