Coolant Question

Palo Verde

Active member
Fellow Frogger
Joined
Oct 2, 2017
Messages
392
Location
Sydney NSW
Hi all

I have a 2014 208 and only had like 41.8 ks on the speedo which means it is a low k driver

Recently I noticed the plastic bowl on the left hand side that notmally contain coolant is dry as a bone and when I drive I noticed the fan comes on quite often. I am due for another yearly service soon though not quite but the amber service light have come on.

Can someone shed a light on why the plastic bowl of coolant is dry with nothing inside? I thought it needs to have some liquid inside and there is no leak on the floor ao I sm not sure how it could have evaporated so quickly. That explains the fans coming on so often even though it is rather cool weather now.

Next, obviously the warranty is finished, I was wondering who can recommend a really good garage for Peugeot where they can do the electronics such as reset the service light upgrade the diagnostics

I am worried and think maybe I should bring it in service right away I just have to find time.

Thanks All
 
Thanks I was hoping also somebody reasonable not some ransom prices, I prefer the mascot surrounds radiating 25 ks

oh some coolant answers would not hurt too! lol
 
Coolant answer : buy some and put some in. Do not wait for the service.

Edit : it has to be the right coolant...
 
can someone tell me what does the 2014 208 use, does it needs to be drained before you put and how much do you put and who do I get this from? ( are they open? ) Complete noob so whatever I out in ( the correct stuff ) it will not cause problems for the service I hope, hopefully no draining like oil
how on earth did they all disappear?
 
Save for some possible minute losses the coolant system is a sealed (no loss) system. So, to put it simply you have a leaking coolant problem that could be due to many possibilities and continuing to drive the car without, at least, something showing in the reservoir/plastic bowl is not in your best interests. If the coolant level gets low enough it is possible that the temperature sensor will not turn the fan on and then the engine gets really hot and all sorts of costly things can happen. My 308 had a disappearing coolant problem that no amount of pressure testing could find till I looked closely at the reservoir cap and found that the cap's sealing ring had failed. Got a cap from a spare car and no troubles now.
 
wow thanks, because the coolant used by my machanic is a peugeot brand and you aren't suppose to mix different brands, I was advised as a band aid solution to fill water first and then bring it in for service. Also filling in the water would also see if the water was disappearing immediately when engine start so as to eliminate leaking possibility. I have booked in appointment next wednesday provided the water remains and then if the water does not leak we'll stop up using the same coolant next week during service
 
Hi Palo Verde, to the best of my knowledge it is the mixing of types of coolant rather than brands that is the issue. Using water for a week or so till being able to ascertain the problem and fix it is what I would do and is certainly better than overheating and wounding an otherwise good engine. Did you remove the reservoir cap and inspect the sealing ring? There may also be some telltale signs where drying coolant has left a stain. You didn't say how many km's on the car, but if around 200,000 and water pump has not been replaced it could be the culprit. The best of Irish luck with it.!!
 
Palo did actually say in first sentence of first post "only 41.8ks on the speedo", which I interpret as 41,800 km travelled (barring a faulty speedo of course).

Agree that unscrewing the cap on the coolant bowl (with engine cold of course), and adding water up to top level mark is safest course of action.

Of course if the level is seriously low, the system will need to be bled. Also level may drop significantly on first drive after top up, as some air may be expelled even without a formal bleeding process.

Re. types of coolant, I believe Peugeot coolant is blue. I've never found out whether it is a third type, in addition to green (glycol) & orange (oat).

Cheers
Alec
 
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Check hoses for leaks and general condition. Six years of stop start driving/ short trips is a lot harder on an engine cooling system than open road driving. The plastic reservoir can crack especially around pipe exits. Its pressure screw cap can also become faulty over time allowing outflow of coolant when engine hot. Replacement caps are cheap. Be careful to screw it on properly- it is easy to cross thread which breaks pressure seal and allows loss of coolant. Faulty water pump is a final possibility ( they are not expensive) though labour to fit can be expensive. It is not unusual to have small coolant loss , but it needs to be monitored as above.
 
Thanks very much I noticed the cap seemed a little old and crusty insides I may ask for a new cap at service, does anyone know what is the cost roughly?

So far the water has stayed definitely has gone a little lower than before but then it was thirsty. With no other indicators including dash to tell me I had no idea as I only checked out of curiosity when I heard fan blowing more often then usual. I find that strange that the coolant would just disappear so dry as a bone with no apparent leak as the water stayed.
 
The colour matters little.

The critical thing is whether it is propylene glycol or Ethylene glycol which makes up the coolant. There is some other stuff too, like what additives go into the coolant.

There is a good run down here:

https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/b...at-is-the-right-coolant-for-your-vehicle.html

If you’re not going to do your own servicing the best thing to do is either buy some demineralised water and add that, or get some premixed coolant which suits your car. Catalogue online here will identify the coolant for you. if you’re not confident go to any parts supplier Repco, supercheap, whatever. They will look for the coolant suited to your car on their database.




Just to add to what is being said above, please don’t drive the car in the state that it’s in as you have no idea how much coolant is in the system. It could b virtually empty.


To take it to your mechanic I’d even be tempted to take the radiator cap off to check that there is water above the core, fill the radiator and then fill the bottle.



Peter
 
Respectfully, Mr Frogger, they don't 'ave caps on radiators no more (if they did we would no doubt all find bleeding these bleedin' systems easier).
 
Ah... we ‘Boomers have a lot of catching up to do.

There must be something on the top of the radiator, even If it is under the fan shroud.

Does that mean the top radiator hose spigot is the highest part of the radiator? Otherwise, how on earth could you bleed it?
 
[...]

Does that mean the top radiator hose spigot is the highest part of the radiator? Otherwise, how on earth could you bleed it?

Tilt the car arse up.

Good advice re demineralised water. I am however afraid that if our friend is indeed the noob he says we might be doing more harm than good.

The coolant disappeared because there is a leak (duh), which has depressurised the system hence coolant can boil, hence some of it evaporates so there's less, hence temperatures are climbing faster hence fans cut in more often. I bet if you measured, the intervals between fans cutting in were going shorter. Meanwhile, coolant keeps boiling off, so more of it is lost. Positive (reinforcing) feedback loop. Stop driving the car.

Now the best case scenario is as suggested a bottle cap.

Worst - head gasket failure.

Here's hoping for the best, but if you continue driving the car you might end up in the worst case scenario. Depending on how much coolant was lost the water you added might have lowered the boiling point by a little or by a lot. That, and the fact that the system is not sealed anymore means your engine is now boiling off coolant at 100deg C. The problem with that is not losing coolant now that you are keeping an eye on it and can top it up quickly, but the fact that beyond 100deg your coolant does not accept heat anymore so any extra heat is accumulated in the engine. Enough that the head gasket might not be able to take it.

All of that also depends on the car design, when (what temperature) the thermostat opens, when (temperature again) do the fans cut in, etc. If your 'stat opens say at 97 deg and fans cut in at the same temperature, you can bet your bottom dollar by then there is already residual (not accepted by the coolant) heat already accumulated in the engine.

Yeah, not much help here, but then again, what are doing on a forum when you've got car trouble?
 
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Thanks Shultzie,

Still at a loss to to know how you bleed these systems properly if the top spigot isn’t the highest point of the radiator. Maybe getting the bum up would do it.

Anyway, cos I’m a glass half empty sorta guy I’d guess the radiator is filled to just above the level of the water pump. If the fans are still coming on then at least some coolant is splashing over the sensor that tells the fans to go on. Not great.

Id still advise against driving until one knows how much/little coolant is in the system.

Palo, your mechanics can do three tests once s/he has the car:

1) test the coolant with a simple dipstick to test whether it’s still got all the goodies in it that it needs,
2) do a pressure test to find out if the system leaks,
3) use a “sniffer” to test for the presence of hydrocarbons in the coolant.

P

Sigh, no radiator caps, I mean what is the world coming to...
 
Thanks Shultzie,

Still at a loss to to know how you bleed these systems properly if the top spigot isn’t the highest point of the radiator. Maybe getting the bum up would do it.
There are various bleed nipples, but generally the highest point (as per factory instructions) is the container you attach above the degassing tank (overflow bottle) and keep full until no air flows from the bleed nipples. It's a bit tedious but that's the way it's been since at least the mid '90s on Peugeots and Citroëns.

In terms of what might be leaking, they have a habit of splitting around the degassing tank or the thermostat housing, or possibly the water pump housing as well, before they reverted back to a metal housing.
 
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