Self-replacement of the expansion tank on a VAZ 2110

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Every car has an expansion tank. The domestically produced VAZ 2110 model is no exception. This container serves to remove excess heat from your car's engine.

Sometimes it happens that the tank itself or its lid fails. This leads to the need to carry out minor repairs, replace a single element or the entire container assembly. You don't have to be a professional auto mechanic to do your own repairs. You just need to know some nuances.

What does he look like?

Externally, the expansion tank is a plastic container. Liquid is poured inside this container, which is directly involved in cooling the engine.

The design of the element includes hoses closed in a circuit, a float sensor built into the lid or plug of the tank. Whichever is more convenient for you. It is this sensor that transmits information about the current coolant temperature. When the permissible values ​​increase, the corresponding warning light lights up on the dashboard.

Complete structure

Where is he located?

To replace a damaged container, you first need to determine where it is located.

The location of the expansion tank is the engine compartment on the driver's side, right behind the pillar glass.

Such an arrangement in the VAZ 2110 certainly cannot be called successful, since there are metal elements on all sides of the plastic tank. Because of this, problems arise with the expansion of the plastic, sometimes the tank simply bursts.

Depressurization of the tank occurs especially often in the summer, when there is intense heat outside. The manufacturer, represented by AvtoVAZ, took this problem into account when developing new models. And the owners of the “ten” have to put up with this arrangement of the tank.

Container location

Location of expansion tank

A plastic reservoir for excess coolant is installed by the manufacturer in different places depending on the model of the “tenth” family:

• in cars of the VAZ 2110-12 series, the reservoir is located on the left side (in the direction of travel) between the pillar glass and the wall of the interior partition;

  
  The expansion tank on VAZ 2110-12 models is installed in a narrow niche on the driver’s side

• in VAZ 2114-15 cars, the container is also located on the driver’s side, but is placed in front of the pillar glass.

  
  In cars of the 2114-2115 series, the tank is located in front of the pillar

The expansion tank is attached to the body elements with a clamp in the form of a flat rubber belt with a metal hook that hooks onto a protrusion on the side member. There are 3 hoses connected to the tank:

1. A large diameter pipe leading from the thermostat is connected to the bottom.
2. The upper tube of small diameter goes through the partition to the radiator of the cabin heater.
3. The middle small tube connects the tank to the upper fitting of the main cooling radiator.

   
   The reservoir compensates for the expansion of coolant and steam from three elements of the system - the cabin heater, the radiator and the main line near the thermostat

On some modifications there is a reservoir with two fittings and connecting pipes - the large one comes from the thermostat, and the small one from the main radiator; there is no connection to the stove.

Each hose performs a separate function. The thick pipe serves to expand the coolant and fill the system while pouring antifreeze through the neck of the tank. Two thin tubes are designed to drain the steam-water mixture from the stove and the main radiator into the tank when heated to the maximum permissible antifreeze temperature of 95 ° C.

The expansion tank (item 1) is located at the highest point of the cooling system at the same level as the throttle valve

Possible problems

In fact, ruptures of plastic containers do not occur so often, so you should not be alarmed in advance when purchasing a used VAZ 2110.

Much more often, owners of this domestic car are faced with a breakdown of the valve cover of the tank. It is responsible for relieving excess pressure when the power unit overheats.

It is this lid that can jam, causing pressure to build up inside the container, which can ultimately lead to rupture of the plastic.

If such a problem catches you on the road, do not turn off the engine under any circumstances. You need to stop and wait for the cooling fan to turn on.

Preventive measures

As you understand, the expansion tank is directly connected to the radiator and fan, therefore maintaining the tank in working condition is the direct responsibility of every car owner.

Prevention includes the following activities:

• Periodically inspect the condition of the plastic container and its individual elements;
• If you find that the coolant level in the tank is too low, add the missing amount;
• If it soon becomes noticeably smaller again, check the tank for leaks. Most likely, liquid is leaking somewhere;
• Observe the condition of the tank neck. If there are traces of drips on it, that's good. This phenomenon indicates that the valve cover is triggered and relieves excess pressure. Hence the traces of coolant.

Causes of failure of VAZ 2110-2115 tanks

The service life of this element is not limited by regulations. This means that the container should be changed as needed, and this occurs quite often. The most common reason for replacement is damage to the integrity of the plastic case during operation . The tank simply bursts and here's why:

1. Clogged or damaged lid valve. The steam coming from the radiators increases the pressure inside the tank because it cannot escape through the plug. As a result, the wall of the container is destroyed.

