Hi guys

my car is a suzuki swift

just would like to ask regarding my coolant reservoir if anyone has gone through this very same problem Im facing

Lately Ive been having some overheating troubles where the temperature spikes up and I find that if i turn off my aircond, then the temperature would go down somewhat. And I found that my coolant is sort of like boiling and the level is way up to the top, way past the "full" line and close to the cover. I sent to the workshop and after doing all the testing they said the car is fine. The coolant level will go down to its normal level after I turn off the engine and leave it for a few hours and after driving for about 30mins to 1 hour, the coolant level will rise up again

been googling about the coolant reservoir level and found out that the coolant level is meant to go up when driving and it will settle down when the engine is off. Is this right? Any help would be much appreciated

thanks everyone

This post has been edited by moonbase: Jan 17 2017, 12:12 PM

Air bubble in the cooling system .Radiator cloged ,u can feel the different hot air blow out from the fan

1)bout the ac, cant really help you there... if anything, check the fans

2)bout the coolant levels.... yes correct, as the radiator gets hotter, the liquid stuff running through the engine (coolant) expands and pressure is generated... yadayada, the pressure has to be released somehow and it is released via the pressure release valve by the radiator. the excess fluids are channeled into the reservoir... so yes... coolant level in the reservoir goes up the hotter the engine is (heat generates pressure).

This coolant should NOT be boiling though..... thats a completely diferent bag of worms..... (could be just cause the car is running too hot?)


edit:
if its bubbles in the system, it should clearup after a while and suckup water from the reservour....


This post has been edited by lsm1991: Jan 17 2017, 12:49 PM

SupermanLick lsm1991

thanks guys! will later post a picture up here of coolant reservoir level with the engine on just to double confirm with you guys if it looks normal or not

thanks alot guys

This post has been edited by moonbase: Jan 17 2017, 04:03 PM

please check your radiator fan.possibly it is kaput already

radiator fan all ok, its been flushed out and all too in my previous repair which was just 1 1/2 weeks ago prior to this overheating problem

Radiator cap replaced ?

Sometimes the spring kaput it doesn't hold pressure anymore

I just sent to the workshop a few days ago (which I mentioned above) and after testing they couldnt find anything wrong with it and they just suggested to change the radiator cap and "test and see how"....so far, the coolant doesnt boil anymore, just that the coolant level is way up which following the replies above, is normal when/after the engine is on....so Im hoping that the problem stemmed from this radiator cap only

thanks btw rcracer

This post has been edited by moonbase: Jan 17 2017, 06:00 PM

if intermediately temp shoot up, probably the thermostat.

possible.. a failed radiator cap would not hold pressure.... your system needs the pressure to increase the boiling point...


possible.... can test by squeezing the top radiator hose... also an easy test (sure your mechanic would have checked this)

If reservoir level up, does it overflows?
Open up the radiator cap n see the water level inside when engine is cooled. If no water, or dropped in water level inside, it may indicate burnt head gasket o even cracked engine head.

hey ahsam1212 , thanks for the reply. What should the water level be like if I open up the radiator cap? whats the ideal level? Just reached office so will wait till late afternoon for the engine to cool off and Ill then have a look/take a pic of the water level with the radiator cap off.

The coolant reservoir doesnt overflow, the level is high towards the top though (refer to the pic below)

lsm1991 this is my coolant level after driving from home to my workplace, about 40mins-60mins on the road, it raises up all the way to the top, is this normal? never quite noticed this before since I never had this problem



seriously, thanks all for the help

This post has been edited by moonbase: Jan 18 2017, 11:34 AM

about the levels, you have to compare with other swift owners (same engine please) if you have already tested what i asked you to test earlier and find no constant bubbles, you should be fine..... was worried about a headgasket issue

head gasket issues can manifest in several ways...
1)coolant being burnt
-u should see vapor out the exhaust on a hot not-moist day (usually pure white, smells sweet if you used coolant in the radiator)
2)exhaust being pushed into the coolant
-you would see bubbline like in the video (it would be a constant bubble stream)
3)oil entering water stream
-gunk in radiator/reservoir (just check radiator)
4)water entering oil
-milky oil.... (inside engine, check the oil)
*a compression test would instantly tell you if its an issue

noted, thanks very much lsm1991 !

U should see water once u open the radiator cap. If can't see water, then u have a problem.
While u r at it, check your engine oil level. Low engine oil level will cause engine overheating (or running hotter than normal), and water from radiator will go to reservoir tank.

This post has been edited by ahsam1212: Jan 18 2017, 12:26 PM

thank you ahsam1212, just checked it and there's water in it, so hopefully this means the problem has been rectified...which im hoping is the radiator cap, saves me a ton of money for repairs!

again, thanks all