Hi all. Down in the New Forest on hols with the family and the tin tent! The long and the short of it is the low coolant warning has come on after I started when we left the national motor museum. I have checked the bottle and can't see any visible coolant.

Nearest halfords is South Hampton. Can I drive it the ten miles and get there without it dying, will breakdown cover come out if you haven't broken down? Can anyone recommend any options v close to Brockenhurst!

Cheers!

Just top it up with water, ideally de-ionized water (battery top up water) or filtered rainwater but tap water will do at a pinch (it's the dissolved minerals in the water that the coolant doesn't like).
It's usually a 50:50 mix of coolant and de-ionized water, adding a bit more water won't hurt.
The low coolant sensor on some models actually relates to the specific gravity of the coolant so if you top up the expansion bottle with water it may still pop up with low coolant, just keep an eye on it until the correct amount of coolant can be added back in.

If you do then decide to top up later with coolant make sure you get an OAT fluid (Organic Acid Technology) assuming you have a 2010 model as per your details.

Thanks weejock. I only have access to tap water at the moment as I'm on a campsite. Would I have to change all the coolant after putting the tap water in?

I will be towing the caravan back up to Scotland so it is a long way with the extra strain on the engine.

It is a 2010, also need to find where it is leaking from!!

Thanks again.

If I were you I would not go anywhere knowing there is a leak. The potential for terminal damage is too great.

I'd get the breakdown service to come out and have a look first, and see if they can pinpoint the issue, then move on from there if they find something.

If they don't then get it to the nearest indie/LR place.

Driving back to Scotland with suspected coolant loss un-attended is asking for serious grief.

Cheers

Jerry

Adding tap water just means it's possible the minerals in it will reduce the effectiveness i.e. longevity of the OAT coolant, so instead of it needing changing every 5 years you might consider shortening it. It's worse if the tap water used comes from a hard water area. I wouldn't be overly concerned by adding tap water, I bet there's loads of people that use tap water without even thinking about, it's more important it has something rather than be low.

I would top up with tap water, make a note of roughly how much you put in then take it for short run to get some OAT coolant. You can get pre-mixed or concentrate, with concentrate just get some de-ionised water to mixed with it, about £3 from Halfords and probably would be in the battery section. Drive back to camp site and park it so you can look in the engine bay and underneath for coolant leaks, putting something on the ground underneath the engine might help in spotting any drips. Leave it until cooled down and then check the coolant level. That will give an idea of what it's losing over a short distance and gauge whether the return journey is viable or not.

Given you've driven down there from Scotland it might be only losing a small amount so topping up and checking every so often on the return might be doable but only you can decide if you want to risk it.

Topped up the coolant with de ionised water and coolant concentrate. I seem to be losing about 500ml over a couple of hours driving.

I assume It has been leaking on to the belts as I'm getting some squealing. Just now and again but only for A couple of seconds.

I'm also thinking there must be a power steering belt that is slipping now and again due to the coolant as when doing manoeuvres it seems heavy for a split second then it is fine.

Does this sound right(I obviously know it isn't right but would that tie up or are they separate problems)?

Thanks again!

@MCnallykev

Check for a split coolant pipe at the rear of the engine where it comes put of the back of the engine and goes into the heating matrix (you will need to take off the plastic tray thingy at the back to get a good look)

Well it does sound like a more significant leak and if you think it's causing a belt squeak then it's likely to be front area, could be radiator, pipes or water pump.
I would get it checked out before considering any long journeys, if the water pump seizes then it won't be nice! Time for a call to your breakdown service or find a local repair shop.

Is the expansion tank still intact? I had the seam split on my last Rangie. Any tell tale stains to indicate where it's leaking? "On first name terms with my local Dealer......now."

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Thanks guys, I will get it booked into a garage before I travel back. Will have a look at the pipes etc tomorrow in the daylight and see if I can see anything obvious

Have a look at the egr cooler and see if it's leaking around that area. I had a leak that turned out to be coming from the o ring that seals the egr thermostat to the cooler, was losing a lot of coolant, but turned out to be an easy fix. I had the belt squeal as well, as the leaking coolant was dripping on to the main pulleys.
Hope it's as simple as that

Haven't had a chance to book it in yet but leak is coming from the the front end. Topped it up this morning cold and it has sat all day and lost about half a litre. Does the fact it is leaking with the engine off mean it's more likely to be a pipe or the radiatior.

Also it seems to stop at a certain level but from what I can see the tank doesn't seem to be leaking at that height.

My 2004 car had a leak at the bottom driver side corner of the radiator. I was told this was a common problem. I topped up daily with a mix of LR spec coolant (Shell I think) and water until I could get the radiator replaced. Only Range Rovers since 1988

Check its not just a cracked header tank  There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
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