The car hasn't been used much in the past week or so.

Drove a couple of miles on a short local run this afternoon and noticed the dashboard Temp needle was at about the 10 o'clock position on start up and within a minute or so had moved to the 12 o'clock position. Returned home, parked in the garage and noticed a smouldering smell coming from the front offside of the car where the coolant expansion tank is situated.

Lifted the bonnet and noticed that there was a teardrop weeping from the small black plastic cross head cap which is situated on the top of the expansion tank (Image 1 below).

Also noticed that despite there being visible orange coloured coolant indicator in the top section of the tank, the coolant level has dropped below the two marker lines which are embossed with the words "COLD FILL RANGE" (Image 2).

As previously reported, the car has only recently had 2 new radiators fitted at the main dealer.

There have been no warning messages and there is no "CHECK COOLANT LEVEL" message displayed on the message centre. There has been no visible leakage onto the ground from the car.

The owner's handbook advises that "if the [coolant] level has fallen appreciably, suspect leakage or overheating and arrange for your LR Dealer/ Authorised repairer to examine the vehicle"

1. Can anyone please advise on Image 1 as to why the weeping from the small black plastic cross head cover and what might be going on here (the teardrop as seen on the image is very clean and clear fluid)?

1A. The expansion tank and contents are clean and clear too. As there is no obvious leakage onto the ground, and assuming there is no split in the expansion tank, could coolant be evaporating through this black plastic cross head cover, if not tightened properly?

2. Could this all be linked to the recent replacement of 2 radiators?

These 2 pictures were taken more than a couple of hours after the car was last used and once the engine had fully cooled. I wiped the tear drop away when I stopped the car and it had returned when I rechecked a couple of hours later, which was when I took the photograph (the car had only been driven lightly when the symptoms first showed up for the first time today anyway).

Thanks in advance

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

The black crosshead cap is a bleed screw for the cooling system. It allows the system to be "burped" when refilling and, if not tightened afterwards, will let coolant leak out when the engine gets up to temperature.

You may also have had an air lock in the system which caused the rise in engine temperature.

To be on the safe side, take it back to where the work was done and get them to check it out for you.
It may just need the coolant level topped up and the bleed screw tightened, but best get them to do it so it covered under warranty.  

Thanks very much Budgie. Really helpful and much appreciated

Good advice.

When i had my fbh swapped the md who did it didnt fully bleed the system amd it seemed to lose coolant. However after a few weeks of driving and topping up it stabilised. In the cold fill range.

Wouldnt worry too much sounds like the system is bleeding itself after the rad change. Get it topped up and the bleed screw tightened and you should be set. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
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Thanks NMJ.

Have sent a message to the dealer asking if they want me to top up, tighten bleed screw and monitor or take it in for them to check.

Anyway, owner's handbook says use Texaco Havoline XTC (orange) but I can't seem to source any online.


There is a BMW main dealer local to me and I suspect they too will use Havoline coolant so maybe their parts dept. will have the manufacturer's recommended coolant.

Does anyone have any views on 'TRIPLE QX Anti-freeze (Red Antifreeze/Coolant)' which is for sale at ECP for approx £3.16/Ltr and which the ECP website says is correct for the 4.2SC?

Thanks...

You need to use exact same as what is already in the coolant tank!

Thanks Gary/ thought that... Will ask dealer when they open.

Just been to LR main dealer to collect 1 litre of the same coolant they use. Yet again, they were very helpful. Didn't drive the SC as the coolant level has dropped to about 1" below the minimum Range Fill marker. Will use a 50/50 mix with water, tighten the bleed screw and touch wood, all will be well.

The MD uses Xpart, OAT5 Anti Freeze longlife, Approved for MG Rover, picture of the bottle below:

Click image to enlarge

Are you sure it was overheating ? Something major wrong if its overheating when the level is just below the minimum level, that coolant system has massive over capacity for our conditions........

If the bleed screw doesn't tighten its likely that the o-ring is damaged and will need replaced. Stolen / Gone: 2006MY Supercharged LPG Autobiography - Zambezi Silver with Sand/Jet/Jet Oxford Leather.....

When making my OP I had noticed the temp gauge had visibly moved from the 10 to the 12 o'clock position within a couple of minutes of driving; and there was that smouldering radiator stench when I stuck my nose up to the front grille.

I've just added 1/2 lite of 50/50 coolant/ water mix to the expansion tank which was enough to take the fluid to the upper of the 2 Range Fill markers.

I've started the car up in the garage and the engine is running as I type. The expansion tank is not leaking, there is no fluid leaking from under the car and having filled the tank with the bleed screw which was open, I tightened the bleed screw before re securing the main expansion tank filler cap. No current leakage via the bleed screw with the engine running either.

I did notice something which I've taken a picture of whilst the engine was running. Not sure whether this 50p piece size white circle within the orange fluid is perfectly normal whilst the engine is running or whether it might be an air bubble that means I need to open up the bleed screw to allow it to escape. Any thoughts welcome please/ thanks.

Click image to enlarge

It`ll bleed out OK, mistake u made was topping the tank up with the bleed screw open, you should have left it closed..........they are a to bleed correctly, hence the several TSB`s issued to advise on the correct procedure :thumbsup Stolen / Gone: 2006MY Supercharged LPG Autobiography - Zambezi Silver with Sand/Jet/Jet Oxford Leather.....

Having ran the car to operating temp, then taking it for a moderate drive with no obvious problems and the Temp gauge remaining at the 12 o'clock position, parked the car overnight and no coolant loss/ levels same as when I topped up yesterday evening.

I have carefully removed the bleed screw this morning (picture below) and it looks perfect with no damage to it or the threads at all. I have applied a coating of Vaseline to the thread of the bleed screw to hopefully assist it being air tight when in the fully closed position, although as mentioned before, this screw seems to be working/ fully closing fine.

I did wonder whether plumber's white PTFE tape around the thread might assist if anyone experienced a bleed screw that did not want to tighten/ fully close properly (I read a previous post from Dan @ Duckworths that replacement bleed screws can be hard to come by and/ or ineffective meaning that in some cases a replacement expansion tank might be required as a result, which would seem disproportionate if the problem was due to one small removable plastic screw/ previous post link below)?

http://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic9849.h...leed+screw

Click image to enlarge

Sounds good.

You may notice that the levels drop and rise slightly due to the expansion of the liquid/engine when warm. So when checking levels do so stone cold.

It may be that the engine was originally filled warm amd not bled properly, hence when it cooled the levels dropped.

Keep an eye on it as there may be a few more bubbles to come out the you should be good. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
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For info..

Halfords also do the pink coolant.

Must not mix pink with blue green as they have a different chemical make up. OAT coolants (organic acid technolgy) are longerlife than the green and mixing them can compromise the corrosion inhibitiors. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
FFRR 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography Santorini Black.
KIA E-Niro 4+
2021 Discovery 5 D300 MHEV commercial

Thanks NMJ/All... It appears one could easily do the wrong thing re coolant and yet it should be straightforward.

Checked the levels when stone cold this morning and it was identical to when I topped up last night.

Fingers crossed