Empty fluid tank

[benyandthejets]

Hey so I have a fluid tank in the front right(if you were facing car from the front) right behind the head light. Its basically empty and the the tubing at the top is weird. It's open on one side and the other tube runs to the radiator I believe. I had a mechanic do maintence on my car and he didn't say anything about it and it's been this way since I bought the car.

Any thoughts? I can't get a pic right now as I'm at work but I'll post one later.

[clunet]

That is the coolant overflow tank. It should always have a small amount of coolant in it so as the coolant expands as it gets hot, and contracts as it cools, it has somewhere to go... the coolant should be high enough in the tank to cover the end of the tube that runs inside so that what the coolant contracts as it cools in the radiator, it can pull coolant into the radiator to always keep it full.

[benyandthejets]

Thanks for your reply. Should I fill it then? Im not sure there is enough. What kind of coolant should I use?

[clunet]

First I would ensure that your cooling system is full. Take the filling cap off of the aluminum filler neck on the passenger side of the engine (1.8 V6) and look inside. Coolant should come up to the inside of the neck. If not fill it up while the engine is cold.

I would use Prestone 50/50 pre-mix. It is already mixed at the proper ratio with distilled water.

[benyandthejets]

Okay I'll give that a try. Should the engine be cold when I check the liquid?

And to clarify, In general you should only fill the coolant via the aluminum filler and let the overflow tank take whatever it gets from the overflow?

[clunet]

Yep fill when cold, bring up to normal operating temp, then let it cool all the way down again and check it again.

I always add from the filler neck. Also add enough to the overflow tank to fill it ~ 2 in from the bottom.

When you change your coolant, it is a good idea to change the coolant in the overflow tank at the same time...

[benyandthejets]

Thanks for all your help. Do I need to flush the coolant out like an oil change or can I top it off? Also for the overflow tank, is there any way to empty it? I haven't looked to see if it comes out easily.

[clunet]

If it has been a while (over 2 yrs) since you changed your coolant, or if it is not clean I would change it. To flush I would empty the cooling system by pulling the lower radiator hose (drivers side), put the hose back on and then fill with fresh distilled water. Run the car up to temperature, then carefully pull that lower radiator hose again (watch out for the hot coolant/water). After the coolant system drains completely again, put the hose back on and fill with fresh coolant.

As for the overflow tank, it is held in my 2 - 10mm bolts if I remember right. Not too hard to do. Once out of the car you can clean the tank out easily, and then re-install.

[benyandthejets]

You're a life saver! Thanks.