New radiator, but....

[bloxxbmw]

My radiator was replaced last August, and ever since then my resevior tank is always empty. I check it about once a month, and it is always bone dry.... so I top it off to the fill line everytime. I have done this 4-5 times now. Ive even had a pressure test with no leaks... no drips on the driveway, or coolant in the oil. What is going on here? What should I do? This is frustrating!!

Also, how can I get all of the sediment out of the reservior tank? Should I worry about it, or let it go. Is it going to harm anything?

 

[TedJ]

Easiest way to clean the sediment out... disconnect the overfill hose from the radiator, and feed it down under the truck. Slip a piece of larger diameter hose over the end so it goes all the way to the ground instead of ending up all over. Then take a garden hose and keep filling and letting it empty until the sediment is gone.

Fill it up then keep checking every few days, see how long it actually takes for it to run dry. When you filled it, how full was the radiator?

 

[bloxxbmw]

The radiator is always full when I am filling the reservior. I will check it again tonight. Thanks.

Thanks for the tip. I am thinking I might just fill it up with water and suck it out with a 50cc syringe from work. Is it normal to have all of that crap in there? Is it going to harm anything?

 

[TedJ]

Check and see if the hose is leaking or the bottle is cracked. You can suck it out with a syringe but IMO its easier to just disconnect the hose, and that makes sure that any gunk IN the hose comes out.

Mine had that gunk in it too, I have no idea how it got there or why, but I would get rid of it because it can cause a clog if there is enough of it (happened on my dad's bronco). I just cleaned it out while servicing the whole cooling system, since I had to drain the coolant from it anyway.