#1 Mistake Filling Car Coolant Fluid!!
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2023
- Filling your car's coolant reservoir to the FULL line with fluid does not fill your radiator!
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Not all cars have radiator caps, checkout our full video for more information!! czcams.com/video/_Wq__5jZ1gM/video.html
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Vw,s
My 04 Chevy Tahoe don't have a cap so wat should I do then
That's where I'm stuck right now, I was staring under my hood hoping to find the cap, but I had to put it in the reservoir. And it's not going through the hose.
@@sillyblondegirl35clogged line or heating core…this channel shouldn’t be used for mechanical reference
Some cars have completely sealed radiators..... so you have to fill it via the overflow tank.... sooooo
Just like my F250
Then it’s not an overflow tank
@@Jayyy-7 No; it's eliminating that overflow tank by making the highest point in the cooling system translucent plastic and pressurised;
having at least 2 hoses leading into it at the bottom of the container;
one from the top of the radiator and one from another point on the engine so the whole system "burps" itself of any air and you can see instantly how much coolant is in the whole system.....
and it is where you pour in any coolant.....
just leave engine work to move out air boobles deom engine and radiator so pour more if needed, overpouring is not good bcs of bigger pressure so for some years the cap will fly away or bottle will break
In that case it's not called a resivior it's called a surge tank and they are under pressure
Important to note over time it will pull coolant from the bottle into the radiator and back as the coolant expands and contracts.
Almost entirely acaccurate! But no worries dude doesn't understand what he's trying to explain either. It's not just an overflow reservoir anymore either friend and hasn't been since ...idk...the 60's maybe? Anyways it's now a pressurized coolant recovery tank and is absolutely the way to tell how much coolant is in your vehicle at a glance and for most situations will be accurate without any doubts. The hi and lo marks are more about the temperature of your engine ie has it been sitting? Cold ..Or running and warmed up with the AC going? Hot..
Hope more people see the truth
@@jackhacker76 Not all cars have a pressurized expansion tank, and this doenst have one. Neiter have many hondas. The ones that have a pressurized expansion tanks, uusually dont have a radiator cap.
I'm so glad you left this comment! Great to know!
You HAVE to make sure the engine is NOT HOT!!
Otherwise you will have 3rd degree BURNS!
Uhhh yeah he says that in the video...
@@drewdale76 I know but he does NOT EMPHASIZE IT ENOUGH!
@@greatnew_products7436 thank you I thought I was the only one to comment this.
Yeah he doesn’t emphasize it that strongly
Here's a much easier way just let natural selection run it's course if someone wants to open the cap when it's hot let em they will find out sooner or later.
“Budget Mechanic “ , says it all
😂 ouch. Man you went 4 the throat on that 1😂
Glad for the info, but please stress the safety of opening that cap under pressure more. Seriously guys do not do it. You’ll burn yourself with a geyser of boiling coolant all over you.
Yeah, and the cap, if its a metal one, can cut
True that had that happened thank God I ddnt go far nd it wasn't hot but does shoot out like a geyser
@@jayes460 if u gonna open the cap, at least let the car cool down 5 hours first..
@@misterrandom8885 hours? bru what typa blown head gasket leaky water pump bad thermostat bucket are you driving🤣🤣
@@bhopins after 1 - 3 hours the engine is still hot. So 5 hrs just to be on the safe side man.
Cold engine, remove cap, start engine, warmup with cap removed, wait for thermostat to open, run heater full force, then add fluid. Replace cap. This prevents air pockets from forming.
Interesting, thank you😊
risky
@@cautarepvp2079not really
@@cautarepvp2079not at all 😂😂😂😂
@@cautarepvp2079your probably scared of changing the oil hot so you wait a hour or two to pop that drain plug :/
Wrong. A low radiator fluid level will be replenished from the reservoir over a given heat cycle or two. Go drain 16 ounces out of the radiator petcock and get the car hot. Turn off the car. Fill the reservoir to the full mark. Next morning reservoir will be empty because it replenished the lost fluid.
It can only replenish because there is a leak.....
so if your overflow bottle is empty...there is a leak in the coolant system.
If the coolant bottle is full...there may be a leak in the hose connecting the coolant overflow to the radiator...
and this is allowing air to enter...
and not allowing the radiator to suck back fluid to replenish the leak.
