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?
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?
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...
Location: Northern NJ
Posts: 8,581
My VIN: 10757 1st place Concourse 1998
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.
David Teitelbaum
Shannon Y
www.ohiodeloreans.com
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1st angle drive - 58,027 miles (20 years) -- original
2nd angle drive - 48,489 miles (21 years) -- original from donor
3rd angle drive - 26,572 miles (2 years 3 months) -- DMCH
4th angle drive - 21,988 miles (1 year 11 months) -- DMCH
5th angle drive - 7,137 miles (10 months 2 days) -- DMCH
6th angle drive - OVER 113,704 miles and counting (OVER 13 yr 1 month & counting) -- new Martin Gutkowski unit
over 245K miles
Posts: 4,808
My VIN: 3937
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.
Sept. 81, auto, black interior
Location: Northern NJ
Posts: 8,581
My VIN: 10757 1st place Concourse 1998
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.
David Teitelbaum
Location: Northern NJ
Posts: 8,581
My VIN: 10757 1st place Concourse 1998
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.
David Teitelbaum
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.