Potential Big problem

[Garethgtt]

Guys,

Was driving home today after rescueing gf as the Leon id lent her had a clutch failure...
anyway- stopped at some lights and suddenly a small cloud of smoke came out of the right hand side of the bonnet above the battery it seemed.
I then caught wiff of a burning smell--like melted plastic-- which remined me of when i melted the wiper hose cable... so drove on, next lights same thing as i stopped.... started getting worried and was only 2 mins from home--so up steep hill to my house and i noticed the temp gague go flying up to 110c and then back down.

got home-opened bonnet, heard a hissing sound comming from the front passenger side were the air box is and the identity plate.

its too dark for me to check things now-- but any ideas?

spoke to rescue man for my Leon and he said it could just be a leaking hose, engine coolant needs topping up or a warped head or somthing (which i recall hearing is expensive!)

any ideas and what should i look for tomorrow? (crosses fingers)

>> Edited by Garethgtt on Saturday 10th December 18:16

[Cyclone1]

If the smoke was near the battery then it could be some water escaping through the expansion tank. It may be that you have an air lock, or a leaking hoses (check hoses and clips), or the radiator is u/s. Fingers crossed it's one of the above so it's a relatively cheap and easy fix.

[Extra 300 Driver]

Sounds like you may have a leak from your Rad. Have a look at the water level and check for leaks.

[garethgtt]

I`ll check after i get home from work....yes work .... i heard you can get some somthing that seals small rad leaks?

[Cyclone1]

Yes you can buy stuff like radweld that may give you a temporary repair provided that it is the rad that is leaking (not the ideal solution though). Best bet is to do a bit of checking of the hoses etc first. If it is the rad then Joolz at TCS can get them re-cored, or he may be able to point you in the right direction of someone local (ish).

[gazzab]

garethgtt said:

I`ll check after i get home from work....yes work .... i heard you can get some somthing that seals small rad leaks?

Yes a new rad. Go for an upgraded alloy one.
Personally I wouldnt use rad weld on a tvr engine.

[tdr]

I reckon it's not just the cap of the expansion tank that is not properly fitted?

[garethgtt]

I took the cap off when i opened the bonnet, seemed fairly secure although it didnt give me much of a hiss when i took it off., i still dont understand were the smoke at the lights came up from--looks like it came from werabouts the coolant tank is-- but with the lid on tightish i dont see how it can escape.

[Extra 300 Driver]

garethgtt said:

I took the cap off when i opened the bonnet, seemed fairly secure although it didnt give me much of a hiss when i took it off., i still dont understand were the smoke at the lights came up from--looks like it came from werabouts the coolant tank is-- but with the lid on tightish i dont see how it can escape.

What was the level like?

[garethgtt]

Extra 300 Driver said:

garethgtt said: I took the cap off when i opened the bonnet, seemed fairly secure although it didnt give me much of a hiss when i took it off., i still dont understand were the smoke at the lights came up from--looks like it came from werabouts the coolant tank is-- but with the lid on tightish i dont see how it can escape. What was the level like?

now thats what im not sure about---it looked low to me glancing in-- and its hard to tell off the measure on the side what level its at..but isnt max pretty low down anyhow, its not like max is even halfway up i recall.
i`ll have to have a proper check in daylight.

[Extra 300 Driver]

garethgtt said:

Extra 300 Driver said: garethgtt said: I took the cap off when i opened the bonnet, seemed fairly secure although it didnt give me much of a hiss when i took it off., i still dont understand were the smoke at the lights came up from--looks like it came from werabouts the coolant tank is-- but with the lid on tightish i dont see how it can escape. What was the level like? now thats what im not sure about---it looked low to me glancing in-- and its hard to tell off the measure on the side what level its at..but isnt max pretty low down anyhow, its not like max is even halfway up i recall. i`ll have to have a proper check in daylight.

Just above the seam on the side, about 1.5 inches from the top.

[gazzab]

Smoke or steam?

There are some electrics round that area (eg battery!) and there is the washer tube for windscreen wipers. This can burn out nr exhaust.

[garethgtt]

Right, first chance last night to have a look at the problem..... expansion tank almost empty!

filled it up..

had to jump it off another car to fire her up..

left it idling for 15mins, watched the water temp hit 95c, fans came on and knocked it down to 90.

noticed after i had switched engine off-- a hiss every 20 seconds comming from the front.... turns out there is steam/air? being expelled from were the expansion tank pipe joins the rad, so i`ll give the jubilee clip a good tightening tonight and see how it goes.

i said air, because im wondering if i need to bleed the system of air because the coolant level got so low?
what effect will having air in the rad have?

[Extra 300 Driver]

That top rad connection is the fav place for the rads to crack.

[GreenV8S]

garethgtt said:

what effect will having air in the rad have?

You will have less cooling capability, roughly proportional to the percentage of air in the radiator.

[purpleheadedcerb]

With air in the system, the cooling system itself isn't pressurised correctly so it will boil up earlier than a pressurised leak free system.

Sorry, meant with air leaking (the hissing sound) it's not pressurising properly etc.



>> Edited by purpleheadedcerb on Wednesday 14th December 17:00

[whatever]

The temp gauge needle flicking right up then straight down can be caused by air going round the system - it's a capillary tube to the dial I believe.

Also, small rad leaks under the bonnet can seem invisible until you stop, when a wisp of smoke/steam can visibly come out, the atmospheric conditions are right.

Still, not good to have air in there (or a continuous leak), these engines get hot enough as it is!

[garethgtt]

I took her for a drive for 2 hours the other night,, checked the expansion tank tonight and noticed it had lost 3/4.....

so yeah leak!

I noticed after getting back last night there was a slgiht occasional hisss comming from under the tightened hose as it joins the radiator--- so not really sure what else i can do other than take it to an indy.

any suggestions?, i figure if i take the hose off to have a look at that part of the rad i`ll have to drain the system first?

I cant put silicone sealent round the seal on the pipe to the rad huh?

>> Edited by garethgtt on Friday 16th December 00:21

[purpleheadedcerb]

Are you sure that the jubilee clip holding the hose on hasn't rounded off? SOmetimes they don't tighten up quite enough to seal. Check to see if the hose hasn't split near the end as well.

You are right, don't use silicone sealant as it will find a way into your rad and clog it up. It should seal correctly with correct clips and good hoses.

Scott

[RUSSELLM]

garethgtt said:

Right, first chance last night to have a look at the problem..... expansion tank almost empty! filled it up..

Gareth, when you say filled it up, your not on about filling it to the top are you ?

Only, without removing half of the engine, I wouldn't be able to see enough of my expansion tank, to tell you how much water it had used.

My fill mark is very low,

If from the top, I can see some water at the bottom, it's full.