Seriously help i'm losing the will to live

[_georginaamyc]

I'm honestly so done with this car.
Okay, ford fiesta zetec, 2006.
I have steam and spray coming from the coolant tank.
I've just had a new head gasket as apparently that was the problem... but driving it tonight ive still got the same problem. Does anyone have ang idea as to what could be happening?

[GreenV8S]

_georginaamyc said:

I've just had a new head gasket ... but driving it tonight ive still got the same problem.

Seems to me that you should be asking these questions of whoever changed the head gasket.

The symptoms suggest that either that wasn't the problem (or at least not the *only* problem), or the new gasket has failed.

[stevieturbo]

It sounds like you have a leak from your coolant tank.



And either are not taking the car to a mechanic, or keep taking it to retarded wannabe mechanics.

And it hardly warrants a new thread for exactly the same issues and lack of dealing with them properly

In the other thread you kept claiming you "know" a lot of things....all of them fairly well debunked.

[Little Pete]

And either are not taking the car to a mechanic, or keep taking it to retarded wannabe mechanics.

Well said Stevie. This is a problem that would be a simple solve for any decent technician.
I was going to offer an opinion in the other thread but it seemed that every time someone put an idea forward, the OP wanted to debate it so I didn't bother.
Then this 'new' thread appears!
I would suggest to the OP that when people take the time to read and give consideration to a post, at the very least you should have the courtesy to do likewise.

Edited by Little Pete on Wednesday 26th October 20:45

[stevieturbo]

Little Pete said:

And either are not taking the car to a mechanic, or keep taking it to retarded wannabe mechanics.

Well said Stevie. This is a problem that would be a simple solve for any decent technician.
I was going to offer an opinion in the other thread but it seemed that every time someone put an idea forward, the OP wanted to debate it so I didn't bother.
Then this 'new' thread appears!
I would suggest to the OP that when people take the time to read and give consideration to a post, at the very least you should have the courtesy to do likewise.

Edited by Little Pete on Wednesday 26th October 20:45

But he "knows" what the problem is...several times in the other thread.

I think it's obvious what is known and not known. In cases like this a more sensible question would be to ask for a recommended mechanic and to give people a clue where on planet earth they live.

Now perhaps there is some.....or LOTS of misinformation between these so called mechanics and what is being told here, but without a crystal ball, we've no way of knowing what really is or isnt being done.

But it sure sounds like nothing has been tested properly, and it's a bunch of idiots working at it....and as you say, all advice that has been given here has been ignored.

Scrap the car and buy another

[_georginaamyc]

stevieturbo said:

It sounds like you have a leak from your coolant tank.



And either are not taking the car to a mechanic, or keep taking it to retarded wannabe mechanics.

And it hardly warrants a new thread for exactly the same issues and lack of dealing with them properly

In the other thread you kept claiming you "know" a lot of things....all of them fairly well debunked.

Steve, i clearly kept stating i didnt know a lot. And i wanted to make a new thread in the hope you wouldnt keep coming back with "find a mechanic that isnt a retard"
Unfortunately, i dont live in an area that is full of mechanics, and being quite young, i dont have the money to keep getting it towed to new garages.
If you have no real advice to give, please stop commenting, ive had this issue for 3 weeks now and quite frankly i'm at breaking point with it.
As for "lack of dealing with it properly"- how else would you like me to deal with it? The car has broke, i got it towed to a garage, they didnt fix it. I'm asking for advice until the morning. I'm no expert here but i'm pretty sure that is the ONLY way to deal with it.

[_georginaamyc]

Little Pete said:

And either are not taking the car to a mechanic, or keep taking it to retarded wannabe mechanics.

Well said Stevie. This is a problem that would be a simple solve for any decent technician.
I was going to offer an opinion in the other thread but it seemed that every time someone put an idea forward, the OP wanted to debate it so I didn't bother.
Then this 'new' thread appears!
I would suggest to the OP that when people take the time to read and give consideration to a post, at the very least you should have the courtesy to do likewise.

Edited by Little Pete on Wednesday 26th October 20:45

I did take the time to read everything, but when the only advice is "find a new mechanic" there not a lot i can do
It's not a debate, it's a discussion.
I'm sorry you think i may have been rude or something but i'm a 21 year old girl who's just spent almost a grand on a car that hasnt been fixed, all i'' asking for is nice advice

[_georginaamyc]

I am grateful to everyone that has helped, thank you for all taking the time to reply.
But if anyone has any advice other than "find a new mechanic", it would be appreciated

[freddytin]

A pressure test would be an obvious course of action....Where exactly does the steam / water leak from on the expansion tank..is it the cap ? the moulded seam ?..One of the inlet / outlet pipes ?

What area of the country are you in ? Maybe a friendly PH member wouldn't mind taking a look ?

[sunbeam alpine]

There are 2 types of garage/mechanic -

1. Those who use their experience, knowledge and diagnostic aids to identify and fix a problem.

2. Those who simply throw parts and labour (at your cost!) in the hope of fixing the problem.

Reading both your threads I get the impression that you've mostly come into contact with the second type, which is why some people have been saying that you should look for another mechanic!

The symptoms you've described could be attributed to a faulty cylinder head gasket. There is a simple test which can be carried out - it tests the coolant liquid for the presence of exhaust gases - to confirm that this is the problem. Do you know whether any of the mechanics you've tried have carried out this test?

