Author Topic: Coolant under reservoir  (Read 1004 times)

dakman29

  • Full Member
  • Senior
  • ***
  • USA, WA, Spokane
  • Posts: 179
Coolant under reservoir
« on: March 18, 2024, 16:17:58 »
Started my 68 280 for the first extended run after winter storage. After idling for a few minutes saw a small amount of coolant on the garage floor. Shut it down and noticed a small puddle of coolant under the reservoir next to the firewall. Next day I opened the radiator cap before starting again. Idled for a couple of minutes and replaced the cap. Brought it up to temperature and no coolant leaking anywhere. Any thoughts on the cause of the initial leak? 

TJMart

  • Full Member
  • Silver
  • ****
  • USA, NC, Matthews
  • Posts: 370
Re: Coolant under reservoir
« Reply #1 on: March 18, 2024, 18:34:10 »
You may want to check the small hose at the bottom of the reservoir tank. There are 2 hose clamps. Either hose needs replacing or clamps are loose.

Tony
Tony
1970 280SL, 4 Speed

Cees Klumper

  • Full Member
  • Platinum
  • ******
  • USA, CA, Fallbrook
  • Posts: 5719
    • http://SL113.org
Re: Coolant under reservoir
« Reply #2 on: March 18, 2024, 18:52:57 »
If you know the reservoir not to have been over-filled when you put it away for the winter, then I would thoroughly check this out, because there should not be a drop of coolant escaping the system.
Cees Klumper
1969 Mercedes 280 SL automatic
1968 Ford Mustang 302 V8
1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Coupe 1600
1962 FIAT 1500S OSCA convertible
1972 Lancia Fulvia Coupe 1.3
1983 Porsche 944 2.5
1990 Ford Bronco II

dakman29

  • Full Member
  • Senior
  • ***
  • USA, WA, Spokane
  • Posts: 179
Re: Coolant under reservoir
« Reply #3 on: March 19, 2024, 17:43:28 »
Thanks very much for the replies. I can’t say that I’m certain that the system wasn’t overfull last Fall. But if that had been the problem I would have thought that the only coolant I would have seen would have been that discharged from the overflow line onto the floor. What caused me to doubt that was finding the small puddle next to the firewall. I’ve checked the hose clamps and will continue to monitor any other leaks. Thanks again

Pinder

  • Full Member
  • Platinum
  • ******
  • USA, NJ, Edison
  • Posts: 1031
Re: Coolant under reservoir
« Reply #4 on: March 25, 2024, 13:59:30 »
is your coolant filler cap in good shape? maybe its allowing overflow too soon?
1970 280 SL Light Ivory DB 670. 4 Speed manual shift no AC Limited Slip Diff.
1997 Corvette C5 Silver. automatic
2015 BMW 320i xdrive
2021 Mercedes GLS450 Silver