Thread: 300tdi coolant overflow and no coolant in radiator

Your cap could be faulty or you just still have air in the system.
Fill the overflow reservoir first and tighten the cap, then fill radiator and refit bung, then top up thru bung in thermostat elbow.
Run till it gets to operating temp then allow to cool, check reservoir and if level is good then air has been expelled or top up as required.

Remove the 3 way fitting and hoses on the bleeder and ensure it is clear in all 3 directions.
Reinstall the 3 way connector.
refill via the expansion tank with the radiator bung removed and the bleed hose on the thermostat removed.
As coolant reaches the radiator, screw the bung in.
Squeezing the bottom radiator hose will assist in filling.
Keep filling until coolant comes out the barb on the thermostat, then refit bleed hose. You wont get a flow as such, as long as it spits out when the bottom hose is squeezed will be good enough.
With the Expansion tank cap removed start the engine.
Even from cold you should see water flow in the expansion tank. Cycling the RPM from idle to 1500 will make it obvious.
There is a constant flow that bypasses the thermostat via the bleed hose.
Any air trapped will/should be removed.
Let the coolant heat up and look for bubbles in the expansion tank.


If you have a constant stream of bubbles then it will be the head gasket.


No bubbles, put the cap on and go for a short drive to get the thermostat to fully open.

Fill the system as described above - not easy to do because of its design, BUT if your heater hoses are hot then you have water in the highest part of the system. The heater is the best check of a properly bled system.

Unfortunately I would suggest that you have a leaking head or gasket - having been through a similar problem twice recently on my 300tdi disco.

In short, prime the system properly, take for a drive and see if the heater works, then see if the coolant stays where it's meant to be. If not then head off.......(which is actually pretty simple and not expensive)

Jimmy, What is your mileage reading, and has the head gasket been replaced before?
Don.

Ill try all of the above when i get a chance, thanks.

It has 330,000km on it and ill have to check through the books to see if its been done or not.

What kind of mileage do they commonly last upto??

Cheers

Jimmy

Head gaskets usually need replacing at 230 000 klm on average.
A slight overheat will reduce that a lot.

Head was reconditioned and gasket replaced 50000km ago so hopefully that is alright.

The radiator man thinks i should replace my expansion tank cap and then hopefully it will work.

cheers
Jimmy

I filled up the cooling system again and had another run at idle it just had tiny bubbles (Possibly from the bleeder??) and when i increased the revs it was making a mess in the expansion tank (not sure if it was big air bubbles or coolant) anyway i dont think this froth looked good after i was revving it.





Could this just be froth from air bubbles being forced through the system or is it my head gasket?

Cheers
Jimmy