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MG MGF Technical - Problems with Header Tanks and Coolant Alarms

I've been having problems with my own design of a Low Level Coolant Alarm, which I think may well have an impact on other designs available on the market.

Have a look at http://www.apttony.co.uk/Servicing/CoolantAlarm.html or go to http://www.apttony.co.uk and search for "Coolant Alarm" in the left hand Index.

Tony
Tony Thompson

Hi Tony,

thank you for this update and warning.
:-)
Good to know and important for the early birds who have the same design can with this magnet.
Me has ... ;)
http://www.mgfcar.de/expansion_tank/s_inside_dsc05427.html

Will keep an eye on it .

Cheers
Dieter
Dieter

Not only your design!
When I first bought my B&G one in 2006 it wouldn't work at all - not even the double beep on power up. I found a lump of dust on the etching of the 12V track and bridged it out. It worked perfectly for the next 5 years, then started false alarming with increasing frequency until it just stayed on permanently.
I had to remove it and refit the OEM bottle but received very little interest from B&G, even after paying for and returning a new sensor tube and a new bottle-with-new-float, which didn't fix it(or get credited). This weekend I had time to look at the pcb(2593A) again and noticed a slightly high resistance component joint so reworked all of the joints and linked the far end of the 12V rail back to the 12V input.
I have now wedged the alarm bottle, connected in but empty and upside down, in the engine compartment for a week or two of trial running. So far so good; each time I retrieve the bottle and turn it the right way up the alarm starts after the usual delay.
I hope this may help others using the archive.
Charless

Thanks for sharing, Charless.

I've started a survey in our german forum regarding the OEM bottle *float design* and material change, found by Tony.
The material change sounds proven already !

A)
This is my early bottle brand new. Surface looking pourous, like open foam.
http://www.mgfcar.de/expansion_tank/s_inside_DSC05423.JPG

B)
And this is a new design bottle > see attachment.
Picture courtesy our german friend Peter.
The float surface looks smooth closed. No magnet visible.


Dieter

Hi Dieter,

The float in my new expansion tank looks very like your image (B), and although it was difficult to see the magnet, I got the impression that there were 2 or 3 smaller magnets fitting horizontally and equi-spaced, half way up the vertical length of the float.

regards
Tony
Tony Thompson

Tony,

I had a look to my car with the very early bottle-sensor combination.
It is the A) after five years.
See attachment. (magnet location hidden behind the post )

Just another idea.
The difference to yours may be the coolant mixture used.
I've got the OAT stuff in just from the beginning.
There's no colour change or desintegration or anything else wrong with it at the float.

No feedback from our German forum aswell.

Regards
Dieter

Dieter

This thread was discussed between 30/09/2011 and 20/10/2011

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