Always check the radiator level.......
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq so when I replenished mine the next morning after draining and filling my radiator, you’re telling me I have a leak? Ok
@@condor5635
No;
If you have completely drained and then refilled your radiator....
unless you are certain you have "burped" the whole coolant system and got all the trapped air out....
then it is possible for the cooling radiator to suck all of the coolant out of the overflow bottle....because you had air in the system to start with...which has now been replaced with coolant drawn from the overflow bottle..
However if you fill the radiator all the way up and refill the coolant overflow all the way to the full line....
drive the vehicle...
park it overnight.....
and find the overflow bottle empty the next morning...
for day after day...
then you have a leak.
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq - I didn’t say day after day I said the day after you have to fill it after a drain and fill. And that is if you burp it very well. I’ve done this many times, and I get the air out of the system as per the process but every morning the next day I always have to put some more in the reservoir. That’s all I’m saying it doesn’t mean you have a leak. Obviously if you keep doing that every day, then you have a leak.
@@JohnSmith-yv6eqlowkey im having this problem idk what to do
Some cars don't have radiator caps
How is the blinker fluid level?
Very good question
Thanks for the short and to the point video. This is all I needed answered.
I hated long videos that’s why I started this channel 😂
The reservoir overflows tank on my car has the radiator cap on it and it goes to the radiator. The water pump actually empty’s into the overflow. That’s how it is on my dodge challenger.
Yes some cars have an expansion tank that is pressurized instead of a passive overflow bottle
This man does not understand “solid” fluid systems. Many new vehicles don’t have radiator caps(or they aren’t easily accessible) the reservoir is needed bc the coolant expands as it gets hot and then contracts again when it cools. So the coolant can expand out into the reservoir then when it cools off again the coolant shrinks, because the system is closed this creates a negative pressure in the coolant system which pulls the contents of the reservoir back into the radiator until the pressure is neutral again. Notice how there is a hose connected to the bottom of the reservoir. Adding coolant to the reservoir is just fine. It will not cause an issue. Any air that happens to enter the coolant system will be “belched” out when the system gets hot again because reservoir is vented at the top.
Yes, you put the coolant in the overflow. Because, when the engine cools off , if the radiator or the cooling system is low, a vacuum is created and coolant is sucked from the overflow into the engine, next time , you fill rhe overflow again. Unless, you have a leak in your system, then you have bigger problems than low coolant.
Depends on the vehicle, some only fill up from the resivore but if you have a place in your radiator to fill up the radiator, you better go into the radiator bc on those said vehicles, the resivore is only there for over flow
Okay so 1 does it really matter? And does the reservoir tell you when you need coolant? Or no because I have a thing of coolant but not sure if my car need any at all
In almost all modern cars, if the reservoir has at least minimum fluid in it, the radiator is full. There is no need to open the radiator cap. Adding to the reservoir directly is the proper way to add coolant. You can open the cap when everything is cool if you’d like, but it will be full with no room to add coolant.
So if its low should we top it off
If everything is working correctly yes. But if something goes wrong it may not perform as designed, you need to check in the radiator to confirm coolant level is sufficient.
@Policecamcaptures yes, top it off in the radiator (or pressurized expansion tank) but keep an eye on it. It shouldn’t need topping off for months
@@Onlyinbean Sure. But always fill the reservoir to the minimum line also. If the reservoir is full but the radiator is low, you’ve got a leak between the two that needs attention.
You are correct.
My radiator cap is behind the vehicles faceplate. I would have to take the face plate completely off EVERY TIME I wanted to check my fluid. HELL NO. I use the overflow to gauge if it needs a top off or not, because its right there on top of the engine.
What car?
2012 Acadia@@BudgetMechanicHawaii
A Properly functioning cooling system would indicate the amount of fluid in the system by the overflow bottle. So unless the system is leaking, putting it in the overflow would get it back into the system just fine.
My Tacoma overflow bottle has a full and low line. Should the full line be reached at cold or warmed up? Is it bad if it goes over full when warmed up?
