empty coolant reservoir

[Paul and Pippa]

Hello, I have a Fiat ducato 2.3 and I've just noticed my coolant reservoir is completely empty,,checked handbook and said to use Paraflu up...who sell this and could I top up to lowest level with water to get to garage,,I'm a full timer and have no other means of transport

 

[ivorantony]

Fill up with water before moving, any quality ethylene glycol will do,
It’s imperative that the coolant loss is checked before any long trips,

 

[andy63]

Topping up with water will be fine as long as it holds its level to get you where you need to go to get it sorted...
You obviously need to find out where its loosing the fluid and get that sorted before adding and wasting antifreeze.... and check how much water it takes to top up so you can get the concentration right for the protection you need when you get the antifreeze....
The paraflu up should be available from any motorist accessory shop.
Andy.

 

[Two on Tour]

Plenty for sale on eBay. Paraflu up is normally mixed 50/50 with distilled water or deionised water but a bit of tap water to get you going will not matter. Once topped up keep a close eye on the level as it should not go down much even over a long period.

 

[Madcaravanner]

Our fiat is filled with pure antifreeze if you can find where it's leaking from before filling up to repair water as a temporary fix will help

Though where are you might mean you need coolant more than anitfreeze hope it's not a radiator you need

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[Jaws]

Any antifreeze is fine providing it has a corrosion inhibitor in it

 

[klaatu]

Our fiat is filled with pure antifreeze

Is it OK to do this? Are there not potential issues, e.g. less efficient cooling or whatever?

 

[MikeD]

I would advise you stick with the same colour. Its reported they don't mix that well.

Our fiat is filled with pure antifreeze if you can find where it's leaking from before filling up to repair water as a temporary fix will help

Though where are you might mean you need coolant more than anitfreeze hope it's not a radiator you need

Paraflu should be mixed 50/50 with water.

"Advice On Use

For proper use of the product, Manufacturers recommendations must be followed. When refilling, in order to restore the level of the fluid, the product must be mixed with 50% water.

Do not use the product concentrated.

Do not mix products of different brand or origin."

 

[Richard n Ann]

If you can't see a leak it's maybe bypassing the cylinder head gasket and going out through the exhaust

Disclaimer:
I only said maybe

 

[tacr2man]

When did you last check your header tank ? It may be a slow leak , or not . Top up with plain water if it was quite recent check . If it was a long time ago then 50% mix would be best . No antifreeze/coolant , should be run at 100% . Prestone coolant/antifreeze can be added to any . Other than that if its red its likely to be an OAT type . If its green, blue its likely to be ordinary ethylene glycol . Having a look at rad , and any hose connections may reveal if external leak , also worth checking if front carpets inside are damp , as heater matrix might be cause.

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[Deneb]

Is it OK to do this? Are there not potential issues, e.g. less efficient cooling or whatever?

As I understand it, pure antifreeze not mixed with water is less efficient at transferring heat so can cause an engine to run hot. Ethylene Glycol based anti-freeze also only achieves a low freezing point when mixed with the correct ratio of water, so will freeze at higher temperatures if undiluted or not mixed to the recommended proportion for the particular product.

 

[Paul and Pippa]

When did you last check your header tank ? It may be a slow leak , or not . Top up with plain water if it was quite recent check . If it was a long time ago then 50% mix would be best . No antifreeze/coolant , should be run at 100% . Prestone coolant/antifreeze can be added to any . Other than that if its red its likely to be an OAT type . If its green, blue its likely to be ordinary ethylene glycol . Having a look at rad , and any hose connections may reveal if external leak , also worth checking if front carpets inside are damp , as heater matrix might be cause.

Tbh it's the 1st time l've checked it,, Only had it 6 months.. Can't see any leaks and filled to lowest level with water,, ran it for 1 hour a no loss of fluid.. The colour is pink.. and no damp on carpet..

 

[MikeD]

Tbh it's the 1st time l've checked it,, Only had it 6 months.. Can't see any leaks and filled to lowest level with water,, ran it for 1 hour a no loss of fluid.. The colour is pink.. and no damp on carpet..

Just being nosy - But how much water did u need to add?

 

[Silver-Fox]

Our fiat is filled with pure antifreeze

I hope it’s not as anything more than 50% you have no protection at all


You need to use the same colour antifreeze as some can’t be mixed.

Pink might be Triple qx and as I’ve said don’t mix it more than 50%
You can buy a tool that will check the concentration of the mix from Europarts for £2.
Cheap as chips

 

[Paul and Pippa]

Just being nosy - But how much water did u need to add?

