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Coolant / Refrigerant
07-15-2020, 13:44
Post: #1
Coolant / Refrigerant
Ok, so for the life of me, I can't figure this out on our new to us M380.

On the back of the coach, there is what looks like a fuel filler door with what looks like a radiator cap behind it located above the engine where you would expect a radiator fill to be.

But when I open the engine compartment, immediately below that door/cap is a big tank with a "Cold fill" indicator and some caution notices about refrigerant.

Is the door & cap where I put in antifreeze/coolant and the labels are for something else? It just doesn't make sense to me, and I sure don't want to pour coolant into something else!

Thanks!

Russ Marlowe
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07-15-2020, 14:08
Post: #2
RE: Coolant / Refrigerant
I have a 2001 LXi and it seems to have the same set-up.
Yes that is the radiator fill - the sight glass is the correct level when the system is cold and full. My main problem is that I cannot see thru the sight glass - it is foggy.
I always carry at least one gallon of the correct radiator coolant - they say not to use the regular automobile coolant. When the low coolant light goes on I add a gallon and all is OK. The low coolant light only goes on about once a year - so there are no major leaks.
Anyone please correct me if I am wrong.

Urnie & Medie Krueger
Yorkville, IL

2001 LXi One Slide
1983 FC35 sold
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07-15-2020, 14:54
Post: #3
RE: Coolant / Refrigerant
Correct, the sight glass is for the radiator. You can unscrew the fitting, remove the sight glass and clean it, just do it when your low coolant light goes off the next time. You do need to use one of the heavy duty coolants, but you need to know which type is in your system now, before you add something different. There's a bunch of different types of HD coolant, most of which are not compatible with others and will cause issues if mixed. If you can't figure out what's in there now, ideally you should drain it, flush it and put in what you want, so you know what's in there.

The refrigerant label is there because that's the only conspicuous place to put it.

As far as losing coolant, there should be essentially no coolant loss. If you're losing some, then I'd start checking all the hose clamps to see if that's where it's going, otherwise I'd be taking a very close look at the inside of the radiator to ensure it's not starting to fail. The gaskets where the radiator tanks bolt to the core is another area to closely inspect. A couple spots of seepage can cause big issues and are easy to fix.

John Mace
06 450LXi bigger bird
living in the wild hinterlands of the north
free to roam without the man getting me down
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07-15-2020, 18:22
Post: #4
RE: Coolant / Refrigerant
Awesome. Thanks. We got the dreaded yellow "Check Engine" light on the drive home to Florida Sunday afternoon. I read that low coolant could be one of the reasons (I think). As we pulled in to the park, the buzzer would go off as the oil pressure dropped to an indicated "0" but as soon as I touched the accelerator, it would stop.

I started the engine yesterday and even at idle, it was showing oil pressure as you would expect with no light and no buzzer.

Russ
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07-16-2020, 12:03
Post: #5
RE: Coolant / Refrigerant
Check both levels, oil and coolant, if you haven't already. The dash gauges on all these rigs are notorious for being inaccurate. It might be time for a Bluefire or VMSpec to see what the computer is seeing.

John Mace
06 450LXi bigger bird
living in the wild hinterlands of the north
free to roam without the man getting me down
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