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Old 03-21-2019, 07:29 AM   #1
P.O.S.T.IX
 
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Two Coolant / antifreeze reservoirs?

So this may be a stupid question. It probably is.

Camaro 6th Gen V8 uses the Dexcool orange/pink coolant. Got that.

The first picture shows two caps, one says dex-cool but is the size of a pencil and aft of the main reservoir cap that actually has coolant in it.

the second pic is the three tanks I can see. The one with the larger cap on top, the one with the dexcool labeled small cap under that towards the back under the main tank, and what seems to be a third tank that may or may not be connected to the second tank.

I want to assume i fill coolant into the larger cap that leads to the top tank :guess:

What is the rest of that tank system, it does look like all of the plastic tanks are molded together as part of the same assembly.

Am i supposed to put undiluted solution into the Dex-cool labeled tank? Is there a fill level to it? It seems to be empty on my car.

Yes I know I spelled dexcool different literally every time, but does it really matter :no:
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Old 04-09-2019, 05:16 PM   #2
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Could be a pressure vent??
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Old 04-09-2019, 07:58 PM   #3
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You put the coolant in the large reservoir that has the screw on cap. Your owners manual tells about this reservoir when coolant needs to be added to and the fill lines if I remember correctly. If you Camaro is losing coolant I would definitely get it checked. Good luck.
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Old 04-09-2019, 08:36 PM   #4
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The top tank is supposed to be full completely full all the time.

The bottom tank should never be empty but should not be completely full... it’s the overflow tank.

When the top tank is partly empty, then you probably let the bottom tank go dry. Add fluid to both WHEN COLD. Start and run the car. You may need to bleed the top tank but eventually it will refill from the bottom tank.

It’s confusing and counterintuitive, but it’s all in the manual... the pic below shows the correct levels in both tanks.
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Old 04-11-2020, 07:47 PM   #5
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Read all of that section on checking coolant and how to fill it. (I'm looking at the 2018 manual) main points:

If coolant is visible but the coolant level is not at or above the cold fill
line, add a 50/50 mixture of clean drinkable water and DEX-COOL coolant.

Then it shows the procedure for filling the top and bottom tanks and how much etc
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Old 04-12-2020, 07:08 AM   #6
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Gunkk and Carguy55 have you headed the right way. Your car is low on coolant. Just like the diagram in the manual shows you - you need to get that top tank full and the bottom tank up to the level indicated. In four years and 27K miles I have had to add some to the bottom tank twice to maintain the proper level. I take that as normal as most all cars will boil off a little coolant over time. I think you are fine. Just get the tanks topped off and monitor it going forward now that you know what to look for.
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Old 04-12-2020, 11:05 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SSDan View Post
Gunkk and Carguy55 have you headed the right way. Your car is low on coolant. Just like the diagram in the manual shows you - you need to get that top tank full and the bottom tank up to the level indicated. In four years and 27K miles I have had to add some to the bottom tank twice to maintain the proper level. I take that as normal as most all cars will boil off a little coolant over time. I think you are fine. Just get the tanks topped off and monitor it going forward now that you know what to look for.
Read the manual
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Old 04-12-2020, 12:56 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carguy55 View Post
Read the manual
What? I have read the manual and keep my coolant at the right level as a result. My post was in support of your first post to do that very same thing.
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Old 05-11-2020, 10:29 PM   #9
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Sorry to drag up an old thread, but want to make sure I understand this. According to the manual 'Check to see if coolant is visible in the coolant surge tank . . . If coolant is visible but the coolant level is not at or above the COLD FILL line, add a 50/50 mixture of clean drinkable water and DEX-COOL coolant.'

So with the engine cold, the top chamber is filled just about to the top, above the COLD FILL line. The bottom chamber has very little in it, maybe 3/4", and I don't see any fill line. Is this normal? I've read some places that the bottom chamber should be half full, but reading the manual multiple times it seems like maybe I don't worry about the lower chamber unless the top chamber isn't full? The instructions given to add coolant look like they are for either if the coolant is visible but not at or above the COLD FILL line, or if there is no coolant is visible in the coolant surge tank.
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Old 05-14-2020, 08:05 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Allez View Post
Sorry to drag up an old thread, but want to make sure I understand this. According to the manual 'Check to see if coolant is visible in the coolant surge tank . . . If coolant is visible but the coolant level is not at or above the COLD FILL line, add a 50/50 mixture of clean drinkable water and DEX-COOL coolant.'

So with the engine cold, the top chamber is filled just about to the top, above the COLD FILL line. The bottom chamber has very little in it, maybe 3/4", and I don't see any fill line. Is this normal? I've read some places that the bottom chamber should be half full, but reading the manual multiple times it seems like maybe I don't worry about the lower chamber unless the top chamber isn't full? The instructions given to add coolant look like they are for either if the coolant is visible but not at or above the COLD FILL line, or if there is no coolant is visible in the coolant surge tank.
I'm not aware of any cold fill line on the top chamber. The top chamber should be completely full and you'll want to keep the bottom chamber roughly half full (can use the indentation on the rear side of the tank that the arrow is pointing at in the picture as a reference). And yeah, it's not uncommon for these cars to evaporate a bit of coolant off as it's used. Just top off the bottom reservoir through the tiny fill cap next to the upper tank with 50/50 DEXCOOL mix and you'll be good to go.
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Old 05-14-2020, 09:37 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Allez View Post
Sorry to drag up an old thread, but want to make sure I understand this. According to the manual 'Check to see if coolant is visible in the coolant surge tank . . . If coolant is visible but the coolant level is not at or above the COLD FILL line, add a 50/50 mixture of clean drinkable water and DEX-COOL coolant.'

So with the engine cold, the top chamber is filled just about to the top, above the COLD FILL line. The bottom chamber has very little in it, maybe 3/4", and I don't see any fill line. Is this normal? I've read some places that the bottom chamber should be half full, but reading the manual multiple times it seems like maybe I don't worry about the lower chamber unless the top chamber isn't full? The instructions given to add coolant look like they are for either if the coolant is visible but not at or above the COLD FILL line, or if there is no coolant is visible in the coolant surge tank.
Both the top and the bottom chambers have a cold fill line. For the bottom fill line, look closely at the inward facing side - maybe get a flashlight and it will be obvious. I'd recommend adding to the bottom chamber to bring that up to the cold fill line.
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Old 10-18-2020, 07:39 AM   #12
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How does this system work with a vacuum based coolant refill device?

It seems like when you apply vacuum to the top reservoir, it will pull air in through the cap for the lower reservoir. AFAIK, that does not happen.

Where is the internal connection(s) between the 2 reservoirs and how does it work?
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Old 10-18-2020, 08:04 AM   #13
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The top tank is part of the pressurized system, like an extension of the radiator. When the coolant gets hot and expands beyond the pressure of the cap it will push a small amount of coolant into the bottom tank and then when it cools and contracts it will pull fluid back out of the bottom tank to replace it. This keeps the coolant from being lost and keeps the system full. Way back when the coolant was just pushed out onto the ground and you had to check the level more often.
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Old 10-18-2020, 08:17 AM   #14
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Right, so when you attempt to apply vacuum to the top tank (to refill the system) how is air not pulled in through the cap of the lower tank? Is the crappy cap for the lower tank air tight? I would think it is not by design, otherwise it’d pop off when fluid was forced from the top reservoir into the lower reservoir.
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