- Thread starter
- #81
Thanks. Can you actually replace these 2 hoses + valve without draining the whole cooling system?
Engine got a bit hot. Now Coolant on top of radiator
- Thread starter jeanbono
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best outcome for sure! P.s can you please send me the link to the pressure tester you bought?
- Thread starter
- #83
That’s the one:
Sydney Tools
sydneytools.com.au
You might find the same kit cheaper from Ebay etc, they’ve just rebranded it and put a premium on the price. I was just driving past Nowra and liked the convenience of pulling over and grabbing it. It’s pretty good, only thing I wasn’t able to do is pressure test my rad cap. I’ve used the adapters etc but just couldn’t find a way and air is escaping from underneath cap, spring not locking properly. let me know if you succeed. Worked great on the radiator however which was the main goal as my rad cap is OEM anyway.
I made my own pressure tester, all you need is a MTB Shock pump and a schrader valve from a bike tube, see belowThat’s the one:
Sydney Tools
You might find the same kit cheaper from Ebay etc, they’ve just rebranded it and put a premium on the price. I was just driving past Nowra and liked the convenience of pulling over and grabbing it. It’s pretty good, only thing I wasn’t able to do is pressure test my rad cap. I’ve used the adapters etc but just couldn’t find a way and air is escaping from underneath cap, spring not locking properly. let me know if you succeed. Worked great on the radiator however which was the main goal as my rad cap is OEM anyway.
Yes, as the HCV is at the top of the system. as long as you remove pressure first on work on level ground there will be very little fluid loss.
cheapest for Aussies is through Amayama by far, as they have a shipping centre here, but shipping is slow because they send bulk shipments over and then use our national mail provider to forward it on to us, but postage is only $8, and their prices are very good, so it works out very cheap.. if you need something in a hurry, then its useless.
- Thread starter
- #87
Update:
-Heater tap + all heater hoses have been replaced 2 days ago. A bit of coolant was topped off but not a full flush.
-Pressure tested the radiator this morning (still ongoing) to 13 psi (that was enough to reveal the leak last time). Heater tap and hoses now holding fine and can’t see any coolant anywhere but I’m seeing a slow drop of pressure. Now thinking my chinese pressure testing system is completely air tight is ambitious, even though I can’t hear any hissing sound around the connections.
-Ive attached pictures with the time. I basically lost 1psi over 20 mn, then it miraculously stopped dropping and held 12 psi strong for 30 minutes. Then started dropping again but much slower than from 13 psi to 12 psi.
I have not touched anything in the cabin (heater on etc) before I pressure tested the system. The engine is stone cold from over 24 hours of being turned off.
Thoughts? Obviously Ill have to drive it a few hundred km again and see if I still lose coolant. Ive driven 5000 km last 2 months post overheating incident, and before replacing the heater taps, i was seeing a bit of a coolant loss from the overflow but did NOT have to top off the overflow or the radiator once, nor did the engine overheat. just a detail.
-Heater tap + all heater hoses have been replaced 2 days ago. A bit of coolant was topped off but not a full flush.
-Pressure tested the radiator this morning (still ongoing) to 13 psi (that was enough to reveal the leak last time). Heater tap and hoses now holding fine and can’t see any coolant anywhere but I’m seeing a slow drop of pressure. Now thinking my chinese pressure testing system is completely air tight is ambitious, even though I can’t hear any hissing sound around the connections.
-Ive attached pictures with the time. I basically lost 1psi over 20 mn, then it miraculously stopped dropping and held 12 psi strong for 30 minutes. Then started dropping again but much slower than from 13 psi to 12 psi.
I have not touched anything in the cabin (heater on etc) before I pressure tested the system. The engine is stone cold from over 24 hours of being turned off.
Thoughts? Obviously Ill have to drive it a few hundred km again and see if I still lose coolant. Ive driven 5000 km last 2 months post overheating incident, and before replacing the heater taps, i was seeing a bit of a coolant loss from the overflow but did NOT have to top off the overflow or the radiator once, nor did the engine overheat. just a detail.
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- Thread starter
- #88
hey mate, have you bought the tool? Then we could compare results with same equipment and see if maybe there’s a tolerance of pressure loss due to connection not being 100% perfect.
I have not.. I wasn't keen on one of the cheaper generic test units for this reason. I saw someone on here actually use a schreider valve and hand pump with guage on the overflow body port to pressurize the system with the radiator cap on (great idea).
Have you tried wiggling the fitting while pressurized to see if the gauge moves?
You bought it from Sydney Tools or the like, right? If so, I'd be reaching out to the manufacturer for further advice. Products sold in Australia must be fit for use under Australian Consumer Law, so they have a responsibility to ensure what you've purchased, works as advertised (and it might be, but it might not be).
- Thread starter
- #90
I'll try that, it's still on it haha. Does the heater need to be on HOT inside the cabin to allow flow at the rear heater hoses?
Just saw the second part of your message: ok that's a good idea, I'll check with Sydney tools.
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your heater tap is closed when on cold, and opens when on hot, so if you want to test the whole system, you should have it on hot. That way the heater core and lines will also be pressurized.
- Thread starter
- #92
the heater was on hot in the end as per picture, pretty sure that’s the second bottom one and that the bottom one just changes where it goes through the vents.
So checked again now and it’s slowing down even more. it was at 11.7 psi an hour ago, it’s now at 11.5. The quickest drop was from 13 to 12. I assume if I were to leave it connected all day it would not go below 10 by how slow it gets the more I wait.
Anyway, not enough to worry me just yet, maybe it’s internal, maybe it’s a tiny leak somewhere else I can’t find, maybe its the equipment.
Ill report back in 2000 km and see if my coolant loss is fixed.
So checked again now and it’s slowing down even more. it was at 11.7 psi an hour ago, it’s now at 11.5. The quickest drop was from 13 to 12. I assume if I were to leave it connected all day it would not go below 10 by how slow it gets the more I wait.
Anyway, not enough to worry me just yet, maybe it’s internal, maybe it’s a tiny leak somewhere else I can’t find, maybe its the equipment.
Ill report back in 2000 km and see if my coolant loss is fixed.