Coolant level?

[Bill Borden]

Thanks Ed and Steve,

Our C12 runs at 192 or lower most of the time, except if we are climbing a mountain range while flat towing then it may go up 200 or 205 on real hot days.  But will cool right down with a idle break.

But I really do wish I had a better handle on the coolant level.  So with your advise I will lower the Cap pressure and add a overflow tank.

And I will continue to check the surge tank in the same way as Ed, sticking the finger in.

Also, I will look into adding a bullseye level indicator, I will report back as to it's function and success with the surge tank.

Thanks again,
 

 

[Edward Buker]

As long as I can reach it with my finger cold and it is not so full that it expands and overflows the second tank then we are good to go.

When I did what works for Steve, having the main surge tank full and the extra tank at the cold line, the coolant would expand and blow some out of the added tank when it got hot on a climb. Then when cooling it siphoned coolant back into the main surge tank and it would then empty the small tank and it would then again be below the cold line.....you could play that game all day.

The goal here is to have coolant high enough in the main surge tank and low enough to never lose any out of the overflow of the second tank. That is the happy place you are trying to maintain. The finger test is good for me in that it allows enough expansion not to lose coolant and only takes a minute. Find the happy place where you do not lose coolant anymore and just maintain it there. The original surge tank was not really big enough to handle this systems coolant expansion so we were always filling and losing system coolant on the highway.

Later Ed

[Bill Borden]

Ok thanks Ed, at least we are experiencing the same scenario, which is good. 

Thanks for the advise, I will try to keep it cool.  Heading up I-80 over the Sierra's Saturday and it will be hot but I never have a problem with the temperature passing 200.

Have a great day,   

[Jeremy Parrett]

I installed  a Caterpillar expansion bottle and removed the sight glass which cracked from my BCS provided steel tank.