hi

have a ef fairmont 6 cyl and while its not leaking water the overflow tank seems to show empty after a day of running, but when you open cap it recovers the coolant back into the tank and the levels back to normal again.

it pressurises as it should and it overflows into other section of the tank where the 2 small hoses go like it should when the coolant expands but the section of the tank where the larger hose goes shows below minimum after a while for some reason when it cools down but when you open the cap after its cooled down it recovers it back and then level is back to normal.

left it pressurised and doesnt seem to be leaking at any hoses,

head seems ok because theres no green or white stains on block, no water in oil, coolant doesnt smell funny when you open cap, no steam out exhaust, doesnt bubble when running.

(did spill some coolant out while running with no cap to let air out after a coolant change because probably had too much in it but put more in while running and was good no bubbles)

would the radiator cap and header tank have anything to do with it, header tank is a cheaper one and didnt have that trouble with the recovery as above with the genuine one, only replaced a couple years ago as the genuine one was cracked.

would getting rid of current header tank and fitting a dayco or a better quality header tank fix all above doesnt show any signs of head problems

any answers would be great

thanks

There is only one compartment in the header tank, not 2. If your tank has 2 seperate compartments then there is something wrong with it.

Does sound like the system is overpressurising. Have you replaced the cap recently? Does the system loose any coolant at all?

cant see any coolant leaking theres the bit on the tank where the main hose goes and the bit that the 2 small hoses go

the water level is ok once the caps open and recovers when you rev engine sometimes water gets sucked in on the section of tank where the main hose and all non recovery caps dont seem to recover it.

cant see any coolant leaks and did put a cheaper header tank on a couple years ago, is there a chance the tank might be worn out and have snything to do with it theres a couple buldges that look like it could pop or even the thermostat.

what thermostats and caps would people sugest, its not showing any hg problems.

Tridon stuff is as good as any... Super cheap sell them amongst others...

As SWC said it is all one compartment... But it is baffled to slow water transfer down...

It is common for the pump to suck the water down in the first baffle where the hose drops down to the rad...

There is no "overflow" bottle on an Falcon because the header tank is higher than the thermostat housing (something Holden could never work out to do)... The system self bleeds and remains sealed completely... Those two small hoses are part of the self bleeding system... There is normally always a small amount of water running through them...

I too would say your cap isn't letting out excess pressure... If you left the the cap off and got the car up to temp and then sealed it it would probably be right, cooled down or hot (unless the cap lets air in despite not letting it out...

Did you keep the original cap on your header tank that your replaced, or it came wiht a cheap nasty Chinese one? I had nothing but trouble with my aftermarket header tank... Ended up painfully washing my original one out in the end...

Cheers,
Tim

The header tank is a cheaper clearance one not a daygo brand so you recon change to a daygo brand in the header tank and cap now is a stock one

Did another bleed until stuff come but didn't get sucked down as much and kept rubbing it up until it stabilised more and there's no blow so would that mean head job

hi

really need to know is it normal for a ef to go to m on the temp gauge when going up a slope on a 30 plus deg day and go back between a and l when idling or going down a slope or a flat road

wouldve thought anywhere to half or just overs good

once before went up the hill at palmer sa and it got to between m and a then went back to a and l when on a flat road at about the same temperature

really need to know

Best off putting your cluster diagnostic mode and getting us the actual temperatures..

As far as that uncalibrated gauge is concerned, anywhere that isn't red is ok..

For those of us who don't pay any attention, is m-a past halfway? 2/3 scale?

If you're getting hot you may need one of the following :

New thermostat
New water pump
Blocked water path through the rad (can be cleaned or replaced)
Blocked air path through the rad
Air lock in the system

Keep in mind that the rad sits behind the ac condenser and it will fill up with insects and dirt and restrict the air flow through itself and the rad... If you blow them out backwards with compressed air you'll be amazed what comes out...

Cheers,
Tim

NO!!!: "AS IT SHOULD"!!! Head gasket....you should be able to remove the rad. cap with minimum of fuss...............



Head gasket................



Head gasket..............



Head gasket blown into a cylinder.................



Blown into a cylinder....................



No

Just face it: you have blown head gasket. When you engage your "mechanic" , make sure you emphasis an AU head gasket...................