Fiat Bravo Quiz
Maintenance

Visual leak check of the cooling system

In this manual: Maintenance
Dear Reader — 1Engine — 35Engine lubrication — 3Engine cooling — 10Ignition/spark plugs — 14Fuel system — 10Petrol fuel injection — 13Diesel injection system — 13Exhaust system — 7Clutch — 7Transmission / Gearshift / Automatic Transmission — 5Front Axle — 11Rear axle — 4Steering — 9Wheel alignment — 1Brake system — 22Wheels and tyres — 10Body — 34Heating — 6Electrical system — 39Lighting system — 14Instruments — 7Windscreen wiper system — 8Vehicle care / tools — 6Jump Starting / Towing the Vehicle — 3Jacking up the vehicle — 1Fiat Bravo / Brava Maintenance Schedule — 1Maintenance — 38Wiring diagrams — 5
~1min read

  • Check the coolant hoses for porous areas by squeezing and bending them. Replace hoses that have become hard.

  • Hoses must not sit too short on the connection pipes.

  • Check that the hose clamps are secure. If necessary, fit new screw clamps in place of the existing spring clips.

  • Check the seal of the filler cap for damage.

  • Check that the radiator drain plug and bleed screws are tight.

  • If the coolant level keeps dropping and no leak can be located, check the cooling system with the engine warm. To do this, warm up the engine and let it run at idle until the fan switches on. Check whether coolant escapes in the area of the coolant pump.

  • Significant coolant loss and/or oil in the coolant, as well as white exhaust smoke with the engine warm, indicate a faulty cylinder head gasket.

Note: it is sometimes difficult to locate the leak. In that case, it is advisable to carry out a pressure test, see section "Checking the cooling system for leaks". The pressure relief valve of the filler cap can also be checked during this test.

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A quick Fiat Bravo quiz: every answer comes with an explanation and a link to the manual page.