Coolant problem, again!!!

[s,one]

Having replaced all the coolant hoses with new silicone jobbies and taken my car into my local dealer it would appear my car is still loosing a lot of water.Still no apparent source,dealer said it may be leaking from the manifold gaskett and so pinched the bolts up a bit.While at first I thought it had done the trick following a run today it had lost 2-3 pints of water.Previously the water had collected in the valley but now the only sign of water is around the base of the distributor.What next ,should I replace the manifold gaskett ,if so is much of a job and I likely to more damage than good.A pressure test upto 12 bar showed no leaks.

Cheers

Steve

[Guillotine]

don't want to be obvious here, but are the hoses on properly?

samco's need curing in. they go on tight as poss, but need re-tightening after the first 50 miles or so.

this happens regularly on mine when work is done, and you will find little or NO residue as a givaway.

tighten the hoses untill there is no more give. i use stainless clips on mine for extra strenght (two in fact), run the engine to full heat for 10 mins then retighten if poss.
this should clear your prob.

silicones are not like rubber hose and cure in.

Bet thats it

also use a spanner (7mm) not a screw diver.

[s,one]

Thanks, I will try this but not overly optimistic.The problem first started on the rubber hoses and now I have changed to silicone I have tightened them with a ratchet to there limits.Strange thing is the problem does not show when the car is stationery,I have run it in the garage for 10-20 mins until the temp is very high with the fans running etc,but no water.However run it for a few miles and the water is lost and visisble(around the distributor base).I am even more confused as origonally water collected in the valley.

Cheers

Steve

[pies]

Could be the thermostat housing gasket,i had almost exactly same problem,get the new gasket from Land rover as its a composite jobbie (much thicker)

[s,one]

Tried the thermostat housing as well.Re-sealed it with silicone but if I thought this was still the problem the water would still be depositing into the valley.Dont forget I've lost 3 pints of water in about 30 miles,You would think it would be obvious.

Cheers

Steve

[GreenV8S]

I've got a completely new cooling system on the V8S using silicone hoses, and despite a fair bit of messing about and re-plumbing over several months I have never had any problem with seeping joints or hoses having to be cured. I just made sure the spigots were clean, used the right size hose and used good quality hose clips done up firmly.

Since you had the problem before you changed any hoses, I would guess the problem is elsewhere. Could be an original hose (if you left any) or pipe, pressure cap, radiator, pump, heater, any gasket, cracked or porus castings, there are an awful lot of potential leaks to be ruled out. I would start by putting a good strong anti-freeze mix in and see if this leaves any external traces where water has evaporated, also look for signs of steam from the exhaust or around the engine bay after a good blast.

Just on general principles check for emulsion in the oil and do an HC water check, but even if these pass that doesn't prove the head gasket is sound (they don't always blow into the cylinder and if water is leaking from the head gasket under load it could go just about anywhere). Failing that, if you can pin down the conditions when the water leak occurs it may be possible to look for further evidence.

>> Edited by GreenV8S on Sunday 25th July 23:54

[JonRB]

Having had coolant leaks on 3 out of our 4 cars (see profile) in the last 6 months, I can from experience suggest you check the following:

1. Water pump
2. Damage to the core of the radiator itself, necessetating a re-core

It may be an idea to pop down to your local dealer or indie and get them to pressure test the system as well.

But tighten up all the hoses first, as already suggested.

[Guillotine]

do you have the pipe on the bottom of the inlet manifold, this is alloy and may be damaged.

[s,one]

Guillotine said:

do you have the pipe on the bottom of the inlet manifold, this is alloy and may be damaged.

Dont know the answer to this where about on the mainfold should I be looking.

Cheers


Steve

[s,one]

As a last resort tonight disconected the fans to let it run a little hotter than normal,low and behold hissing coming from the manifold gasket!.Let the car cool checked the bolts and all were less than finger tight.So much for the dealer tightening them, 114 quid to strap on a pressure tester and tell me there was nothing wrong.So does anybody know the torque settings cus I ain,t taking it back there in a rush.

Cheers

Steve

[red griff 500]

Glad you got it fixed S,one. Out of interest, is the manifold you're refering to the inlet manifold? if so, why should water leak from there - Is the manifold water cooled? educate me please.

Steve

[Guillotine]

result...and inexpensive!

just a pain in the arse. make sure the earth connections on at the back passenger side bolt, or your electrics will go tits up.

[s,one]

red griff 500 said:

Glad you got it fixed S,one. Out of interest, is the manifold you're refering to the inlet manifold? if so, why should water leak from there - Is the manifold water cooled? educate me please. Steve

Christ on a bike I can,t educate anybody about engines ,what I do know is the manifold gasket is the width of the valley to either side and when I looked from above having removed the air box I could see traces of water from both sides to centre.It is water cooled hence the thermostat housing at the leading edge.Mind you knowing my spnner skills I,m probably talking complete bo##ox.

Steve

[Ballistic Banana]

Excellent glad you found it

Havent got a clue what the tourqe seetings should be but i would hazard a guess at being a bit more than finger Tight

BB