@@TN1000W owners manual and Tacoma forums
Bro.. you just caused about 1000 second degree burns 🤣🤣
My car just stopped! Just replaced my alternator so it's not that or battery 2 weeks ago and it was ok. So I look and no coolant😢 Just brought some coolant and watched your video. Praying it starts
did you find out the issue
you proba need to do a raditor flush get a flush treatment then do all full flush see if that helps
Haha did you check the oil?
I own three cars right now, none of them even has a radiator cap. This video is good advice if your car is from 30 years ago or older.
Start car bring up to operating temp after t stat opens and level drops add coolant then put on a new radiator cap
To further specify cool, make sure your vehicle hasn’t been running in the past 6 hours lol I’ve had too many friends get burnt up from opening the radiator cap when it’s not cool enough yet
Eh you only gotta wait 30 minutes max
I have a 2014 Outback. While filling the windshield wiper fluid container, earlier today, I happened to look at the coolant level. It was completely empty. I couldn't figure out why my car had not notified me that I was out of coolant. This video just explained that. What a relief!
Excellent!
My 2014 ford focus i have to top it off at the reservoir. Except my 2003 dodge dakota 3.9 this truck is a beast and in my book the best of the best . If you maintain it.
Good luck finding the radiator cap. Notice the cap on the reservoir - it's labeled in PSI. The bottle is the radiator access.
Fill those over flow tank forgot about this guy. After you drive it getting hot and after it cool down it creates vacuum suck back cooling back to its system
Thanks bro. That’s exactly what I needed to know.
Glad I could help
Damn this is super helpful!!
It's not a over flow it's an expansion tank jeez
Someone watched this video and went to "add coolant the right way" while his car running
He clearly said “make sure your engine is cool”
After refilling the radiator, do we put any into the reservoir ?
Just fill the reservoir to the “ full mark “. If it’s already there at the mark, leave it alone. If it’s not , top it off.
Wrong. It is the overflow and also reserve tank. It takes as the engine needs and also returns when needed
Unfortunately not true. It cannot “take” until the engine completely cools
I do both unless the car only has a overflow reservoir
Funny, it's sez in almost all manuals that IS the way you fill/top off our radiator fluid
Thanks to youtube learning, the real mechanic shops are getting more work. Keep it up 👍👍 keep posting and thank you
The video is correct.
Open the radiator cap (only when engine is cold), fill to full, then watch fill line on reservoir, fill until it's between min and full (being conservative), and you're good to go. Be sure to use the right coolant, Toyotas should be red, but check the color and documents of which coolant, the newer versions G12+ and G13 don't have much problems mixing with old versions of coolant, to be safe flush ALL old coolant out, preferably run with pure distilled water once and then flush it ALL again, refill with new, premixed coolant, check the freezing point should be around 40-50 minus C.
Very detailed!
You want to START filling it while the engine is cool, you need to start the engine and run it to help burp out any excess O2 that’s still trapped in. You can typically squeeze the upper and lower hoses to help.
My coolant on the catch tank is below minimium but when I take the radiator cap of, It's full. Is there something I should be worried about?
I heard, try to not remove radiator cap from radiator, gasket might lose its ability to seal … You should have an extra cap in vehicle, just in case
Nah it’s unlikely unless it’s a really old one
Right, extreme cases … I would hope, it’s not the case,
but it’s a practice …
@@drah9955 right but if you’re filling up the radiator or especially if you need to do a pressure test you need to put it directly into the radiator, if the radiator cap seal is bad after taking it off then it was already bad in the first place
@@fearlesspie1314 … So, having a new cap/spare in vehicle, not a bad idea
@@drah9955 technically not, but for the most part unnecessary
I accidentally did that with my moms pickup truck. I just realized i mixed gold with orange then had to Spend the whole night mixing coolant with half water while using a turkey baster/ extractor and an empty water jug. The Radiator will burn off a little fluid but reservoir should always be at cold fill level. Simply Turn the key to see the temp rise from the bottom of the engine.
Actually, that's not true. Because if the radiator is low it pulls from the overflow due to vacuum
No cap here, think it goes in the overflow... :)
i got a check light saying my coolant is low and. i didn't know. I think i might of used the wrong coolant in my car. I went and bought the "Peak Oet Extended life concentrate anti-freeze/ coolant european" I'm not sure if that coolant is the correct one to use in this so please help! i have an audi s4 b9 2019 btw. i’m not sure if this is the right coolant and i’m worried i mixed the oem coolant with the peak oet coolant
I don’t know much about cars. Thank god I read the comments 😅
i have an 2019 audi s4 and i only have 37,000 miles in it. i think i put the wrong coolant into the car. should I flush or drain out the old coolant and use like a coolant flush cleaner or just pour the new coolant in. this stuff i confusing any advice?
