coolant level low

i keep getting this message and when i check it either has not lost any water or just a small amount....someone said it may be a thermostat that needs changing so today i got a quote and managed to find one for £48+vat but before i buy it i just wanna see if anyone on here thinks it may be something else i dont seem to have any other simptons so dont think head gasket as the oil is fine and the water smells only of coolant i do sometimes get a little chuff of smoke when i first start the car after it s been sitting for hours but ive put this down to valve guides or the dodgy bmw vaneo system.....all comments welcome "RANGEISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED"
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Pretlove says , '' I want my car back "

The thermostat is in no way related to the coolant level sensor, so not sure why you're being advised to replace that. Unless you have some other symptoms.

The first place to start would be the coolant level sensor itself, I have been through 3 of them in the last two RR's and 3 header tanks.

My symptoms were exactly as yours, spurious warnings and very slight water loss with no visible signs of leakage. 

I found this on rr.net perhaps its of help to you ?



Cooling System

Low Coolant Light On: Some examples of the Mk III RR have been reported to exhibit strange behaviour of the coolant level warnings. Bernard Green experienced the problem of constant reminders that the Coolant Level and W/S/Washer water levels are LOW........his local dealer have said that it is the same system as BMW and that does the same thing "just keep putting a pint or so in it and it will be OK".......He wonders why they have bothered fitting such a large reservoir and how inconvenient in the Kalahari Desert!!! Another owner reported that within the first 200 miles of service the low coolant light went on. Jimmy Fang the low coolant signal shortly after the 15,000 mile service. He was in Charleston, and took it to the dealership there and they topped off the fluids. Same light came home 2 days later on the trip home. Jimmy took it into the local dealership and they said the Charleston dealership must not have topped it off very well b/c they had to refill it. He now has 37,000 miles onm the vehicle and has not had the problem again since.

Paul Levens reports he had similar problems with the BMW 540i he had previously, which seemed to have a very sensitive coolant level sensor (most likely the same one used on the new RR?) which generated several false "check coolant" warnings.

According to official Land Rover Technical Service Bulletins issued in September 2003 and March 2005, the low coolant light coming on even when the coolant level is correct if the coolant specific gravity or viscosity is incorrect, causing false readings on the sensor. The correct specific gravity of a 50% coolant mixture of the approved coolants (see below) is 1.07.

Note also that earlier models had Texaco AFC coolant, LRN6024 (orange), while later ones come with BASF G48 coolant (blue). Note that these should not be mixed -- or premature corrosion of the cylinder heads could result.

Radiator Leaks: Sometimes, the problem is due to an actual radiator leak. Nicholas Tan reports his RR had about 15,000 miles on it when he started experiencing recurrent "low coolant" warnings. The cause turned out to be a leaking radiator, but the dealer found that the coolant loss only occured between certain pressure limits, so it was a slow loss over the period of about a week.In December 2005 Andrew Elmore reported his 2004 model had the check coolant light coming on frequently, each time needing at least one quart of coolant to top off the tank. "Even though it is winter here the problem seems to be getting worse, that is, more frequent. I called the dealer last week and the service manager said, "oh, that type of coolant evaporates, so don't worry about it," but I do not think a quart of coolant in a closed system can evaporate in the winter in less than a week". Andrew persisted in posing the problem to the dealer, and at last they replaced the radiator, which they said had a "small leak at the seam." Alex Johnson had a leaking radiator twice on his 2003 RR, the second time conveniently 13 months after the first so he had to pay for the replacement.

Summary: Thus it seems like in some cases there is a coolant sensor problem leading to a false "Check Coolant Level" message; in other cases there is a genuine leak in the radiator or elsewhere in the system -- usually the coolant overflow tank (see "radiator leaks and overflow tank leaks" below). In yet other cases (the only ones officially recognized by Land Rover) it is all your fault for putting in the wrong coolant mixture!  

Click image to enlarge

thanks dan where is the sensor you speak of located ...am i right in thinking its the one under the header tank? as this was my first thought then some one i know told me that he thought that was all part of the theromstat and as im not very familiar with these engines i thought he may be right despite me not being so sure ...im not getting any other symptons other than the ones i mentioned


@rob thanks mate i read that allready  "RANGEISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED"
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Pretlove says , '' I want my car back "

ok just a quick update ive just checked my water and i have lost some but where to im not sure..??? "RANGEISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED"
www.futuresecurityservices.co.uk
Pretlove says , '' I want my car back "

a member had the wrong rated coolant pressure cap fitted ,just wondering if yours has.... there's a thread somewhere on here about it...

pretlove wrote:

thanks dan where is the sensor you speak of located ...am i right in thinking its the one under the header tank? as this was my first thought then some one i know told me that he thought that was all part of the theromstat and as im not very familiar with these engines i thought he may be right despite me not being so sure ...im not getting any other symptons other than the ones i mentioned


@rob thanks mate i read that allready

i have the right cap scarey i remember that thread thanks all the same
@rob ive cleaned the header so maybe ill try some new coolant i have read somewhere that that can make a differance "RANGEISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED"
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Pretlove says , '' I want my car back "

The coolant tank sensor works on the SG of the fluid rather than a level. Mine pings up a lot as I'm nursing a water leak so top up with water so gradually the mix is getting weaker. I'm not sure how fast the coolant in the tank turns over so you might fill with water and get the bong as the density is wrong but actually the whole system is ok. You can buy a pipet type thing from Halfroads or eBay that measures the density using little coloured balls. Prob only a few £££.

Also if your topping up with neat coolant make sure its the right stuff. Mixing causes a reaction which can foul the whole system. There are 2 types, (Green/Blue and Orange/Red). THe red is an OAT which is ment to be a longer life and other crap but as we own FFRR and there prone to leaking we will be changeing fluid well before the recomended time. If the 2 colours are mixed they react and make a sludge which is bad news.

thanks rob full flush tomorrow and some new OAT and if i can get one a new coolant sensor just incase its that "RANGEISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED"
www.futuresecurityservices.co.uk
Pretlove says , '' I want my car back "

Aside from the sensor and header tank, the 2 other areas prone to leak on the V8's are the radiator (very small leaks often only noticeable as faint coolant odor because the coolant evaporates before it pools somewhere - the traces are visible with the radiator removed) or the heater hose under the intake manifold (usually leaves traces or even small drips at the rear of the valley). 
RRC 2Dr, RRC 4Dr,
P38, and 2 L322s
(wife thinks I'm nuts - prob right, too)

well fingers crossed i think it was just the lack of anti freeze ....i put some fresh anti freeze in today and the low coolent level light has stayed off.....i do think steve you may be right as im sure ive got a small leak on the radiator so will double check that when i get a chance lets just hope there not to expensive  "RANGEISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED"
www.futuresecurityservices.co.uk
Pretlove says , '' I want my car back "

pretlove wrote:

well fingers crossed i think it was just the lack of anti freeze ....i put some fresh anti freeze in today and the low coolent level light has stayed off.....i do think steve you may be right as im sure ive got a small leak on the radiator so will double check that when i get a chance lets just hope there not to expensive

i still loose a small amount of water but since making sure i had the right mix of anti freeze i no longer get the low coolent level light "RANGEISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED"
www.futuresecurityservices.co.uk
Pretlove says , '' I want my car back "

Pret
Do you have a V8 or TD6? [img]http://www.fuelly.com/driver/rob2529/range-rover[img/]
04, 4.4V8, Vogue Oslo Blue with LPG.
"You can sleep in your car, BUT you can't race your house!!!!"

If something can't be fixed with a hammer....... You have yourself an electrical fault!