Coolant loss

Everything I've owned recently has had one.

Duncan Wood wrote: > Everything I've owned recently has had one.

My 2000 Fiesta doesn't, nor does the 2002 Ka as I mentioned. Nor did my friends (M-reg but top of the range for it's time). Do newer cars have them then?

Peter.

Ones that aren't made by Ford.

Although many recent Fords have a strategy in software to mitigate effectively against damage caused by coolant loss.

Chris

Eh? If the ECU knows the engine is running out of coolant why the hell doesn't it tell the driver?

Cos the ECU doesn't actually know the engine is running out of coolant. It just knows the engine is running too hot and tries to mitigate that. No substitute for a coolant level sensor though.

It's temperature based, so covers more situations than just low water level.

It does tell the driver, in a number of ways; drivers mainly being normal folk usually take no notice!

If the engine temperature starts to rise above normal, the gauge goes to the red zone, then if temperature still increases, the multi-function lamp is lit.

If the engine is not stopped, and the overheat continues, engine revs are restricted to 3,000. Alternate pairs of cylinders are stopped from firing every other firing stroke. The non-firing cylinders are effectively pumping air, which cools them. At the same time, the engine warning lamp will illuminate.

If the driver fails to notice all of the above, the engine warning lamp will flash for 30 seconds, then the engine will be shut down.

This system has been in place on the Focus since its launch in 1998.

Chris

I can see the usefullness of a low coolant lamp for the tiny number of drivers that would respond appropriately to such a thing. Such drivers would also respond to the temperature gauge starting to rise however.

The vast majority of drivers respond to nothing except the engine stopping!

AA-stepson sees ruined engines almost on a daily basis. Inevitably the warning were there, but the driver either failed to see them, or chose to ignore them.

Chris

The hyperbole doesn't help, the vast majority of drivers do take some notice, a large minority don't. & the flashing coolant warning light is a lot more obvious & comes on a long time, weeks normaly , before the temperature guage atsrts to move & there is any damage.

It happens that Peter Spikings formulated :

Mine has both a temperature gauge and a low coolant warning light.

The gauges are only of use if you keep a constant watch on them. Mine stays rock steady at the exact horizontal position. Should it ever move from that position I would stop and check it out. Really, if you ignore the rise, it is too late. The sensor is located at the top of the engine and once coolant is lost the gauge reading will fall.

Lacking a gauge or level sensor, other things you can watch for are - the interior steaming up, the smell of coolant and a different feel (tight) to the engine, but by that last point it is probably much too late.

Ford, in their wisdom, didn't fit a temperature gauge to my Fiesta. There is only a warning light to indicate when the temperature gets too hot. Of course, when I lost most of my coolant due to a gasket failing in the inlet manifold, the warning light didn't operate as there was no coolant around the temperature sensor!

The DS has a rotten temperature gauge and a warning light which comes on if the head gets to about 120C. Not high enough to cause damage, but it does light up the huge great "STOP" light on the dashboard - if you go on with that showing you have only yourself to blame.

Ian

Chris Whelan (Chris Whelan ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Both my last two cars - XM and CX - had exactly that. A sensor half way up the header tank triggered a warning light - and, in the XM, a beep and "LOW COOLANT LEVEL" on the dot matrix display - if the level dropped.

I'm idly toying with the suggestion of rigging one on the Saab.

Yes, and I'm thinking of putting one in the Fiesta and Ka :)

And this appears to fit the bill:

The heater stops working.

Happened to me in a Carlton once and that was the wake-up call that made me check the guage, which was indicating "cold" as the water level had dropped below the sensor.

Lesson learnt - when oil has been dripping onto a hose for months, softening the rubber, don't put off replacing it!

I don't often use the heater though, only when it's freezing or I need to demist. The temp gauge going down would be a good pointer but I doubt I'd notice in time!

:)

Peter.