Coolant spurting - help

[Stever]

Returned from a blast last weekend, left the car running on the drive for 5 mins while I unjammed the garage door , steam from under the bonnet A jet of coolant is shooting straight up from a small hole in the black plastic cap the takes the clear tubing of the small plastic overflow bottle. (The second bottle tucked down against the inner wing).

Started the car up this weekend and let it get up to temperature and same happened

Two questions
1. It's never done this before why now?

2. Is there supposed to be a hole in the back cap, it looks preformed rather than a split?

If it needs replacing where do I get one?

Oops three questions!

Advice gratefully received.

Cheers

[tempus]

Check the cap on the first (expansion )tank and replace if the seal looks worn. Tempus

[rev-erend]

Steve,

Not exactly sure what you mean - so I've found a wedge engine bay (quite a nice one ) and labeled the caps
a) flat cap with no pressure spring
b) Pressurised pressure cap (spring inside)
c) Pipe leads to a coolant expansion or waste tank



I presume you are talking about c !

If a lot of fluid is being pushed into c then you might have an air lock or the engine is boiling over or worse case scenario - head gasket has gone and Sean will lower the 3K trade value

Edited by rev-erend on Monday 21st July 10:51

[red tasmin]

Always thought "C" was windscreen washer fluid !!!

[Stever]

yes C

pipe leads to another tank out of picture and a lot of fluid is going over into this tank.

st - indeed the engine seems to be boiling over but why. How do I know if Head Gasket has gone?

I'll be paying Sean soon

[gsx600]

Steve

You not had the system topped up recently by yourself or when you had the service done, as may be thay over fill, or got air lock in there.

I would try when cold filling up the swan neck cap (I think A in Revs picture) then top up main tank (b) (to about half way), leave cap c off to allow expelling of any excess water

Start engine, up to temp let fans cut in and see if any water comes out of pipe leading to cap c. Let it cool down and hopefully levels should be ok then. Put cap C back on and start again and hopefully you won't then be pushing water out from main as much as before

Edited by gsx600 on Monday 21st July 11:44

[rev-erend]

Red Tasmin - C is pointing to the over flow pipe..

The washer bottle is next to c.

Steve - the over flow pipe and catch tank if being filled excessively could indicate a problem.

Perhaps not easily solved.

Is the temp guage getting into the normal zone or is the temp excessive. Is the fan coming on ?

Is the catch tank too full - if so empty it out and leave 1 inch in the bottom.

If it again fills up quickly - you might need a garage to do a co test on the header tank (exhaust gas in the water is a good sign of a blow head gasket) and or a chemical test of the water in the header tank.

[djc1001]

Agree with previous reply check cap B is working and is a 15psi pressure cap.
You havn't switched the header pipe and expansion tank caps by mistake have you.

Black cap on final catch tank C is un-i,portant it just holds the pipe in place but needs a breather hole.

Catch tank C should be filled to max half full but see previous posts many find it better to fill expansion tank B to half full and leave catch tank C empty.

If all is well with tanks and caps then as prev. reply its overheating or poss head gasket etc.
Is the rad fan coming on ??

David

[Stever]

Paul, I used the car a few times since the service, Wedge meet, Goodwood etc and no problem. After the first spurt I topped up the tank (B in Rev's Pic) to about half full where it usually sits. Maybe I overfilled a bit but when it got hot yesterday I can see the fluid running through the pipe into the bottle "C" leads to (what's this bottle called?)

Rev, it did't get excessively hot enough for the fan to cut in before the fountains started and took quite a while to reach normal temp.

Perhaps I should take it for a drive tonight - get some air flowing through, blow any excess away????

Thanks for the reply David, no haven't switched caps and they have been in place for 4 years with no problems. I always check tank B before each use and the level stays the same. There is usually no fluid in the "C" tank at all to the best of my recollection.

Edited by Stever on Monday 21st July 12:11

[gsx600]

I'll give you a grand for it

[Stever]

gsx600 said:

I'll give you a grand for it

It's a good price for the plastic bottle, it's yours

[rev-erend]

Stever said:

gsx600 said:

I'll give you a grand for it

It's a good price for the plastic bottle, it's yours

[gsx600]

Well it's quite rare in a wedge, threw mine out years ago as never sucked water back into the main tank

[rev-erend]

Did not have space for mine - so just use an old 500cc plastic water drink bootle .. squeezed in there.

Don't think the system was ever mean to suck it back in .. can't think how it could possible do it anyway.

[gsx600]

Yeah I was never sure, but apparently as the coolant cools it gets sucked back, which seems strange to me as you would expect that the pressure cap has depressurized before the coolant went cold ?

Borrocks I say - but mainly as never worked on all 3 of my wedges. Hence why my water exits over the exhasut so if I see a plume of steam coming out I know it got hot

[jmorgan]

Re coolant getting sucked back. I used to operate a vehicle with an on board geny. Rad was in a roof cowling with an expansion tank, reason for mentioning it. It was visible. The expansion tank was not sealed. The pipe came from the rad above the cap seal as per normal and fed the expansion tank. This would often go up to 3/4 full during operation. Then a drive home or another job after turning geny off and it would all be sucked back in on cool down.

[rev-erend]

gsx600 said:

Hence why my water exits over the exhasut so if I see a plume of steam coming out I know it got hot

Mine used to do that .. hence I used an old drink bottle.. and just empty it occasionally.

[adam quantrill]

Sounds like you need a nice new shiney Radiator Cap!!!

£2 from me or the WSV at BBWF!

[Stever]

Cheers Adam I'll have a look if I get there!

Update: Took the wedge round the block last night, got it up to normal temp and no issues re spurting, however I didn't go very far!

When I got back I left the engine running and opened the bonnet as the temp climbed to above 90 I could see coolant start to flow into the overflow bottle, the fan didn't cut in! When I switched the overirde fan on the coolant starting going back so it does return!!!

Seems my problem is with the fan then, I will check the fuse first (is there a guide as to which it is?) what else should I do/ check?

Thanks for all replies even the unhelpful ones

[rev-erend]

Steve

The fan override is just another earth supply - that means the fuse is good to the fan (12+ supply).

Sounds like the problem with with the otter switch - this is mounted in the most awkard place known to man .. on a wedge !

The otter switch just switches to earth when it reaches the predetermined temperature - probably about 88 degrees.

You can just use the override for now - when the engine is warm - just leave the fan on.

Otter switch is mounted in the top passenger side of the rad and is sandwiched between the side of the rad and the fibreglass.. and it's a 8itch to get at..
unless someone has been really kind and made a conversion and pit an otter swithch in the top steel pipe (near A in my picture above).

Replacement of the otter switch is the only option - cost about £10.