Thread: Intermittant Low Coolant error, but coolant not low

Odd that you mention this. Well maybe not odd but more coincidental.

During my Coolant problems & since the coolant alarm sort of 'half' (ie. Buzzer was half hearted) activated until we got to a particular hill. By the time we got to the top it had ceased & I logically put it down to some air in the system that went to the surface with the front of the car nose up. So instead of panic mode it is now... "Bloody thing!" I have since bled it again & will find out next time out, as it seems air is the sort of thing that can take time to exit.

Get a new overflow bottle from Land Rover.
My l322 has a similar issue a year or so ago.
The sensor fails and is part of the bottle.
It wasn’t too dear from memory.

Can the sensor in the overflow bottle - get a new bottle and hopefully it will be OK.

However I had these alerts when driving and when checking the bottle was always filled. One day I checked it when the car was completely cold and the engine not running, and the coolant was low - as soon as the engine started the bottle filled. So do a visual check when the car is on the level and completely cold.

Garry

Interesting that, Gary.

So where does it "hang out with the lads" as it is not like it has another expansion/surge chamber or dumps itself on the floor so it can be pumped back again when required? Obviously one would expect the whole cooling system to be chockas from the outset.

Bleedin' Land Rovers!

Originally Posted by 4bee

So where does it "hang out with the lads" as it is not like it has another expansion/surge chamber or dumps itself on the floor so it can be pumped back again when required? Obviously one would expect the whole cooling system to be chockas from the outset.

The coolant is low so there is space in the system - so my take on it is that as the engine cools it sucks the coolant back into the engine from the over flow bottle. As soon as you start the water pump pumps the fluid around the engine including the bottle where it is somewhat captured.

I might add that I only got the low coolant indication when I was driving at about 100kph and needed to accelerate - I guess that is where, when the engine was operating there was enough suction in the system and space to suck the coolant out of the bottle and set off the alarm. By the time I switched off and lifted the bonnet to check the coolant had flowed back into the bottle, noting the system was still hot and pressurised.

I can only relate my expoerience - I will leave it to you to work out the why.

My money is still on the sensor but that was not the issue in my case - about 2 litres of orange coolant fixed that. I have no idea where the coolant went as I have never had the problem again.

I will leave it to you to work out the why.

Not me Gary, I didn't get a Masters in Scientific Studies but your theory does sound realistic.

Interesting though, the whys & wherefores of strange Land Rover happenings

The sensor is part of the expansion tank.
The sensor is a foam float that rises and falls.
Over many years (mine was about 8 years) the foam finally starts to absorb fluid and finally sink.
It no longer raises properly.
Sounds like your foam float for the sensor has started to become hydroscopic?
At a rough guess the tank was something like $120-$150 inc.
But I don’t remember exactly.
The sensor is part of the tank.
When you get the new tank it looks all clear and new again which is a plus as after that period of time the plastic starts looking old and drab.

Sounds like another bad ill-conceived LR design.

Is it the sort of thing that could be replaced by a Ping Pong ball for instance, as adhesives are just so good today something better must be able to be used.

I know what you mean about getting waterlogged, as I tried to do a similar thing with foam plastic in a water level tube for a rainwater storage tank & even a painted wooden fishing float eventually failed but a sealed ball might just do the trick..