Coolant overflow reservoir not working?

[LouNY]

You're correct. It's kind of hidden deeper in the directions, and early on it was easy to find it saying to make sure to fill the reservoir, but that was for the check fluid, and not the flush, and that threw me off, plus I watched a video where a guy with a 6100D was filling at his reservoir, and that also threw me off.

Why do they want you to fill the reservoir if it's not being used? It looks like just a place for coolant to escape under too much pressure. I don't see how the coolant could get from the reservoir to the radiator with the cap blocking the hole, and no pressure to push it up the tube? It seems like you'd want it empty, unless the system is draining itself.?.?

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Your radiator cap is maintaining pressure in the system. It has two sealing surfaces, the top one seals the radiator cap to the top of the radiator neck, the spring loaded lower one seals the lower portion of the neck to the radiator header tank. As the coolant heats up the increased pressure pushs coolant past the first seal and it flows into the coolant over flow bottle. Once the engine is at operating temp the fluid temp and pressure is fairly constant and the radiator is 100% full with some coolant in the over flow bottle. When you reduce the engine load and then shut down the tractor the fluid begins cooling and contracting this creates a vacuum in the radiator which in turn pulls the fluid from the over flow bottle. This way the radiator top tank is always at 100% full as long as the over flow has coolant in it and the hose doesn't have an air leak and the radiator cap is in good shape.
If you check your radiator with the engine cold it should be full, and the over flow reservoir should be above the low mark, as you work your tractor the level in the over flow will rise, when you shut down and the radiator cools the over flow reservoir should decrease from the hot level back to the cool level.

 

[newkiotiguy]

I'll take "people that don't know how radiators work" for 500 Alex.

 

[RustyA]

Question depends on system design. Many modern automotive cooling systems have pressurized expansion tank. Radiator is sealed and pressure cap is on the expansion tank. On those systems the only way to add coolant is through the tank. If expansion tank has unpressurized cap then radiator cap allows overflow coolant to flow to tank when pressure exceeds rating of cap.

 

[LightningCamaroGuy]

I'll take "people that don't know how radiators work" for 500 Alex.

Cool joke bro, but you're new, rocking a Kioti, asking about Titan FEL attachments, so I'll take, "newbs to tractors, trying to figure out how to use one" for 1,000 Alex. I have several vehicles that use multiple reservoirs. Other than my N/A stuff I own an 03 Cobra, and an 03 Lightning. My 88 GT is a stripper car, and I don't remember radiator caps on my LS vehicles. I'm not used to big, plastic containers with large fill holes having radiator caps to deal with. Also the owners manual says to fill A, loosen B, remove C, do this to D, etc. It doesn't have a letter going to the radiator cap saying to remove E, and fill with coolant. That's why I'm like, "this doesn't make sense." Plus I didn't want to run out of daylight, so I was seeking a quick answer. The reality is I'm actually a pretty decent shadetree mechanic, and it's extremely rare that I ever pay for mechanic work, but no, I'm not a master mechanic or anything, I'm a Tool Maker, and a Die Builder.

Again, tell this layman why there's a reservoir that does nothing, but give an over pressurized radiator (the manual says to fill the radiator to the top) a place to evacuate coolant without spilling it anywhere, yet it gives you lines to fill it to X level depending on whether your engine is hot or cold?

 

[LightningCamaroGuy]

Your radiator cap is maintaining pressure in the system. It has two sealing surfaces, the top one seals the radiator cap to the top of the radiator neck, the spring loaded lower one seals the lower portion of the neck to the radiator header tank. As the coolant heats up the increased pressure pushs coolant past the first seal and it flows into the coolant over flow bottle. Once the engine is at operating temp the fluid temp and pressure is fairly constant and the radiator is 100% full with some coolant in the over flow bottle. When you reduce the engine load and then shut down the tractor the fluid begins cooling and contracting this creates a vacuum in the radiator which in turn pulls the fluid from the over flow bottle. This way the radiator top tank is always at 100% full as long as the over flow has coolant in it and the hose doesn't have an air leak and the radiator cap is in good shape.
If you check your radiator with the engine cold it should be full, and the over flow reservoir should be above the low mark, as you work your tractor the level in the over flow will rise, when you shut down and the radiator cools the over flow reservoir should decrease from the hot level back to the cool level.

Good post.

Thanks!

 

[etpm]

Cool joke bro, but you're new, rocking a Kioti, asking about Titan FEL attachments, so I'll take, "newbs to tractors, trying to figure out how to use one" for 1,000 Alex. I have several vehicles that use multiple reservoirs. Other than my N/A stuff I own an 03 Cobra, and an 03 Lightning. My 88 GT is a stripper car, and I don't remember radiator caps on my LS vehicles. I'm not used to big, plastic containers with large fill holes having radiator caps to deal with. Also the owners manual says to fill A, loosen B, remove C, do this to D, etc. It doesn't have a letter going to the radiator cap saying to remove E, and fill with coolant. That's why I'm like, "this doesn't make sense." Plus I didn't want to run out of daylight, so I was seeking a quick answer. The reality is I'm actually a pretty decent shadetree mechanic, and it's extremely rare that I ever pay for mechanic work, but no, I'm not a master mechanic or anything, I'm a Tool Maker, and a Die Builder.

Again, tell this layman why there's a reservoir that does nothing, but give an over pressurized radiator (the manual says to fill the radiator to the top) a place to evacuate coolant without spilling it anywhere, yet it gives you lines to fill it to X level depending on whether your engine is hot or cold?

Those lines are to show you that there is the correct amount of coolant in the system. When the engine is cold the coolant in the reservoir should be at the "COLD" line, when the engine is hot the level should be at the "HOT" line. If the coolant tank is not pressurized then coolant should be added to a cold radiator.
Eric

 

[newkiotiguy]

Cool joke bro, but you're new, rocking a Kioti, asking about Titan FEL attachments, so I'll take, "newbs to tractors, trying to figure out how to use one" for 1,000 Alex. I have several vehicles that use multiple reservoirs. Other than my N/A stuff I own an 03 Cobra, and an 03 Lightning. My 88 GT is a stripper car, and I don't remember radiator caps on my LS vehicles. I'm not used to big, plastic containers with large fill holes having radiator caps to deal with. Also the owners manual says to fill A, loosen B, remove C, do this to D, etc. It doesn't have a letter going to the radiator cap saying to remove E, and fill with coolant. That's why I'm like, "this doesn't make sense." Plus I didn't want to run out of daylight, so I was seeking a quick answer. The reality is I'm actually a pretty decent shadetree mechanic, and it's extremely rare that I ever pay for mechanic work, but no, I'm not a master mechanic or anything, I'm a Tool Maker, and a Die Builder.

Again, tell this layman why there's a reservoir that does nothing, but give an over pressurized radiator (the manual says to fill the radiator to the top) a place to evacuate coolant without spilling it anywhere, yet it gives you lines to fill it to X level depending on whether your engine is hot or cold?

I didn't go back and read every post you have on here like you did but from this thread all I can tell you is