Driving a car with insufficient coolant can cause the cylinder head to distort, meaning that simply replacing the gasket will not fix the problem. You may also need to skim the head so that it seals properly with the new gasket.

You really need to find someone with knowledge and experience of your car, who can correctly diagnose the problem.

Is there nobody you know who can recommend a good garage in your area? If not, if you could indicate whereabouts you are, maybe someone can give a recommendation - there are usually a lot of helpful people on here.

[Little Pete]

I sympathise with the point about how much money you've spent but Stevie's last post about things not being checked properly seems very accurate to me. There are a lot of idiots pretending to be mechanics and it sounds like you've met your fair share but the fact remains that if you came to my workshop with this problem, I would give it to one of my apprentices and I would expect them to diagnose it. The "mechanics" you are dealing with are either clueless or taking advantage of the fact that you are a young woman with no knowledge. Either way, the best piece of advice you've had is to get another opinion.
Ask around work colleagues etc,find someone they trust and pay for a proper diagnosis.

[Megaflow]

Have you tried an new cap on the coolant header tank?

They are designed to pressure the cooling system to raise the boiling temperature, but they also have a relief vale to stop the pressure getting too high and it is not unheard of for these to fail.

[_georginaamyc]

freddytin said:

A pressure test would be an obvious course of action....Where exactly does the steam / water leak from on the expansion tank..is it the cap ? the moulded seam ?..One of the inlet / outlet pipes ?

What area of the country are you in ? Maybe a friendly PH member wouldn't mind taking a look ?

Thanks for the reply:-) It looks like it's just coming from the cap, its definitely spraying out of the cap anyway

[_georginaamyc]

Little Pete said:

I sympathise with the point about how much money you've spent but Stevie's last post about things not being checked properly seems very accurate to me. There are a lot of idiots pretending to be mechanics and it sounds like you've met your fair share but the fact remains that if you came to my workshop with this problem, I would give it to one of my apprentices and I would expect them to diagnose it. The "mechanics" you are dealing with are either clueless or taking advantage of the fact that you are a young woman with no knowledge. Either way, the best piece of advice you've had is to get another opinion.
Ask around work colleagues etc,find someone they trust and pay for a proper diagnosis.

Thanks for the reply.
Yeah, i've had a few dodgy mechanics, i usually get my dad to speak to them, so as not to take advantage of the fact i am young with little knowledge- but the garage that replaced the gasket is my local guy, i've never ever had a problem with him. He did the work on my old car and does all of my families which is what makes me sad :-( if i could afford to scrap this car, i would!

[_georginaamyc]

sunbeam alpine said:

There are 2 types of garage/mechanic -

1. Those who use their experience, knowledge and diagnostic aids to identify and fix a problem.

2. Those who simply throw parts and labour (at your cost!) in the hope of fixing the problem.

Reading both your threads I get the impression that you've mostly come into contact with the second type, which is why some people have been saying that you should look for another mechanic!

The symptoms you've described could be attributed to a faulty cylinder head gasket. There is a simple test which can be carried out - it tests the coolant liquid for the presence of exhaust gases - to confirm that this is the problem. Do you know whether any of the mechanics you've tried have carried out this test?

Driving a car with insufficient coolant can cause the cylinder head to distort, meaning that simply replacing the gasket will not fix the problem. You may also need to skim the head so that it seals properly with the new gasket.

You really need to find someone with knowledge and experience of your car, who can correctly diagnose the problem.

Is there nobody you know who can recommend a good garage in your area? If not, if you could indicate whereabouts you are, maybe someone can give a recommendation - there are usually a lot of helpful people on here.

Thank you for the reply, I know it definitely got skimmed, not sure of anything else that got done to it . This garage is my go to garage, ive never ever had a problem with him- my whole family use him!

[freddytin]

_georginaamyc said:

freddytin said:

A pressure test would be an obvious course of action....Where exactly does the steam / water leak from on the expansion tank..is it the cap ? the moulded seam ?..One of the inlet / outlet pipes ?

What area of the country are you in ? Maybe a friendly PH member wouldn't mind taking a look ?

Thanks for the reply:-) It looks like it's just coming from the cap, its definitely spraying out of the cap anyway

I hope this isn't a silly question ...but has a new cap been fitted to try and resolve the issue ?

[GreenV8S]

_georginaamyc said:

This garage is my go to garage, ive never ever had a problem with him- my whole family use him!

If the garage owner is worth his salt he'll want to resolve the problem, which he can't do until you tell him about it.

[Little Pete]

Have you been back to the guy who did the first job? If he's as good as you seem to think he should've given some sort of warranty.

Sorry didn't see the above post!

Edited by Little Pete on Wednesday 26th October 22:45

[_georginaamyc]

freddytin said:

_georginaamyc said:

freddytin said:

A pressure test would be an obvious course of action....Where exactly does the steam / water leak from on the expansion tank..is it the cap ? the moulded seam ?..One of the inlet / outlet pipes ?

What area of the country are you in ? Maybe a friendly PH member wouldn't mind taking a look ?

Thanks for the reply:-) It looks like it's just coming from the cap, its definitely spraying out of the cap anyway

I hope this isn't a silly question ...but has a new cap been fitted to try and resolve the issue ?

Its not silly at all, but no it hasnt! I was thinking that myself actually!

[Little Pete]

So now you've identified where the fault is, the next step for you is to replace the cap and check the area around the thread on the bottle to make sure it isn't cracked. If the problem persists, the system is pressurising and the next step is going to need an experienced hand/eye and some tech kit. Good luck.