Broke level for the coolant resevoir

[SixBanger]

Today I performed a couple of flushes to my coolant system. Since January, I've taken the initiative to work on my own car, due to the fact that I can't trust anyone anymore to work on my car and save money. I did 2 flushes and somehow the tip of the floating level broke off. Small plastic pieces broke inside of the resevoir, so I stopped the whole process due to not knowing what to do from there. Any help would be appreciated.

I did see that ECS sells a level for the coolant resevoir, so does that mean I need to drain (again) pull out the res and replace the level?

[Dackelone]

Buy a new coolant reservoir and cap. Chances are your reservoir will crack soon anyways. Think of it as preventive maintenance. You can use a "clamp"(on the res hoses) so you don't need to drain the entire cooling system. The new reservoir has a slightly different "float".

[SixBanger]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Buy a new coolant reservoir and cap. Chances are your reservoir will crack soon anyways. Think of it as preventive maintenance. You can use a "clamp"(on the res hoses) so you don't need to drain the entire cooling system. The new reservoir has a slightly different "float".

Thank you Dackel. Can I drive with the tip of the level sensor broken while awaiting for new resevoir to come in? I do have a little more fluid over max in the coolant resevoir as well. Pic is attached

[02Pilot]

Did you recover the broken piece(s) from the expansion tank? If not, I certainly wouldn't recommend driving, or even starting, the car. You don't want plastic bits circulating in the cooling system - they could lodge almost anywhere, restricting flow and basically impossible to locate or remove.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by SixBanger

Thank you Dackel. Can I drive with the tip of the level sensor broken while awaiting for new resevoir to come in? I do have a little more fluid over max in the coolant resevoir as well. Pic is attached

I would NOT drive the car until you fish out that broken piece, of the level float. IF that little piece gets sucked into your cooling system, it could cause something to fail. Like your waterpump or e-thermostat.

[SixBanger]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

I would NOT drive the car until you fish out that broken piece, of the level float. IF that little piece gets sucked into your cooling system, it could cause something to fail. Like your waterpump or e-thermostat.

The broken piece never got into the resevoir at all. It was hanging by a small little plastic part and I took it off. Be aware there were small little shreds that were ready to fall off the level and into the resevoir. I never ran car all week, I used Uber.

When replacing the unit tonight. What can I use to plug the coolant lines going to and from the resevoir? Also, when new resevoir is in and assuming I can leave the new coolant in the system. Should I do another bleed? Thanks everyone for your input.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by SixBanger

The broken piece never got into the resevoir at all. It was hanging by a small little plastic part and I took it off. Be aware there were small little shreds that were ready to fall off the level and into the resevoir. I never ran car all week, I used Uber.

When replacing the unit tonight. What can I use to plug the coolant lines going to and from the reservoir? Also, when new reservoir is in and assuming I can leave the new coolant in the system. Should I do another bleed? Thanks everyone for your input.

Well... there is a special automotive tool to clamp down coolant hoses... but you could use some woodworking clamps or even some freezer bag clamps - to do the same thing. Most people have those two things hanging around their house.



You could do another bleed... but I don't think you will introduce any air into the system when you change the expansion tank reservoir.

Dack