About 1 litre.. Ran engine for 1 hour and no loss

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[Madcaravanner]

I hope it’s not as anything more than 50% you have no protection at all

Should have written - Coolant/Antifreeze pre mix (just checked ) that is designed to be used straight from the bottle

 

[Stealaway]

Tbh it's the 1st time l've checked it,, Only had it 6 months.. Can't see any leaks and filled to lowest level with water,, ran it for 1 hour a no loss of fluid.. The colour is pink.. and no damp on carpet..

That is unusual - It needs checking out ----- Carpet??

 

[TerryL]

In the ten years we've had our Swift I've never had to top up the coolant, so I'd be suspicious of a 1 litre loss. Just had the cambelt changed and with it the water pump. Was told to keep an eye on the levels in case not all the air had bled out so I've bought a bottle of the pink top-up fluid from Halfords - already had pink coolant in it. 500 miles later it seems okay though.

 

[airwave]

I would advise you stick with the same colour.

I would also advise the same , bear in mind there are two types , pink and blue . I struggled to source paraflu , and eventually got it from ebay at a price . However , i had a problem earlier in the year , and was forced to drain the system again , so i'll be honest i didn't refill with paraflu . The stuff i now use , meets the spec's , and can be sourced anywhere , but as fiat don't get a kick back from the manufacturer , it's not mentioned in the handbook .

 

[Richard n Ann]

My Arosa car needs topping up every 2 or 3 years, no leaks, just evaporation.

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[bigtwin]

My Arosa car needs topping up every 2 or 3 years, no leaks, just evaporation.

It’s a sealed/pressurised system. Consequently, any ‘evaporation’ will condense back to liquid and be retained in the coolant inventory.

Ian

 

[KUSKUS]

We had coolant loss on our 2012 150hp fiat ducato buses at work , about 1/2 litre a week turned out most of them had faulty intercoolers. replaced under warranty.

 

[Nasher]

My Pug Boxer started losing coolant, needed topping up about every three months, I read that it was due to being parked on a sloping drive, so thought that was the reason.

Then one day I saw a small pool of coolant under the van, one new radiator later & no more coolant loss - stone damage was the cause

I have now got some Zunsport radiator grills, hoping it won't re-occur - they look really cool as well!

 

[scotzsue]

had the same earlier this year, I noticed a small loss topped up with mix checked before next trip and well down, kept it topped up with antifreezw/water mix till we got it looked at. unfortunately needed a new radiator.

 

[iandsm]

Before getting wound up there may be a simple explanation. I noticed a stain on my driveway under the front offside of my 2.3 Ducato. On examination I traced it to the small pipe at the bottom of the reservoir which just needed the jubilee clip tightening properly. It had lost enough coolant to show the reservoir empty but I haven't had any mow leaks or lost any more fluid. with checking I suggest.

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[tonyidle]

Our fiat is filled with pure antifreeze if you can find where it's leaking from before filling up to repair water as a temporary fix will help

Though where are you might mean you need coolant more than anitfreeze hope it's not a radiator you need

Do you mean pre-mixed coolant? Neat antifreeze isn't too good at moving heat about.

 

[webby1]

If any help...... we had a leak that we found was in the auxillary heater in the hab section. Perhaps you have just started to use it in colder weather.

It was leaking fluid from the actual matrix when switched on................switched it off so no circulation of fluid and no more leaks.

 

[airwave]

you mean pre-mixed coolant?

whoa , expensive ! .

 

[Spanner]

Hello, I have a Fiat ducato 2.3 and I've just noticed my coolant reservoir is completely empty,,checked handbook and said to use Paraflu up...who sell this and could I top up to lowest level with water to get to garage,,I'm a full timer and have no other means of transport

If you have a look under the front of your engine you’ll see a bunch of hoses, easy to view from below if you can lay on a mat, I’ve had one leak before and replacing the hose clip cured the leak. The pink coolant usually leaves a tell tale crusty stain.

If you can’t see any leaks then find a garage with a coolant pressure tester, easy test.

 

[Paul and Pippa]

In the ten years we've had our Swift I've never had to top up the coolant, so I'd be suspicious of a 1 litre loss. Just had the cambelt changed and with it the water pump. Was told to keep an eye on the levels in case not all the air had bled out so I've bought a bottle of the pink top-up fluid from Halfords - already had pink coolant in it. 500 miles later it seems okay though.

Hi Terry,how much did you pay for cam and water pump and where ,,thanks

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