HOW MUCH capacity needed: Coolant Reservoir?

Wist to take the space the OE coolant reservoir now uses...for winch solenoid, so...wonderin' just how much reservoir capacity is actually NEEDED, to serve as-intended/as-needed...?

Thanks.

I wouldn't figure very much, only time ive had mine pull a lot of coolant out is when I was flushing the system, id measure and see how much it takes to the min line

XpedientJ said:

Wist to take the space the OE coolant reservoir now uses...for winch solenoid, so...wonderin' just how much reservoir capacity is actually NEEDED, to serve as-intended/as-needed...?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

The same volume as the OEM coolant bottle. What year is your rig? It does make a difference. The 87-90 is a pressure bottle, 91-2001 is a not a pressure bottle.

I was able to move the fuse box and the stock coolant reservoir over a bit, the outside, allowing room for the winch relay box.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwade/4405035331/in/album-72157604557867782/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwade/albums/72157604557867782/with/4405035331/

Yes, it's a '99...

Thanks for the photos, 'lazyxj'

My real question is: With the system full, WHY is more coolant needed in the reservoir? I appreciate the need for overflow with, perhaps, a little fluid in the res as a holding, but...why cannot the container have not-much-more-than expansion/overflow capacity? - Just seems that, there is both more expansion space, and more reserve fluid, than it seems is needed.......

it also makes room for evaporation and the large swing of temperature changes. better safe than sorry for a cooling system. and the average person never opens a hood. let alone checks coolant levels.

I say at the absolute minimum, a half a gallon. To be safe, a gallon would be nice. Remember, if you boil over, it goes into the overflow. When it cools down, it sucks it back in. So the bigger it is, if you overheat, ultimately, the less coolant you will lose.

This is especially important when you first fill up the system. It will burp air out along with some coolant and when it cools, it sucks the coolant back in. This is repeated several cycles and finally any air bubbles will hopefully be gone. If the tank is too small, it will end up sucking air back into the system.

Under heavy loads, towing up hill, and on hot days with the AC on the coolant will get much hotter, expand and fill the overflow bottle. When it cools down the coolant volume contracts, creates a vacuum and sucks to coolant back into the radiator/block....The bottle needs to be large enough for those extreme conditions. Also a weak radiator cap will it fill it easily on a regular basis,

XpedientJ said:

Yes, it's a '99...

Thanks for the photos, 'lazyxj'

My real question is: With the system full, WHY is more coolant needed in the reservoir? I appreciate the need for overflow with, perhaps, a little fluid in the res as a holding, but...why cannot the container have not-much-more-than expansion/overflow capacity? - Just seems that, there is both more expansion space, and more reserve fluid, than it seems is needed.......

Click to expand...