What happens when you overfill the reservoir?
When you overfill the coolant reservoir, there won’t be much space left for the heated coolant to expand. As a result of which, the pressure inside the reservoir would increase gradually. When this happens, the cap of the tank will open, and the hot coolant would pop out like a puddle of lava.
Why does my Honda Civic overflow radiator?
The reason was not enough coolant in the system, filled up radiator and all OK. Then it happened again and there is coolant in the overflow tank, but pull the radiator cap and no fluid under cap. Fill radiator and all OK, but it kept happening. I replaced the OEM radiator cap with a new “Slant” brand for an ’03 Civic. No better, no worse.
Where does the overflow tank come from in a car?
The overflow tank is also commonly referred to as an expansion tank, a coolant reservoir or an overflow canister. Regardless of what you call it, however, it is a part of every vehicle’s cooling system. The overflow tank is connected to an overflow tube that comes from the radiator.
What should I do if my coolant reservoir overflows?
In older automobiles, the radiator was made of copper and aluminum. In more modern automobiles, the radiator contains a lot of plastic. The plastic radiator are light weight, but tend to ware out faster. Replacing the radiator is recommended over applying a patch if the leak is found.
Why is my civic coolant not coming out?
If it has the tube molded into the tank, then there could be a piece of crud in to bottom acting like a one way valve. You can only get rid of this by flushing out the tank upside down. The molded tube could also have a tiny crack near the top that would act the same as a bad tube hanging from the cap.
The reason was not enough coolant in the system, filled up radiator and all OK. Then it happened again and there is coolant in the overflow tank, but pull the radiator cap and no fluid under cap. Fill radiator and all OK, but it kept happening. I replaced the OEM radiator cap with a new “Slant” brand for an ’03 Civic. No better, no worse.
What happens when a coolant tank overflows?
The coolant will then contract instead of expand; resulting in the volume of the coolant decreasing. This is kind of like a vacuum effect where the pressure decrease allows the excess coolant in the overflow tank to flow back out of it, so it can return to the radiator.
If it has the tube molded into the tank, then there could be a piece of crud in to bottom acting like a one way valve. You can only get rid of this by flushing out the tank upside down. The molded tube could also have a tiny crack near the top that would act the same as a bad tube hanging from the cap.
How is the expansion tank on a Honda Civic?
The expansion tank is shaped and fitted into a relatively tight space (pretty much standard Honda stuff). To remove the tank and hose looks like I’d have to pull the battery for sure and perhaps some other stuff just to get the tank out to inspect it and clean it properly. If I get that far I’ll replace the old hose with a new one.