Hi, i were to buy a mazda cx 3 but, when i check the coolant reservoir it was over filled, even when remove the cap it got spilled does it normal?
i was driving today and noticed my temperature of the car was at max. i pulled over and realized my radiator coolant tank was bubbling, sizzling and steaming out. i turned the car off and added more antifreeze. Even then after i began to drive again about 15 seconds later it began to bubble again. i also beleive that the radiator fan hadnt been spinning. can u tell me what to check please. 2000 honda civic se. thank you
Head gasket’s unfortunately blown, you have combustion and exhaust gases leaking into the cooling system
When youve only worked on 1 car ever and dont know what the fk you're talking about.
Holy shit, this was me. Like actually. First time swapping coolant, I drained it, then I put the sealing spout in the overflow, and I was so confused why it was spilling out as I added fluid. It took me like an hour of freaking out to finally figure out that I was being super dumb.
Does a pontiac G6 have a radiator cap?!! WHERE?
My thing is if the weather it’s cold the car usually takes longer to warm up, and my coolant reservoir is almost low and white smoke seems to be rising from underneath the engine block so I’m not sure if it’s burning coolant or what, I’m assuming to just pour new coolant into the white tank or do I pour it directly into the radiator cap?
Not sure where the white smoke is coming from, but try to track that down. If you have a radiator cap always refill there (when cooled down).
No sir, you are wrong., the coolant is under pressure when hot and vacuume when cool. That bottle displays the coolant amount in system......
If your radiator does not have a cap to put coolant do you put it in the resavor or where?
Then you put it in the pressurized expansion tank that looks like a reservoir
If the clear bottle on the side is low is that good or bad?
2013 dodge journey has no radiator cap, it’s only the engine coolant reservoir, am I missing something? Or is that the way my vehicle is made?
Super helpful!
So glad!
Do you watch the overflow bottle as you pour the coolant in the radiator cap side to know how much to pour in ? thx
No, fill radiator right up to the neck where the cap goes (coincidentally that’s the level it starts dripping into the overflow tank as well)
Dam man I feel stupid as hell 😂😂😂I’ve put it in the reservoir for years
It's not overflow, it's just the reservoir putting coolant there will circulate through the radiator
It will, but it will only draw small amount into the coolant system at a time after the engine cools down
You gotta take this cap off and put it straight in here
(Sprayed with scalding coolant straight to the face)
But ... oww ... only.... oww ... when ... oww... the ... oww... engine .... oww... is ... cold
Good to know that, Thanks!
Happy to help
Im grateful for ALL the comments… seriously 👍
Coolant doesn't make your engine colder. It is used to increase the boiling point and lower freezing point of the water in your radiator.
Is it okay for the overflow to be empty then?
You're wrong. The radiator cap for those systems have a check valve. As the system heats, pressure rises. The liquid goes places(tank) as the system cools, it develops a vacuum, overcoming the check valve and drawing in lost fluid from the tank. If you are not recovering fluid from the tank, you have a leak preventing vacuum or your cap is shit.
Let’s disagree to agree
It can't get to the overflow if the radiator isn't full.. right? McFly...
My car does not have a overflow resorvoir. What can i do to prevent it from heating up? Btw, its an automatic...thanks in advance
Note that many cars dont have a radiator cap directly on the radiator, they have two plastic containers one taping the radiator and another overflow container.
This was correct until about 10ish years ago, my current car has no cap, only way to fill is that plastic bottle on the side 😂
That's why he said if you car has to caps
Well here’s the thing I just filled up my 750li with coolant and it had bleeder valves built into the heads and you can fill the expansion tank because it’s the only access point. Proccess is fill up put car in position two turn on heater to full to turn on secondary pump and bleed that then fill more turn car on then leave cap off for an entire heating cycle after that put cap on run one more heat cycle the next day then go ahead and fill if needed then drive
If you can’t see the radiator cap you most likely have a coolant reservoir that’s where you add coolant but if you can see the radiator cap always add to the radiator then the overflow to the proper level
Check your manual. My car wants it put in the reservoir unless it's clogged or broken.
