Coolant Crossover tube empty

[dpancer]

to start off with: I have read through all the "burping" procedures and completely understand them.

The car does not overheat ( I monitor the coolant and IAT2 religiously every drive). With my mishimoto radiator (which runs hot) the car normally maintains 105-112F on a 86F day.

What I find strange, though, is that after every use when the car cools down to ambient I check the coolant crossover tube and the dam thing is empty. Ford manual and all other procedure clearly state to fill until cross over tube is full and continue to do this through a few heat cycles till it remains full.


I have noticed that every time I add coolant, which only about 3-5 ounces, it ends up filling the reservoir. There is no coolant leaking anywhere. So why is this happening? I have purchased the car with what i think is the aspen cooling mod:
When I reinstalled it on my new reman motor I made the top hose as low as possible.

Anybody ever have this problem?

 

[P49Y-CY]

are you filling at the crossover tube while the reservoir is capped? you should be

 

[dpancer]

Yes, I'm filling from the crossover tube with a brand new cap on the reservoir. Also on an incline.

 

[mhinchley]

How many heat cycles have you went through? Only a couple of things that I can think of. Liquid expands when it is hot & contracts when it cools. Naturally since the crossover is the highest point in the system as it cools and contracts, this lowers the level in the coolant line. Other thing is that running through a few heat cycles is obviously to expel the air in the system which would also do the same thing as above, until all the air was gone. I would not worry about it if car is not getting hot & not losing any out of the overflow. I would continue to fill it through heat cycles. If it is coming out the overflow while driving, then I would quit filling it.

 

[dpancer]

I have been through many, many heat cycles already. The reservoir is already slightly above the fill line so not sure I want to just keep on filing it.

 

[P49Y-CY]

I have noticed that every time I add coolant, which only about 3-5 ounces, it ends up filling the reservoir.

Yes, I'm filling from the crossover tube with a brand new cap on the reservoir. Also on an incline.

I have been through many, many heat cycles already. The reservoir is already slightly above the fill line so not sure I want to just keep on filing it.

see here is what I don't understand about what you are saying... once the cap is on the reservoir, it is impossible for it to continue to fill. as long as the cap is on the reservoir, the level cannot continue to rise.

but your first post is saying that the reservoir fills. that does not make sense. which is why I asked if it is capped as you are filling at the crossover tube.

so yes, cap off the reservoir and then continue to add coolant at the crossover tube until it is full. then cap that off and you should be good to go.

 

[oldmodman]

It sure does sound like you have a nearly invisible hairline crack in the plastic reservoir. That could account for the continuing loss of that amount of coolant. Here is one way to check, if you do not have access to a radiator and cooling system pressure tester. Leave the cap slightly loose so the system will not develop any pressure. Run the car long enough with the hood up while you are watching the level in the tank. You don't want to let it overflow, but you do want it hot enough so that the thermostat is open. After you are sure it is completely warmed up shut it off and let it cool down. If the level in the crossover tube is now still full than you do have a leak that only opens up under pressure. And it's probably the damn plastic tank.

 

[dpancer]

Awesome. Now this is the kind of info I was wanting to hear. Ill give that a shot to test for ctacks. To pressure test the system, can I blow aire in the system at 15psi and hook up a gauge through fittings at the crossover? This was if the pressure in the gauge goes down I'll know if there is a leak or not.

 

[oldmodman]

Awesome. Now this is the kind of info I was wanting to hear. Ill give that a shot to test for ctacks. To pressure test the system, can I blow aire in the system at 15psi and hook up a gauge through fittings at the crossover? This was if the pressure in the gauge goes down I'll know if there is a leak or not.

Yes.

That is exactly what the pressure tester does. It is a hand air pump with a gauge on it. It usually comes with a variety of caps that fit almost all the radiator tanks and overflow bottles out there. just pump it up to 15psi 9or whatever it says on your pressure cap0 and see if the gauge goes down. Sometimes you can even see the water squirting out.

 

[TRBO VNM]

Just a FYI, that is a homemade cooling mod. The APTEN mod had a plastic Tee and I think the driver head fitting was different. All someone did there was add a passenger fitting to the driver and add the hose/Tee into it.

 

[dpancer]

Just a FYI, that is a homemade cooling mod. The APTEN mod had a plastic Tee and I think the driver head fitting was different. All someone did there was add a passenger fitting to the driver and add the hose/Tee into it.

It could very well be a homemade cooling mode. However, there used to be a cheap grey plastic "T" which I changed to a brass fitting since I heard the Apten's T's were cheap and deformed over time. In fact the one I replaced did have somewhat of an oval opening.