had a bit of a coolant spill and i have a stupid question

[smallclone]

i have the stock header bottle. when filling coolant back into the car should the bottle have coolant in it filled to the MAX line at all times?

[Ron]

Not really.
If everything is OK now, fill it up to the top, start the engine and keep it full until the coolant starts to get warm, then cap it off, let it continue to run until it reaches operating temp, then let it run a few more minutes (so the thermostat will cycle and allow air to work its way into the tank), let it cool off. If the tank is then less than half full, repeat from the beginning. Otherwise, top it off again. It will spew off any extra as you drive, normally leaving 1/2 to 3/4 tank full. Double check the level before you drive it (cold) a few times...It will never remain full because of heat expansion...

[David T]

As Ron said, once all of the air is purged from the system, and you have no leaks, the header bottle should be 1/2 full when cold. You should not be using the original plastic header bottle, They crack and burst. The Delorean vendors sell replacement metal bottles. If you add an overflow recovery bottle you would keep the header tank full and the recovery bottle 1/2 full when cold.

[ssdelorean]

You should not be using the original plastic header bottle, They crack and burst.

My 215,000+ mile DeLorean with original plastic water bottle disagrees. Yes, it is probably better if you get a metal one, but with care, it can work as intended.*


* your millage may vary :-)

[Jonathan]

As mentioned, if you overfill it, the system will barf out any extra coolant that doesn't fit on its own thanks to the system heating up and the liquid expanding. It should settle in somewhere around halfway on the reservoir tank. That assumes your reservoir cap reseals itself before too much coolant gets expelled.

[Michael]

My 215,000+ mile DeLorean with original plastic water bottle disagrees. Yes, it is probably better if you get a metal one, but with care, it can work as intended.*


* your millage may vary :-)

But But...Chris Burns says never run the original coolant bottle!!

[David T]

But But...Chris Burns says never run the original coolant bottle!!

There are also some owners running on tires over 7 years old, never flush the brake fluid and never replaced any coolant hoses. I have seen the fan fail relay still being used, the old inertia switch, the original plastic rad, no recalls, the Ducy alternator, and on and on. If you use the car and you want reliability and safety matters to you, then you would upgrade some of this stuff.

[Michael]

There are also some owners running on tires over 7 years old, never flush the brake fluid and never replaced any coolant hoses. I have seen the fan fail relay still being used, the old inertia switch, the original plastic rad, no recalls, the Ducy alternator, and on and on. If you use the car and you want reliability and safety matters to you, then you would upgrade some of this stuff.

And there is at least one owner who does not understand the concept of sarcasm.

[David T]

Sarcasm and other subtle emotions are difficult to convey in this medium. Too easy to take what is written literally. My major point is some parts are known to fail. Replacing them BEFORE they fail is just good common sense. Plenty of owners do still have the original plastic header bottle and don't know they are prone to breaking.

[Michael]

I know if one owner who disagrees with the status quo. As experts tell him not to drive on oe equipment, he has driven his concours Delorean round trip to at least 2 DCS's and even took a detour one night to race his DeLorean at a freaking 1/4 mile drag strip. He did all this on original NCTs, original belts, hoses, plastic tank, etc. So not only does he disagree with the current logic based on nothing much other than convention, he has been proving it null and void for the last 4 years by actually freaking doing it.