That’s an expansion tank a sealed radiator system has a reservoir! Pipe in pipe out expansion tank 1 pipe from top off radiator and a vent to atmosphere
Coolant overflow reservoir ok . Answer this question . Is it a different circuit ?
Not with the pontiac grand am gt. The 3.6 v6 only has a overflow tank, no radiator cap so that tank is the radiator cap for this car
Followed all your advice since the bubbles top of radiator did the blue devil daughter drive to work coming out under neath radiator when she got there .. what next ,new radiator?
If it coming out underneath the radiator make sure it’s an actual hole in the radiator and not just a hose that’s lose and broke, but yeah if it’s coming out of the radiator, you need to replace it
So i got to put it on thru the cap thats attached to the radiator hose?
If it’s a pressurized press/turn cap then yea. Only when cool tho!
Where is the radiator cap for fill water on chevy malibu 2017 ? Any body please answer. I can see only overflow tank.
I believe that car has a pressurized overflow tank. So that’s your “radiator” cap
Would low coolant not allow the a/c compressor to kick in?
No but if your engine overheats it will often cause your AC to blow warm.
@@BudgetMechanicHawaiiUh.. it absolutely could. Compressor makes the engine run hotter by adding more load and if the coolant is low, the car could keep the compressor off to avoid overheating.
I looked everywhere for all this you talk about in my car ingine and I can not find it, could it be that I have Tesla???
I was losing coolant but my overflow was full seems my car was leaking, replaced radiator cap, everything works great now
That works all good unless you have a sealed system, at that point the plastic resivor is your only way to check and fill the cooing system. My truck is a sealed system.
You can definitely add coolant to the reservoir. Even honda manuals suggest topping it up through the reservoir if it’s running low
Alone, stuck with two disabled kids, a service dog and zero support help. Your video will get me home hopefully. If not, I lose the car and I'm done, it's over. Here's hoping for the best!
hey what happened ?
I recognise the resovroir and belt location of that first car. GM late model W-body with 3100/3400 engine?
Close! ‘14 Tacoma
@@BudgetMechanicHawaii talking about the 1st part of the video
So if your radiator doesn't have a cap how do you fill it up?
Im good, ill listen to the manufacturer instead
MAKE SURE YOU ENGINE IS COLD!!!!!ONLY DO THIS WHEN YOUR ENGINE IS COLD!!!!! kindve odd how he whispered that part though,, if your running around town just fill it in the over flow reservoir tank passed the full line about 1 or 2 centimeters over the full line continue to drive and park again and check again,if the tank liquid has gone down again it has filled the radiator
It's ok to put it in the res if u are aware of how it ebbs and flows based on temp. Obviously if the amount ur adding is substantial then yea u wouldn't but it wouldn't hurt anything unless ubover filled the res and the coolant has no where to go as it heats uo and expands
If the engine is cool just keep filling the reservoir! It will fill the radiator
Ty! I’ve done this before but his video scared me as if it’s wrong. I always do the reservoir
But some vehicles only have no radiator coolant entry. It has to go in the coolant jug
What if your reservoir has black in it?? What does that mean?
Some car (mine for example) need to be filled by the reservoir. The reservoir is higher then the radiator so it fill it until the level line.
It’s not an “overflow” reservoir, it’s just a coolant reservoir. The radiator cap had a spring in it that shrinks when hot. Two things can happen in this process if the radiator is too hot or too pressurized. If it’s too hot the spring will open up, and the pressure from the water pump will suck fluid out of the reservoir, or if it’s too pressurized, the spring will open allowing the excess amount of coolant to flow into the reservoir.
I’m afraid this is not true. The water pump never creates suction. The rad cap only open due to high pressure.
What happens if you fully fill the tank k?
The overflow bottle for any ford truck is the way you put any freeze into the radiator there's no other way.
Yall who beginners please know all cars dont have the radiator cap. So yes put the coolant in the reservoir tank. If you flush the system have prior experience.
Uhhh a lot of cars are a sealed system with only the degas canister