77 L-82 overflow tank
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
From: Houston Tx
77 L-82 overflow tank
Hi guys and gals,
I recently replaced my old tired radiator with a Griffin aluminum and things have gotten much cooler! :cool: However, I notice now that I never have any coolant in my overflow tank. I don't notice any under the car after I stop and the tank is always bone dry. I've filled the radiator to the top while the car is running and coolant is flowing and then added some coolant to the overflow tank to the "cold" level. After some driving I look and there is no fluid in the overflow tank. The car never overheats and the radiator is always full of fluid. Any ideas???????
Thanks,
Russ
I recently replaced my old tired radiator with a Griffin aluminum and things have gotten much cooler! :cool: However, I notice now that I never have any coolant in my overflow tank. I don't notice any under the car after I stop and the tank is always bone dry. I've filled the radiator to the top while the car is running and coolant is flowing and then added some coolant to the overflow tank to the "cold" level. After some driving I look and there is no fluid in the overflow tank. The car never overheats and the radiator is always full of fluid. Any ideas???????
Thanks,
Russ
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 2,664
Likes: 1
From: Boston MA
Re: 77 L-82 overflow tank (77-4speed)
If you suspect you have a leak, and you're not seeing any puddles, then the questions is where is the coolant going? Maybe you have a leaky heater core, so check the passenger floor for dampness and the smell of coolant. Or, i hate to bring this one up, you may have a blown head gasket, and the coolant is getting into your oil - check for milky oil. Other wise, maybe the system wasn't refilled all the way, sometimes if you have drained the block as well as the radiator, there can be air pockets that work their way out over a couple days driving.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
From: Houston Tx
Re: 77 L-82 overflow tank (Swamp Thang)
Swamp Thang,
I have never seen or smelled any coolant in the cockpit so I doubt that the heater core is leaking. It's not so much that I'm worried it's leaking, because the radiator always seems to be full. I'm just wondering why the fluid never seeps out of the radiator and into the overflow tank. In all honesty, my car hasn't even inched over the 185 degree mark since I installed the Griffin radiator, so maybe the coolant just isn't getting hot enough to expand out of the radiator and into the tank. I will, however, look really hard at the oil to make sure it's not cloudy.
Thanks,
Russ
I have never seen or smelled any coolant in the cockpit so I doubt that the heater core is leaking. It's not so much that I'm worried it's leaking, because the radiator always seems to be full. I'm just wondering why the fluid never seeps out of the radiator and into the overflow tank. In all honesty, my car hasn't even inched over the 185 degree mark since I installed the Griffin radiator, so maybe the coolant just isn't getting hot enough to expand out of the radiator and into the tank. I will, however, look really hard at the oil to make sure it's not cloudy.
Thanks,
Russ
Race Director
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 11,361
Likes: 383
From: Plano TX
Re: 77 L-82 overflow tank (77-4speed)
Fill the overflow and drive it. Try to find out if it continues to empty it or not. On mine I fill the radiator full, and the overflow above the hot mark. After a day or two the level in the overflow goes down to the cold mark when hot, and I top it off. It's caused by airpockets that are left in the cooling system. After a few days they work their way out into the overflow. That's why the level goes down. If you keep the overflow tank topped off, it should stabilize.
