Yesterday evening, I was checking levels on my 1992 Mitsubishi Triton Dual Cab 2.5 Diesel Ute for the first time.
There was nothing in the coolant bottle. I have driven the vehicle say
2000 miles since I bought it, and that included driving 600 odd miles in one day when it was 33 degrees..So I filled with a 1litre bottle of liquid and it was 1) This bottle is an expansion tank - it fills up when the engine is hot. Well, it was empty after I checked it on idle after the longish trip. He said fill from the radiator cap. He said check the level of the coolant IN THE RADIATOR when the engine is cool. Which I haven't done yet
- it is dark outside! OK - maybe it does need a lot more coolant.
2) Now, I am worried that there may be a head problem as there is a bit of gunk in the expansion tank - it may not be oil though - just looks like dirt and dust in water???!! THe sort of stuff you might easily get in a vessel after 10 years. Also I had an overheating car once and it was obvious that it was heating up - I could smell it. The water pump had failed. The vehicle has done 160k miles.As I say, the coolant has emptied quickly and the engine is not overheating even on a 600 mile run. What do people reckon, lack of levels (STILL) or a more serious issue?
thanks in advance
Mike (in Sydney) used to live in UK and like this group!!