   
   Damage to the plastic wall occurs due to excess pressure in the cooling system

2. In VAZ 2110-12 cars, the side walls of the vessel are closely adjacent to the body elements - the glass and the partition. As the antifreeze temperature and pressure in the system increase, the plastic has nowhere to swell, causing the body to burst along the seam at the end (usually in the lower corner).
3. In the event of a breakdown of the gasket between the cylinder head and the engine block, the cooling system is subjected to a series of water hammers created by the movement of the pistons. The plastic case also often bursts from such an impact.
4. The reason may be the expansion tank itself, made from low-quality raw materials or in violation of plastic molding technology.

   
   On low-quality products, cracks may appear 3-6 months after the start of use.

To avoid destruction of the expansion tank, it is recommended to check the functionality of the plug valve before each long trip. Practice shows that problems with the tank most often arise on the road, when it is hot outside, that is, in the summer. A sign of a malfunction is a sharp increase in coolant temperature and a puddle under the engine compartment on the driver’s side.

Experienced drivers advise replacing the standard tank cap with the cap from previous VAZ 2109-099 models. They are much more reliable in operation and fit the thread. Just keep one thing in mind: in some car configurations the plug is equipped with an antifreeze level sensor. After such a replacement, you will not be able to control it, although this will not affect the performance of the cooling circuit.

What to choose?

If you still need to replace the tank, you first need to choose what exactly you will replace the old tank with.

Today there are several decent options on the market that are perfect for your VAZ 2110.

If you choose to replace the tank from Priora, then you should take the version for a car without air conditioning.

Recommendations for selection

For VAZ 2110-12 models, you can find 2 types of expansion tanks on sale:

• old model with two necks: the coolant level sensor is screwed into the first, and the second is closed with a plug with a release valve;

  
  On old-style products, a second neck was made for installing an antifreeze level sensor

• a new model with one neck (without sensor) and a body convex on the sides.

  
  The new sample container does not have a level sensor

If your car has a sensor in an expansion tank, then you need to select an old-style product. Accordingly, versions without a sensor will require a new reservoir design.

For VAZ 2114-15 models, tanks of the same shape are offered with 3 fittings: two of them are located at one end, and the third is located at the opposite end. Products for the VAZ 2110 and 2114 are not interchangeable with each other, although if you really want to, attaching a part from another model is quite possible. Another thing is that there is no need for this - both varieties are available for free sale and practically do not differ in price.

The reservoir for models 2114-15 has a wider shape and a versatile arrangement of fittings

When purchasing an expansion tank for any series of cars of the “tenth” family, pay attention to the following points:

• the plastic of a quality product should be light and half transparent;
• cracks in the corners or near the fittings are unacceptable;
• the plastic should not be “oaky” or have dark impurities visible to the naked eye;
• look on the body for an imprint of the manufacturer's trademark and catalog number (21083–1311014 for VAZ 2114).

For all modifications “ten”, “fourteen” and “fifteen” a small tuning is available - installation of an expansion tank from the cooling system of a Lada Priora car. Why and how this is implemented will be discussed below.

The reservoir of the Priora cooling system has a rectangular shape and 3 fittings on the front wall

Replacement or repair?

Is it even possible to repair the tank? If he was torn to pieces, then no.

This element is subject to repair only in the event of failure of components - a float or a cover.

If the seal is lost, regardless of the reasons, repair is impossible. Theoretically, you can glue the plastic together and make patches, but such savings will not lead to anything good.

To replace the cover, use a spare part from the VAZ 2199 model. Although this model is older than the “ten”, the elements are interchangeable. Plus, the quality of the cover from the nine turned out to be better, and the thread matches perfectly.

Simply unscrew the broken cap and screw a new one in its place. That's the whole point of the replacement.

Replacing the expansion tank of a VAZ 2110 with a tank from Priora

The story is this: in the distant past, when I first bought the car, there was an old-style expansion tank from a VAZ 2110 with a second neck for a sensor, actually this sensor flowed like normal, replacing the sensor helped for a maximum of a month, put it on sealant, through cellophane - nothing it didn’t help, in the end, having listened to a lot of “good advice” (at that time I didn’t google about the car, I just found out from friends) I replaced the old-style tank with a new-style tank - without a sensor, everything would be fine, but after driving for a long time I was convinced that this is not a panacea, Now it was squeezing out through the lid, and not because of a defect in the lid or the integrity of the neck, but due to the unsuccessful design of the tank - a stream of antifreeze from the steam pipes mercilessly hit directly into the neck, from where it solemnly spread across the lid and through the tank from the outside.
After surfing the Internet and reading that this bothers all users of new-style tanks, it was decided to do the same as many others, namely, replace the new-style tank with a tank from Priora, due to the design features (place of the steam exhaust hose inlets, partitions inside the tank) like this he had no illness. Next, we toured all the shops in the area, the average cost of a barrel is 380-450 rubles, but in one place, from the depths of the warehouses, a prepack for 280 rubles appeared, no different from the others, it is important to note that there are two types of prepacks - for cars with air conditioning (2 nipple) and without condom (3 nipples) that’s exactly what we needed, with 3 nipples.

