328 Coolant Dribble

Mine did this last year, i bled the system via the small 10mm bolt on top of the vermostat, then it stopt. Worth trying.

 

Chaa,

I have the same problem. Could you please post a picture of the 10 mm bolt on the thermostat you are referring to?

Thanks

Ciao

Eugenio

 

Bleed your radiator also

 

Yes flyinboa i can but it will be tomorrow now. In the mean time i will try to tell you how to locate it. If you look at your engine and look to the right of it, just below the injection plenium again to the right of it you will see there is a half ball shaped alloy part about 1-2 inches across that a large warter hose joins from the right.....thats it, on it you will see the 10mm bolt on top of it. WARNING for F**ks sake dont unscrew it and drop the bloody thing, first time i did it,it took me 3 hours to find it.....bloody thing is right over the cambelts and other pullys. Hope this helps dude.

 

How often should that be done? Is it necessary between oil changes or does it depend on how hard you drive it?

 

Probably not the fans. You can check the operation of them by simply idling the car until the water temp reaches 195 F. They should both kick on at that time.

 

Three things can cause this (typically):

1) Overfilling the system; the coolant level should be 6cm from the filler neck.

2) Bad expansion tank cap

3) Overheating. It is usually the first two....

 

My 328 did the same thing after a water pump rebuild last year, i had the Major service done over the winter here and the mechanic said my Expansion cap was bad. They replaced it and i have no problems now...

 

I know it sounds a stupid question... How warm must the coolant be before bleeding the air? Again, Please no laught...
And thanks for the pictures to come.

Ciao

Eugenio

 

I would be very careful with bleeding air out of the thermostat. I have done it, and got very little air out, but more importantly it has no bleed hole, so as you unscrew it, it basically has to come out, and out comes scalding coolant. One must be very careful doing this hot. Might be safer to try right after a cold start.

Then warm and bleed from the front.

 

A mechanic warned my not to blled from the thermostat for reason's already mentioned. Bleed from the radiator with the front of the car slightly inclined. Also, a trick for a better seal for the expansion tank cap is to spread vasoline jell or di-electric grease onto the rubber gaskets within the cap.

 

If your water level is OK, then in all probability it is the cap. Fcar caps are crap. I once bought a new one that was bad right out of the box. Take the cap to NAPA or similar and spend $5. Bleeding the radiator is important but unlikely the source of your leaking.

Dave

 

when i returned home last night and parked the 308 in the garage after running about 20 min. i noticed a small puddle on the floor...it was dripping from the rear passengers side coolant overflow hose...my system is bled properly and filled to the correct level...car is running fine temperature wise and the fans are both operating properly...

...not sure why it would do this..

 

Double check the cold coolant level, should be 6cm from the filler neck in the expansion tank. If this is correct, just keep driving it and see if it reaches it's own equalibrium and stops spitting.

If it keeps doing this, then get a new cap.

 

but we went away as it was my 45th b'day sunday the 14th...

look forward to driving with you soon..

william

 

Len,
the .9 bar cap is the older style, the current one is rated at 1.1 bar. 1 bar equals 14.5 psi

 

Similar problem and an easy cure. Bleed at the radiator which I do every time I drive the car, also warm the car up in the driveway with the cap off. It will really help to bleed out any air as soon as the coolant is moving with the
thermostat open.

 

Holy cow, how often do you drive your car? Garage queen?

 

BTW, older cars don't have the thermostat bleed screw. If you can't find it, that may be why!

 

Does anyone know of a cross- reference number/ brand for a 1.1 bar expansion tank cap? Does Stant make a cap which would fit? I just brought my stock .9 cap to NAPA and , as soon as they heard Ferrari, no one knew anything.

 

Also, how about a part # for the .9 bar cap? As my hoses are a little aged, I'm reluctant to pressurize them more than necessary.