2001 Accord Coolant Question

[HBCALI]

2001 Honda Accord (2.3L 4cyl). I'm adding coolant to my resevior but I'm concerned about adding too much. The owners manual is not specific.

Here's my deal: Coolant level (cold) is at the "Min" mark. When Hot, the level is just above "Min". I plan to add enough coolant to bring my level back up to "Max" when cold. Does that sound right? Worse case, a little "too much coolant" would simply vent out anyway, right?

30,000+ miles on the same coolant. No leaks, just evaporation probably. Also spilled a bit from the rad 10,000 miles ago.
Thoughts..

 

[MaximusD]

I fill to "Max" when cold. Is it proper? I dunno, just the way I've always done it. You're looking at probably a difference of a pint or less of coolant either way.

 

[beast3300]

Think of the overflow bottle as just that, overflow. In other words an expansion tank. As the coolant heats up and builds pressure the cap allows it to go into the overflow. You can overfill the overflow with no issues.

Fill overflow to halfway mark when cold and that should be perfect.

 

[TomYoung]

Originally Posted By: MaximusD
I fill to "Max" when cold. Is it proper? I dunno, just the way I've always done it. You're looking at probably a difference of a pint or less of coolant either way.


This is wrong!!!! When the car is stone cold, fill the coolant to the point where the reservoir is at MIN, or maybe an inch above. Leave space for the coolant to expand, for the increased pressure of the working engine and for possible gas/aereation volume. You'll be more than adequately protected. BTW, you might consider draining and filling the cooling system -- bet it's been a while.

 

[Donald]

I think it matters if it has a HOT and COLD or a MAX and MIN. I do not think they are the same. The important point is that there is a decent amount of room above wherever you fill it to so it can expand. I also think its a good idea to fill it to a mark, or make a mark with a marker. That way you have an idea if you are loosing coolant or not.

 

[badger05]

In my milan the expansion tank has two lines marked COLD MIN and COLD MAX. Manual says to fill to the COLD MAX line...

I'm surprised the OPs manual doesn't clarify this. Since it only has a MIN and MAX line I would probably just fill halfway between the marks when the fluid is cold. Shouldn't have to worry about the fluid level dropping below the MIN line then...

 

[Wilhelm_D]

Think of the overflow bottle as just that, overflow. In other words an expansion tank. As the coolant heats up and builds pressure the cap allows it to go into the overflow. You can overfill the overflow with no issues. /quote]

Exactly. The overflow allows the system to draw coolant in rather than air when the system cools. If you overfill, it just runs over the top - messy but no damage to the vehicle.

When it doubt overfill - it's underfilling that leads to air induction and coolant system damage.

 

[White 03]

It would seem to me that so long as it doesn't go below the min while cold it won't be pulling air into the radiator. The coolant in the overflow isn't adding to the cooling capacity while the engine is working it is just sitting in the overflow tank. All the cooling is going on in the radiator.