No pressure at coolant reservoir after driving.

[MikeJavo]

I've recently noticed less and less pressure in the coolant reservoir right after driving. The last couple of times I've checked, there has been no pressure at all. The coolant loss at the reservoir end has been 1 inch in the last six months, so it's not a huge leak, if at all.

Is it just the cap that needs to be replaced, or a sign of a bigger problem? Car is running great otherwise.

Thanks.

[gghh]

If there is no leak, replace the cap.

[photousa]

Do you have any white crusty deposits on top of your expansion tank? If so, your expansion tank cap has been releasing pressure and its rubber seal is probably toast. I just spoke with a rep from Motorad about thermostats and just replaced mine a few days ago. He suggested changing the coolant expansion tank cap, (which I also did), when it comes time to flush the coolant system. If you've messed with the plastic petcock on the radiator recently, I would make sure that it's pushed in all the way and seated properly, that thing is a little difficult to deal with. Slow leaks are hard to track down, I won't know for a while if my recent coolant system work has stopped my slow leak or not....

[Nathan 9⁵]

I've always noticed that when the weather gets cooler, there's hardly any pressure in my cooling system. I don't know why.

[Kandiru]

Hmmm, heeeere weee goooo again...


With anticipated apologies

[MikeJavo]

Thanks guys. I haven't noticed any white goo on top of the cap, and it seems to be making a good seal, but for $10, it would be an easy fix.

[photousa]

Originally Posted by Kandiru

Hmmm, heeeere weee goooo again...


With anticipated apologies

I'm afraid I don't get this post....

[david bartlett]

I kind of liked it myself

[MikeJavo]

I took it as a misposting or SC glitch. The person is is driving a Turbo X Sedan, not a 9-5.

Yea, nice French manicure.

[photousa]

I don't know if the coolant bypass valve starts with a slow leak like you've described or not. Have you replaced yours yet? A lot of them seem to go at around the 100K mark.

How did you end up resolving your fuel pump issue?

[MikeJavo]

I'm not sure if the bypass valve has been done yet. When I check my IRIS/Claim History printout, it states "HEATER PIPE REPLACEMENT" and "COVER ASSEMBLY, COOLANT EXPANSION TANK - REPLACE". It's definitely next on the agenda once I get some hose pliers.

As for the fuel pump, all is well. I just have to get some pictures together and write my postmortem. I found a couple of tricks that aren't really mentioned anywhere that may help others with this fun little project. Thank you for asking. Have you done your fuel pump yet?

[photousa]

I was going to mention coolant expansion tank cracks, but it looks like you have a new tank. The words "Heater Pipe replacement" and "Cover Assembly" are a mystery to me, hopefully some with WIS or the Electronic Parts Catalog can help out with that one. I have however, heard the Coolant Bypass Valve referred to as a "Heater Valve". Here's my post on my coolant flush: http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=170104 At that time, I also replaced my expansion tank cap. A few days ago, I replaced my thermostat, it's rubber seal was typically hardened, but I don't believe the housing was leaking, I should write that up. I'm not sure If I've solved my slow leak issues yet. You'll want to make sure both of your fans are kicking on.

I have gotten into my fuel pump motor yet, where did you end up buying yours? They're hard to find.

[MikeJavo]

Thanks for that awesome info. There is only one place I would buy a fuel pump from, fuel-pumps.net. They were truly awesome to deal with, and shipped to Toronto next day for a totally reasonable price.

Hopefully I'll get around to the fuel pump write-up tonight. The kids have been a little rambunctious recently.

[photousa]

Thanks for the fuel pump link, I hadn't heard from these guys before....
Following is a list of coolant system things to look out for that I emailed another fellow a few days ago:

The most common thing to leak on these cars is the coolant bypass valve, it's on the firewall. Sometimes you will get a funny sweet smell, because the CBP valve is leaking on the catalytic converter, here's a good thread on it: http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/sh...239#post985239

It's also possible that you have crack in your Coolant Expansion Tank, you should see evidence of leaking coolant around the base of your Expansion Tank.

Make sure both of your fans are kicking on. When the cars heat gauge get to about 1/2 way up the scale, your fans should kick on, you can hold your hand close to the fans to feel if they are shooting out air.

Does your cars heater work? If your car doesn't want to heat up, it could be because your thermostat is locked open...

Do you have white smoke coming from your tail pipe? if so, then you may have a defective Cylinder Head Gasket...in this case, you should stop driving and seek the help of a mechanic...

Do you have a musty smell inside the cabin of the car? If so, you could have a leaking heater core...

Do you see and white crusty areas around your radiator hoses or around your water pump.

Put a bid piece of cardboard under your car after you get home, it's an easy way to see if coolant is leaking and where the leak is coming from....

When was the last time you flushed all of the sediment out of your coolant system,
coolant system is supposed to be flushed every 3 years.
Right now Prestone has a sale on Dexcool 50/50 premixed coolant, it's a two for one rebate...check it out...

Only use distilled water in your expansion tank. Be sure to use a Antifreeze coolant tester, your mixture may be too high in water with not enough coolant, causing your system to boil, then blowing out of your expansion tank cap.....

[shssoccer02]

That fellow would be me. Thanks for all you help.