Warning! Coolant additive and coolant are poisonous!
Therefore, the coolant additive should be stored in the original container, out of the reach of children, especially. If you need to drain the coolant, it must also be stored in a safe place.
In the engine compartment there are a refill tank and an expansion tank. The coolant level is usually only checked in the top-up reservoir. In the compensation tank, it is necessary to check the level only if there is a large loss of coolant or when the coolant temperature / coolant level control lamp lights up.
Checking the coolant level
The correct coolant level is essential for the perfect functioning of the cooling system.
Open the maintenance cover behind the license plate cover. The coolant level with a cold engine should be visible between the marks "Min." And "Max." tank for topping up; when the engine is warm, it may be slightly higher than the mark "Max".
The coolant level can only be correctly checked with the engine stopped.
Loss of coolant
Under normal operating conditions, the cooling system is almost maintenance-free. Coolant losses can be attributed primarily to leaks. In this case, the cooling system must be immediately checked by the service company. Simply topping up the coolant will not be enough.
With a sealed system, losses can only occur when the coolant boils as a result of overheating and is thereby squeezed out of the cooling system.
Reasons for overheating of the coolant:
- The supply of cooling air is interrupted, for example, through the radiator shutters due to significant contamination of the radiator fins (leaves, dust, insects) or additional headlights in front of the grille,
- Due to the incorrect ratio of the components of the mixture, the boiling point of the coolant has decreased.
Does not work
At extremely high outside temperatures - a long climb is overcome in too low a gear with a very high engine speed.
Adding coolant
If the coolant warning light comes on, the expansion tank must also be checked and, if necessary, filled to the brim.
First turn off the engine and let it cool down a bit, then cover the screw cap with a rag, carefully turn the cap a quarter of a turn to the left and allow excess pressure to escape. Then unscrew the cover completely.
Attention! Do not open the screw cap when the engine is hot - risk of burns! The cooling system is under pressure!
Do not fill above the mark "Max."
Excess coolant exits the cooling system when heated.
In order to ensure that corrosion protection is always ensured, no calcification of the cooling system occurs and the boiling point does not decrease, the ratio of the coolant mixture must not change even in warm seasons or in hot countries as a result of pouring clean water: the component of the coolant additive must be at least 40% (frost protection down to -25°С).
Tighten the cover screw all the way.
After that, the cooling system should be deaerated with the engine running (noticeably increased idling speed). To do this, remove the air intake grille (see below), unscrew the vent screw at the top of the radiator and set the heating lever to "warm" ("warm"). As soon as the coolant comes out, close the vent screw. Add coolant to the expansion tank and refill tank.
Engine cooling fan
The engine cooling fan is driven by an electric motor and controlled by a thermal switch depending on the temperature of the coolant.
Therefore, when the engine is warm, after the engine is turned off, the fan may work for a while or suddenly turn on - even with the ignition off!
Directions
If the fan does not work even though the coolant temperature is very high, check the fuse and replace if necessary.
The fan speed of the engine cooling system does not depend on the speed of rotation of the engine shaft. Therefore, the cooling effect cannot be increased by shifting from higher to lower gears. As long as the motor shaft rotates without radial runout, or when the hill is overcome without a significant drop in speed, it is not necessary to change from higher to lower gears.