Discussion
I've got a bad feeling about this 
Checked the levels last Sunday, all good.
Checked the levels this Sunday, and they appeared to be all good. I didn't check the coolant level too thoroughly, but there was coolant in the expansion bottle.
Been out today, and the temp gauge is reading a little higher than is usual, but not alarmingly so, but I couldn't get any heat into the cabin with the heater full on. I got to my destination, and the expansion tank is empty. It took a couple of litres to top it up to the marker, and this just disappeared straight away. So I left it whilst I had lunch, and topped it back up to the marker level later, which took about a litre. So it's drank about 3 litres.
Drove home and it's all back to normal, the temp gauge is holding the same level it's always done for the last 11 years, and the heater is now working normally too.
Checked the coolant level as soon as I got home, and it was OK, but after being left about ten minutes, the expansion tank is dry again.
It doesn't appear to have a coolant leak, the garage floor is fine. But it's lost coolant somewhere, and appears to have had an air lock as a result?
Dodgy Thermostat? Water Pump? or, Head Gaskets?
No cross contamination of oil/water is apparent, and the car drives fine.
Checked the levels last Sunday, all good.
Checked the levels this Sunday, and they appeared to be all good. I didn't check the coolant level too thoroughly, but there was coolant in the expansion bottle.
Been out today, and the temp gauge is reading a little higher than is usual, but not alarmingly so, but I couldn't get any heat into the cabin with the heater full on. I got to my destination, and the expansion tank is empty. It took a couple of litres to top it up to the marker, and this just disappeared straight away. So I left it whilst I had lunch, and topped it back up to the marker level later, which took about a litre. So it's drank about 3 litres.
Drove home and it's all back to normal, the temp gauge is holding the same level it's always done for the last 11 years, and the heater is now working normally too.
Checked the coolant level as soon as I got home, and it was OK, but after being left about ten minutes, the expansion tank is dry again.
It doesn't appear to have a coolant leak, the garage floor is fine. But it's lost coolant somewhere, and appears to have had an air lock as a result?
Dodgy Thermostat? Water Pump? or,
Head Gaskets?No cross contamination of oil/water is apparent, and the car drives fine.
Both sides of the engine bock have 4 very small holes. They can leak oil (quite common) or coolant when it passes the cylinder liners.
If the coolant escapes through these holes, it might not be the end of the world and you might still travel for years without trouble.
However, as you seem to be loosing a lot of coolant in a short period of time I have to agree and suspect head gasket trouble.
Good luck.
Benoit
If the coolant escapes through these holes, it might not be the end of the world and you might still travel for years without trouble.
However, as you seem to be loosing a lot of coolant in a short period of time I have to agree and suspect head gasket trouble.
Good luck.
Benoit
Thanks guys.
It ain't leaking, and no buggers pinching it, so the waters going somewhere!
I am getting used to the idea that it is the Head Gaskets, but it helped to at least post about it and come to terms with it. I don't think I will need counselling, but the wife will give me grief
Let's hope I can get it down to Phantom Motors without too much drama, AA on standby.
It ain't leaking, and no buggers pinching it, so the waters going somewhere!
I am getting used to the idea that it is the Head Gaskets, but it helped to at least post about it and come to terms with it. I don't think I will need counselling, but the wife will give me grief
Let's hope I can get it down to Phantom Motors without too much drama, AA on standby.
)Will let you know. I dropped the car with them yesterday afternoon. Levels checked before I set off and still no cross contamination of the oil & water. A 170 mile run taking it steady (60-65mph) with good oil pressure and normal engine temperature. The car drives as though there's nothing wrong with it 
jhoneyball said:
gaskets
be prepared for a large bill. Mine was about 6k or so from those lovely chaps at crondall
I recently had the A-bank exhaust valves and valve stems replaced, together with a new headgasket by my local classic car specialist. The whole operation did only cost about 1.800 pounds, so the bill might still be reasonable.be prepared for a large bill. Mine was about 6k or so from those lovely chaps at crondall
Got my boy back today 
Rebuilt water pump, rocker cover gaskets, a tune up, a bit of work on the brakes, new Primary door seals and a set of secondary door seals too (I can't shut the bloody doors now!
), plus various other bits of fettling.
Had a leisurely 6 hour drive home avoiding all motorways and main routes, just meandering gently North through the middle of the country on back roads.
It's all good
Rebuilt water pump, rocker cover gaskets, a tune up, a bit of work on the brakes, new Primary door seals and a set of secondary door seals too (I can't shut the bloody doors now!
), plus various other bits of fettling.Had a leisurely 6 hour drive home avoiding all motorways and main routes, just meandering gently North through the middle of the country on back roads.
It's all good
Glad to hear that there are other (cheaper) things that can cause coolant loss.
I would be very interested to know if there was much difference in wind noise after you had the new door seals? Did you have the whole car done, or just the driver's door etc? Mine are old and whilst I don't think that much of the noise in the cabin is door wind noise, it would be nice to know if they made a difference in that respect.
Regards
Stumbler
I would be very interested to know if there was much difference in wind noise after you had the new door seals? Did you have the whole car done, or just the driver's door etc? Mine are old and whilst I don't think that much of the noise in the cabin is door wind noise, it would be nice to know if they made a difference in that respect.
Regards
Stumbler
Stumbler said:
I would be very interested to know if there was much difference in wind noise after you had the new door seals?
Not much actually.The old ones were well & truly shot, the rubber had perished and they were really squashed thin. I found some spongy rubber extrusion at work, and cut a slit in each door seal, lubricated with washing up liquid and stuffed this spongy stuff inside, to fill out the old seals. It was a bit of a bodge as a temp fix, but it did give a slight improvement. I also had the window frames fully adjusted to lean in at the top, there are bolts at the bottom of the doors to adjust the frames.
I had high expectations of the new seals, as they are huge great thick things compared to the originals, and then secondary seals too, I thought it would be much quieter. But not really, not in relation to the cost anyway.
I guess the main thing is, it has all the aerodynamics of a brick, and the problem is the wind around the 'A' pillars and the mirrors, rather than the actual seals.
It is fine up to the ton though, and beyond that, I'm focusing on other things rather than wind noise anyway.
Gassing Station | Bentley & Rolls Royce | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff