Coolant Question

There you go, Ex'f.

I didn't have any idea either, it was a joke.

Maybe they deleted radiator caps because of OHS, you know, all sorts of dipsticks getting scalded? My 205 GTI has a rad cap but they obviously didn't want you messing with it because it is a pain trying to take it off.

The lack of obvious signs of a leak in our friend's story would worry me.
 
Palo Verde said:
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?
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Had you considered telephoning a Peugeot dealer? The correct coolant will be available from them I'd have thought. I'd take this seriously and act immediately.... Engines are quite expensive items.
 
absolutely correct advice from members so the time to bring it in service will be the next day so it is coming. The fact is, the water that was put in as a temporary solution did help and went a long way to alleviating whatever it was that was happening. The water did not disappear after it was filled into the plastic bowl. However when putting in the first time, it can be heard that the thing was so dry that the water was literally 'gobbled' up. The temp gauge has never and still does not register abnormal increases, hence it was totally unknown to me that this was going on until I suspect because I can hear the loud fan blew. This made me look under the hood and that's how I first discovered the reservoir was empty. To be honest I have never ever heard the fan blew ever in my years of owning it. How long has it been like this? Frankly I have no idea because as I said the gauge did not indicate the only thing that got me curious was the fan. I am hoping it was not like this for a long time. Luckily the weather was not as hot lately and I believe it's a case of just ran out, it can happen. As there are no visible liquid on the floor and the water that was filled remained maybe moved a little but not drastic, lead me to believe it's a case of just ran out. The only thing I am worried is how long has it been like this before I discovered it? I won't know till the mechanic check it. As it is due for a service anyways so it will have its health check regardless. I will keep all posted.
Oh in regards to no cap on the radiator well this thing is so buried underneath sheets of metal there's no way they could have put a cap there as you literally could not even reach it. In many cars you can see the trapped bugs in the fins, with this one you cannot even see that it is all hidden covered by metals.

Another quick question whilst washing it forst time in so many weeks, I noticed the chromie surrounds in the front just under the hood had a small crack on the side, don't know how that happen it's purely aesthetic, wonder if that chrome surround is expensive and difficult to put it.
 
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Hi Palo Verde,
Your words, "and I believe it's a case of just ran out, it can happen." defies the fact that the coolant system as designed and produced by the manufacturer is a sealed system, of which some units do have miniscule losses. The fact that the temp gauge was not seen to ever show an abnormal increase is a strong indication that the sensor and/or gauge may have a problem. However, in some cars (a Subaru I once owned is an example) the sensor and gauge will return to looking good as soon as the loss of coolant drops the level to being below the sensor and unless one happens to be looking at it for that short period of time when the gauge is reading the abnormal increase one confidently drives on totally unaware of an engine about to 'lunch' itself until there is masses of steam escaping from under the bonnet. Both Peugs in which have experienced abnormal increases whilst being driven have displayed a very prominent STOP in red prominently on the instrument panel.
 
Good luck. It will be interesting to hear more after the service and check. That coolant must have gone somewhere, somehow though....
 
I'm just wondering if the last service was simply either a water top up or nil top up perhaps that explains the abnormal evaporation. The cap actually looks good after rinsing it good under water before though it was a crusty piece of plastic.since the water top up, there hasn't been fans hasn't been anything. of course I would have the service top up a brand new pre mix, having said that the gauge was zero when starting and you see it climb as the car warms up, but nothing unusual ( of course since water was already added ) however I did remember the needle was slightly higher but still within safe zone before the water top up. Now with water the needle moved maybe 1 mm below then it was before all within the white zone. Somewhere in that middle. I believe if nothing was done it could have been catastophic so the water top up did help. The water however has turned colour presumably mixed with coolant ( presumably going backwards and forward between the radiator and the reservoir ), it is reddish brown now, had been after just one ride after the top up, I remember it as clear water at the beginning.
 
Reddish brown eh? Hmmm... I hate to say it, but that doesn't sound like the right colour to me. Admittedly the latest model Peugeot I have owned was a 2006 Pug 307, which makes it an earlier model than yours, but it had blue coolant.

Perhaps red/brown could be the right colour for OAT coolant - hopefully someone who knows more than me will chime in and clear that point up.

Otherwise I fear you could be seeing evidence of problems not explained when you bought the car. The reddish brown colour could be a sign that it was leaking before you bought it, and someone has added a stop-leak product - a temporary fix. My guess is that the effect of the stuff has worn off, so the engine has started using water again.

Sorry to be so negative, but I think you'd better be prepared for bad news when it goes in for service.

Cheers

Alec
 
Palo others have mentioned it but you may have skipped over the importance of using demineralized or distilled water to top up.

not tap water.

coolant does several things, and like others have said, should never just escape or go away.

It doesn’t boil or freeze in the same way water does. Higher boiling temperature and lower freezing temperature
it protects against corrosion in the tough environment inside the engine with different types of materials all keen to corrode
it is a lubricant for water pump seals

you can buy coolant as a concentrate and mix it to the required strength with distilled water, or premixed where someone else has added the water.

tap water has many minerAl impurities that complicate the work of the coolant.

at service, the mechanic may suggest a Neutralizing flush which cleans the surfaces and allows fresh coolant to have a good start with nothing residual left.

Coolant is pumped around inside the engine by a water pump. It causes a flow down the radiator where the excess heat is removed and the cooler coolant pumped back to the engine. This is why the water you put in has changed colour. The round bowl is an expansion tank designed to keep air out of the system.

let us know how you go
 
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Armidillo said:
Reddish brown eh? Hmmm... I hate to say it, but that doesn't sound like the right colour to me. Admittedly the latest model Peugeot I have owned was a 2006 Pug 307, which makes it an earlier model than yours, but it had blue coolant.

Perhaps red/brown could be the right colour for OAT coolant - hopefully someone who knows more than me will chime in and clear that point up.
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In my experience, PSA can use either: a bluey/green coloured coolant (most recent models) or a brownish/straw colour. My 207 had the straw coloured stuff, but the 208 and 308 have the bluey/green version.

It’s not generally replaced anymore (supposedly the dealers do a pH test) and can go for many years without replacement. All four of my THP engined cars (207, 208, 308 & DS3) have required occasional top ups from a bottle of pre-mixed coolant I’ve bought from a dealer a few years ago. I don’t contend that it is a completely sealed system that will never lose fluid.
 
The coolant temp sensor does not read anything if not immersed in coolant, so one can not assume there is still coolant if indicated temperature is "a bit higher".

I reckon now everything needs to be checked (including a compression test).
 
So it has come back expensive, something called the outlet tank where the part itself costs $560 that together with the usual 1 year service plus labour worse case scenerio sixteen hundred. The normal service was going by the Pug fix price servicing of three fifty
so I'm afraid it was bad, however everything else was fine aprt from just this. I have no idea, I could not see any water drips you'd think I can see it but I could not see anything on the floor, plus the gauge did not indicate anything abnormal and the needle did move from cold to moving so it must be working. So I have no idea the outlet tank is leaking and I am shocked at the cost of it. esp since I am such a low kay driver too. Oh well, any opinions from members? I'll take a picture of the damaged part when I pick it up. It's a matter of wear and tear something about the seals of the outlet tank it was not as if I damaged it , just bad luck of wear and tear and this wear and tear came so early at 41 kay.
 
Six years old? And that fails? I guess if you bought it secondhand you can't know what has happened earlier. If it were in my hands from new, I'd be making a fuss, carefully.

Bad luck, but boy it could have been much worse and much more expensive. Be interesting to see what others say....
 
At six years old and dealer serviced if there are major problems make the dealer at least share the cost and if that fails approach Peugeot Australia. I advocated for a Corolla owner and got a faulty head replaced free by Toyota at 5 years 60,000k's. Nothing to lose. Depends on who is handling complaints at Inchcape and what their policy is.
That's Euro parts pricing which is common enough but the production cost of that unit is tiny.
 
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Russell Hall said:
At six years old and dealer serviced if there are major problems make the dealer at least share the cost and if that fails approach Peugeot Australia. I advocated for a Corolla owner and got a faulty head replaced free by Toyota at 5 years 60,000k's. Nothing to lose. Depends on who is handling complaints at Inchcape and what their policy is.
That's Euro parts pricing which is common enough but the production cost of that unit is tiny.
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I got Peugeot to share the cost of a heater radiator failure out of warranty. The dealer has to screw the money out of Peugeot so you need him/her on side first. It isn't a moving part so I'd argue it isn't reasonable wear and tear. Good luck.
 
I know members are saying a picture is worth a thousand twirks so I am putting piccie of the replaced part. It is quite a large part, I was even surprised considering how newish it looked of course I cannot even see it popping the hood, so I can see remnants of dried caked on brownish coloured what used to be coolant. so the coolant is bluish green but really with such dense colour you could not tell. Exactly where it was leaking I have no idea probably where the seals are. I would have thought such a good condition looking pipe thingo you could have replaced the seals but then it was the entire organ pipe

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so from this angle it kind of look reddish brown doesn't it?
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then from this angle it looked bluish green
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I'm not too happy with the non wiped over flowed crystals forming all over the bowl esp for fifteen hundred.

So if I were to get Pug Office involve how on earth do I do that? I mean the damaged part looked newish and my mileage is so low. I do not go to dealers for service I suppose if it had been dealers it would be twenty hundred.
 
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it was serviced by Peugeot Authorised service centre though not dealer they even stamped my book Peugeot Authorised Service and honored my peugeot fixed price service vouchers given by Peugeot
All the shing ding ding of a peugeot service without the ridiculous overheads and marketing
 
That's dealer service and gives you grounds for asking for assistance with the cost.
 
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