UberNoob

Last week, Benjamin T and i looked into my engine coolant reservoir
it was a bit low but what we found was that the drain stick that is normally on the cap is missing
not sure where it went, couldnt see it in the reservoir

just wondering if it is a big deal and is it possible that it just went into the reservoir and down the drain there?
if so, could it do any damage in there?

is it necessary to replace it?

thanks

UberNoob

weird
local lexus dealership's mechanic says some lexus just dont come with it
but ben is wondering how it is possible to get coolant from radiator back into the reservoir

could someone check their 01 GS300 to see if they have one?
remember not to open the coolant reservoir cap when engine is hot

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

I dont have an 01, but my 99 GS400 has a drain stick.

ElitistK

iTrader: (4)

i have a drain stick as well.

Bill_GS3

The coolant tube should be on the outside and is only used to direct the coolant away fromt eh bottle when it gets too full. Radiator overflow should connect to the bottom of the bottle itself. If there was one in the bottle to the cap then you would just blow all your collant out of the bottle with any pressure.

UberNoob

ah thanks for checking it for me guys
much appreciated
thanks Bill for answering this, but could you educate me a bit more here, i would like to confirm a few things
so basically there is a tube on the outside going to the cap
both radiator and reservoir's caps have such a tube
so the cap itself shouldnt have a tube inside the reservoir according to you?
so the reservoir has a tube on to bottom of it that goes back into the radiator and the tube that goes into the cap is just for radiator->reservoir?

also the reservoir is very low, does that mean it is low on coolant?
my engine's normal operating temp is still at a notch below middle of the guage

Bill_GS3

When I go to leave for work today I am going to confirm on my car. I will post from work.

UberNoob

ok it seems that radiator's cap's tube is linked to the underside of the reservoir

the reservoir's cap's tube is just running open downwards onto the road or something it seems
which doesnt seem right to me...

Bill_GS3

The bottle on the radiator is your over flow or reservoir bottle. In the old days the radiator would be topped off and as the coolant heated and expanded excess would spill out onto the ground. This would leave air in the system after the coolant then cooled, hence larger tanks on top of the radiator.

Now a days we catch all of the spilled coolant in that extra bottle, through the hose from radiator cap to the bottom of the bottle. And we reuse it, when the coolant cools it pulls back in from the bottom, so no air gets in. Some times there may be too much coolant in the over flow bottle, so the hose on top of the cap then directs it away and to the ground. This is why that bottle should only be about half full when warm.

On some of the other models, like the ES the coolant pressure cap on the engine block is connected to the bottle cap and there is a tube that extends to the bottom of the bottle.

I hope this clears it up for you.

-Bill

UberNoob

ah that was very very educational
thank you very much Bill for the clear and simple explanation

Bill_GS3

You're welcome.

I was wondering if the explanation was too deep, but I guess it worked.

GSquicksilver

mine doesn't have one either.

BCP43002

Sorry for the late post but my back has been out. I have a 02 GS430 and there are 3 tubes attached to the overflow cap. One leads from the radiator cap to the top of the overflow container that allows fluid to go back and forth between the radiator and overflow. The second leads down the outside of the overflow to the ground. The third and second most important leads from the overflow cap to the inside of the bottom of the over flow container. This allows the overflow from the radiator into the container and also sucks up from the container back to the radiator when needed. It is not a real scale as there are markings on the outside of the container for the high and low marks. If this is the one you are missing then you need to replace or else no fluid can be drawm back to the radiator when needed. Hopes this helps.

UberNoob

ah
so i guess GS400/430 have a different radiator/reservoir design than the GS300s eh
anyone else with GS300 want to confirm this?