I’ll immediately note that I read a lot of articles about the difficulty of pushing something that cannot be pushed into its rightful place, someone cut the factory noise and vibration insulation on the engine shield, someone removed the entire frill, but I took the path of least resistance and, with pinpoint precision, strongly lifting frill stuck the tank in, covered the previously peeling seat with a piece of rubber from the camera (so that it would seem to flow past and the tank would sit tighter, pushed the noise and vibration insulation back, screwed all the pipes into place and filled in antifreeze, I’ll drive for a week, evaluate whether the change really helped or not and the antifreeze will continue to be poured into the car.

Here is the old tank number ten, you can clearly see in the photo that the tank is empty and covered in blood-red stains, especially in the area of ​​the lid.

the process of pushing the expansion barrel from the Priora, everything got in the way: the frill, the brake pipes, the VUT and the wiper drive motor, but still, with a little resistance, it fell into its rightful place.

the tank is assembled and filled, the rubber on the sides is the same chamber for sealing if all the noise is cut off along the tank in the near future.

Let's look at each of them

The problem may arise with the valve plug - the cover may simply jam. Since its main purpose is to remove steam, if the lid breaks, excess pressure occurs inside the tank. This situation is quite capable of leading to the tank simply bursting. It is important to remember that if the cover jams while driving, do not turn off the car engine. Stop driving and wait for the cooling fan to start operating.

Another problem may be simple wear of the neck thread, which in most cases leads to either the inability to tighten the lid or a leak in the seal. Of course, you can temporarily use a seal, but it is still more advisable to completely replace the entire expansion tank.

A malfunction of the expansion tank may also be detected, such as a leaky connection between the pipe and the tank. This problem can be solved by using a special sealant.

Well, and finally, the most “conspicuous” problem is the actual damage to the tank itself. It doesn’t matter what caused this problem: manufacturer’s defects, natural wear and tear of the material, or rupture as a result of increased pressure, in any case, only purchasing a new expansion tank can correct the situation. On the Internet you can find advice on gluing or sealing a vessel, but it is hardly advisable to do so, because the price of the part is not so high.

So, the decision about the need for replacement has been made, a new expansion tank has been purchased - it’s time to begin the “operation”. First, let's prepare the tools:

• screwdrivers;
• keys;
• pliers.

It is also worth taking care of new clamps and sandpaper (it will help smooth out possible roughness on the parts, which will contribute to their better fit).

First of all, you need to drain the coolant. Naturally, the car must cool down before the procedure. It may not be possible to drain the antifreeze directly from the tank; in this case, you will have to drain the liquid from the entire cooling system.

After disconnecting the refrigerant level sensor connector, use screwdrivers to twist the screws on the clamps and loosen them. The next step is to remove the hoses attached to the tank. All that remains is to unfasten the fastening belt and remove the expansion tank.

Having installed the tank, all of the above steps will have to be repeated, but in reverse order. The final step is to add coolant. By the way, sometimes VAZ-2110 owners wonder whether the amount of antifreeze poured into “tens” equipped with engines with 16 valves differs from their “sisters” with an engine with 8 valves. The manufacturer's answer is quite definite. The filling volume of the cooling system, ensuring its uninterrupted operation, is 7.8 liters. And this rule works both for “fresh” VAZ-2110 cars and for old-style units.

After completing work on replacing the expansion tank, it is necessary to check the functioning of the cooling system. To do this, you will have to warm up the engine to operating temperature and wait until the fan turns on.

As you can see, the process of replacing the expansion tank of a VAZ-2110 is not particularly complicated, which means that almost any owner of a “ten” can easily carry it out independently, thereby significantly saving their financial resources.

Oil color

If a gray-white emulsion is found in the engine crankcase, it means that coolant has entered the oil, and its level will decrease and the oil level will increase.

This could happen due to a burnt-out cylinder head gasket, but this is not a fact; additional diagnostics need to be carried out here.

As a rule, first the cap is changed, then the reservoir, and only then, if the latter still inflates, the cylinder head gasket, if necessary. But it is important to understand that you need to replace the cover with a known good one, now a lot of defective ones are produced.