Shop overfilled coolant, should I suck some out?

[tpattgeek]

I just had my water pump replaced and the shop filled the overflow reservoir up to about a half inch from the base of the rim. The MAX line is about halfway up the entire reservoir, so there's a good bit extra in there. It's not COMPLETELY full, but very close. They either didn't bother to look for the MAX line (you have to really look for it to see it) or they just knew it could take it and not have an issue. This shop really knows Hondas so I'm not sure what to do. I'd like to be better safe than sorry and buy a $1 turkey baster and take a bunch out, but what do you think? Is it OK to leave in? What are the risks?

BTW, it's a Gates pump and a Gates belt that was used. They said Honda only sells pump and pulley together, and I had my old pulley since it snapped off the (bad) pump. Saved me some $$$ they said. I think I'd rather it anyway since Honda's water pump quality apparently is less than stellar.

 

[EType]

Yes take it out but don't get rid of it.

The system might have air in it and you might need to top up.

 

[yonyon]

Worst case: it overflows and dribbles out a bit causing an odor.

Edit:
...or maybe even a small puddle on the ground. That could be bad news for anyone licking the puddle.

 

[tpattgeek]

I have a half of a jug I keep in my trunk in case I need it from my last drain/fill

It also looked very dark and had swirls in it, almost like something was mixed with it. Is that normal? It wasn't milky or bubbly, just dark blue and swirly. IDK, maybe I'm just crazy.

 

[Tegger]

They overfilled it knowing that a lot would get sucked in as air burped out over time. They did you a favor by doing this.

Leave it alone until you've driven the car for at least four or five full-hot, full-cooldown cycles. If the level is still high, then and ONLY then, suck some out.

There is no harm in leaving the level high. If you do end up sucking some out now, keep a close eye on the reservoir for at LEAST a week to make sure the level does not drop below minimum!

 

[tpattgeek]

OK, thank you all for the suggestions.

 

[OtisBlkR1]

Originally Posted By: Tegger
They overfilled it knowing that a lot would get sucked in as air burped out over time. They did you a favor by doing this.

Leave it alone until you've driven the car for at least four or five full-hot, full-cooldown cycles. If the level is still high, then and ONLY then, suck some out.

There is no harm in leaving the level high. If you do end up sucking some out now, keep a close eye on the reservoir for at LEAST a week to make sure the level does not drop below minimum!



my thoughts exactly

 

[mechanicx]

Originally Posted By: Tegger
They overfilled it knowing that a lot would get sucked in as air burped out over time. They did you a favor by doing this.

Leave it alone until you've driven the car for at least four or five full-hot, full-cooldown cycles. If the level is still high, then and ONLY then, suck some out.

There is no harm in leaving the level high. If you do end up sucking some out now, keep a close eye on the reservoir for at LEAST a week to make sure the level does not drop below minimum!


Exactly. Besides there really no such things as a reservoir being overfilled unless it overflows. But it's not worth worrying about if a little runs out.

 

[tpattgeek]

I like to tighten my cap pretty tight. Would it still be able to escape from there or would it come from somewhere else? There is no bleed bolt on this car, it basically bleeds itself, so would it likely come out of the rad cap?

 

[eljefino]

Leave the cap alone, as long as it's grabbing (on the cammed part that pulls it tight) it's spec PSI.

When it comes out of the rad cap it goes down the little rubber hose to the overflow tank. Inversely, if a vacuum forms the cap will reverse itself and suck some coolant from that overflow.

Although you *could* check the radiator level, cold, this disturbs the partial vacuum that was there, and the car has to work a little through some hot/cold cycles to get back where it was. A visual check of the overflow tank is all you need when you're under the hood checking other stuff.

Check the rad cap every year or two and make sure it's not all rusty or that some failure has it not sucking from the overflow tank.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: tpattgeek
I like to tighten my cap pretty tight.

I'm not sure what you mean by "tight". Rad caps are cam-on types: You turn them until they stop, and that's it. They're not like your gas cap, where there are threads.

The cap has two valves inside of it. Those valves are meant to automatically take care of things like air. All you need to do is make sure the reservoir NEVER dips below minimum.

In addition to regular inspection of the reservoir level, it is a very good idea to remove the rad cap (COLD!) every month to make sure the fluid level is actually up to the bottom of the rad cap's bottom part. Do not worry about introducing air into the system that way. Sometimes fluid will gush up when the cap is removed, sometimes the fluid will drop down and a bit of air will be evident. Those are normal. What is NOT normal is if the bottom of the rad cap is DRY when you remove it; it should be WET EVERY TIME!

 

[dishdude]

This is the first I have ever heard of overfilled coolant.

 

[antiqueshell]

Not all closed system caps work the same, my VW has a threaded cap that screws on and you turn until it is tight.

Also if you overfill it could cause the pressure relief valve in the cap to activate to relieve pressure and in some cases it can end up not resealing so you need to get a new cap.

There is a reason why manufacturers have min max marks on the recovery tanks, to keep you from damaging the system or damaging the cap.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Not all closed system caps work the same, my VW has a threaded cap that screws on and you turn until it is tight.

Also if you overfill it could cause the pressure relief valve in the cap to activate to relieve pressure and in some cases it can end up not resealing so you need to get a new cap.

There is a reason why manufacturers have min max marks on the recovery tanks, to keep you from damaging the system or damaging the cap.

Noted. But OP has a Honda, not an esoteric VW. OP's cap will handle sealing and unsealing just fine, regardless of the markings on the expansion tank.

As an aside, why are Volkswagens so weird? Are they the Linux of the automotive world?

 

[MolaKule]

Quote:
...or maybe even a small puddle on the ground. That could be bad news for anyone licking the puddle.




Aha!. Now I know why I am the way I am!

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: MolaKule
Aha!. Now I know why I am the way I am!

"I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam". From Popeye. So profound. Please excuse me; I must retire to consider the profundity.

 

[mechanicx]

System with a pressurized reservoir like GM and others uses have caps you can screw down tight but they still have a separate spring loaded seal that sets system pressure and allows coolant to overflow if too hot or overfilled. Overfilling the reservior or surge tank or overtightening the cap doesn't affect anything.

 

[tpattgeek]

Sorry, I guess I should have been more clear. I meant I like to tighten the reservoir cap hand tight, so I didn't think air (or coolant for that matter) could escape it. So where would it overflow if the coolant in the reservoir was too much?

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Tegger
They overfilled it knowing that a lot would get sucked in as air burped out over time. They did you a favor by doing this.

Leave it alone until you've driven the car for at least four or five full-hot, full-cooldown cycles. If the level is still high, then and ONLY then, suck some out.

There is no harm in leaving the level high. If you do end up sucking some out now, keep a close eye on the reservoir for at LEAST a week to make sure the level does not drop below minimum!


+1

It is difficult to bleed all of the air out upon the first refill. You need to add about 8-12 oz over the max line as the level will drop by that much after several cycles. Leave the overflow bottle alone.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: tpattgeek
Sorry, I guess I should have been more clear. I meant I like to tighten the reservoir cap hand tight, so I didn't think air (or coolant for that matter) could escape it. So where would it overflow if the coolant in the reservoir was too much?


The overflow bottle will not boil and will not rise a significant amount. The level will continue to drop with each driving cycle so I would not worry about it. If it's still way too full after 1 month, then perhaps you can suck some out. Coolant will evaporate from that container overtime so I would seriously leave it alone and leave it a bit overfilled.