Loss of coolant
Discussion
Last weekend nearly ended in tears. In short I discovered belated I had lost most of the coolant. Having dodged an expensive bill I topped up the system from the swirl pot but water levels have continued to drop. There's no sign of oil within the water and no obvious sign of leakage.
Would it be a fair bet to assume the water pump seals have failed? Or is there a more scientific test one can undertake such as pressurizing the coolant system a little ?
Constructive ideas welcome
Cheers V
Would it be a fair bet to assume the water pump seals have failed? Or is there a more scientific test one can undertake such as pressurizing the coolant system a little ?
Constructive ideas welcome
Cheers V
Have you sat it on the driveway, engine running for 20 minutes, fans kicking in and out, and looked for signs of water loss under the car?
I have heard of water pump failure putting water into the oil, but you would see that as mayo under the rocker covers. More normally it pours out down the front of the engine.
I have heard of water pump failure putting water into the oil, but you would see that as mayo under the rocker covers. More normally it pours out down the front of the engine.
My Tuscan was using a small amount of water but showed no sign of leaks. It was traced back to over pressurising and escaping through the expansion cap. Had been like this for a year or so, bit the bullet and whipped engine out, suspected head gasket but was slipped liner.
Take it to someone that knows.
Take it to someone that knows.
QBee said:
Have you sat it on the driveway, engine running for 20 minutes, fans kicking in and out, and looked for signs of water loss under the car?
^^This^^ once the system is up to temperature it will also be a its maximum pressure so leaks will become apparent but you may need to aquire a snakecam to see the valley gasket
Friend of mine had sudden invisible water loss. Mayo under the rocker covers. Stripped it down and Chessman Engineering pressure tested the block, found a crack under a cylinder liner, welded it up, honed it and installed a new liner. He's now rebuilding the engine. Keeps him out of trouble.... 
Are you aware of the weep hole on your water pump, mine was leaking or more like drinking a tad of water and I couldn't locate the leak, only after a trackday did I notice drips under my car, high revving and thus high pressure showed it up,
Look at the pump pulley shaft, the large hose and follow that back and you should see a small hole in the casing,
The shaft has two seals, when the first one goes it starts dripping out that hole, it's a clever trick for you to tell before the pump fails entirely, you might notice some coolant or just a sticky substance running down from that hole and onto the cross bracing bars under your engine. Hope that helps.
Look at the pump pulley shaft, the large hose and follow that back and you should see a small hole in the casing,
The shaft has two seals, when the first one goes it starts dripping out that hole, it's a clever trick for you to tell before the pump fails entirely, you might notice some coolant or just a sticky substance running down from that hole and onto the cross bracing bars under your engine. Hope that helps.
If all of the other suggestions don't identify the leak then I would have the system pressure tested. Firstly you can see if the pressure applied is dropping which confirms leakage and hopefully if it's external then you may see where from. If this is inconclusive then you may want to get a block test done,sounds drastic but it's only a fluid that changes colour in a small container attached to the header. The colour change identifies combustion gases in the coolant which then indicates something internal like head gaskets, liners etc. Hope that helps.
I found coolant on the underside my starter motor and solanoide the other day?.. where has that come from... Put 20 PSI in the system overnight.. nothing... ran it hot on the drive for 20 mins... again, nothing..... I do remove the heater pipes when filling to get the air out and it could have got on then, but that was 2 years ago... how long can thick, sticky coolant stay around for?... If mine is the pump (I do suspect this)... can it travel down the starter side and on to the starter without showing easlewhere?.. maybe the fans can blow it all over....
all I'm saying is, Even if you do see some evidance... it may not be that obviouse where its coming from
all I'm saying is, Even if you do see some evidance... it may not be that obviouse where its coming from
TVR Beaver said:
I found coolant on the underside my starter motor and solanoide the other day?.. where has that come from... Put 20 PSI in the system overnight.. nothing... ran it hot on the drive for 20 mins... again, nothing..... I do remove the heater pipes when filling to get the air out and it could have got on then, but that was 2 years ago... how long can thick, sticky coolant stay around for?... If mine is the pump (I do suspect this)... can it travel down the starter side and on to the starter without showing easlewhere?.. maybe the fans can blow it all over....
all I'm saying is, Even if you do see some evidance... it may not be that obviouse where its coming from
"thick, sticky". Sounds more like power steering fluid to me. have you topped up recently?all I'm saying is, Even if you do see some evidance... it may not be that obviouse where its coming from
TVR Beaver said:
I found coolant on the underside my starter motor and solanoide the other day?.. where has that come from... Put 20 PSI in the system overnight.. nothing... ran it hot on the drive for 20 mins... again, nothing..... I do remove the heater pipes when filling to get the air out and it could have got on then, but that was 2 years ago... how long can thick, sticky coolant stay around for?... If mine is the pump (I do suspect this)... can it travel down the starter side and on to the starter without showing easlewhere?.. maybe the fans can blow it all over....
all I'm saying is, Even if you do see some evidance... it may not be that obviouse where its coming from
Maybe a core plug, I'm not sure where there situated on the side of the block but I'd be suprised if the water would travel from the pump to that area without seeing some evidence of it directly below the pump area,,, but what do I know,,, not a lot all I'm saying is, Even if you do see some evidance... it may not be that obviouse where its coming from
Colin RedGriff said:
Check the radiator carefully it can be tricky to spot leaks.
I had a slow rad leak that I did not find until it became a faster one. Water was pooling under the rad and being blown out when driving so it did not drip much. Once the flow increased I found it. Ended up replacing the rad.Forums | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff