Strange coolant loss renault kangoo

[Vantroublempg]

Hi, i have a 1.9 kangoo and today i went out ... coolant is on below minimum. Topped it up with water (i know itll need coolant but just to test it), drove for 40 miles. .. zero loss of coolant. Any ideas? It was fully serviced 2 weeks back so not sure how its gone from full, to empty and today losing none (so far).

[Haltamer]

Hmm, Some vehicles (IME, Alfas) have peculiarities where the expansion tank will show under minimum, then a great deal depending on when checked.

[biggrim]

Has the coolant recently been changed? Could've been filled and got a bit of air lock in the system. Is the heater blowing hot enough air?

[Vantroublempg]

Hi yes it was fully serviced 2 weeks ago so if it was air lock is that why its suddenly not going down now? Ive now done 70+ miles without loss but i keep checking. I will need to drain it again to replace the water for coolant wont i?

It doesnt overheat the needle is always dead centre, no white smoke, no mayo on dipstick or under caps and the heaters do get hot as normal. Hoping it is a cheap fix.

[RicksAlfas]

Does it have an EGR cooler fitted?

This is what happens when they start to fail. It will go a long time without using any coolant, then blow a load out as steam, then carry on without using any more.

[Vantroublempg]

Ahhh there must be a leak somewhere. I topped it up and have done around 100 miles today and its gone down about 3 inches on the max - min. It was at max and now its halfway so it must be going somewhere. Guessing ill be empty again in a day or 2

[Vantroublempg]

Hi ive noticed small bubbles are apparent in my overflow. They remain overnight and when i tske the cap off when the engine is cold you hear a gush of air so it doesnt seem to be losing pressure but what will be causing the little bubbles. It does also lose coolant at a slow rate, about a full overflow every 5000 miles. But never over heats


I also have a weird problem where the van will start fine when cold but gets harder to start the further the day goes on, a bit like a drained battery it struggles to fire, but always does eventually. but once i leave it overnight it fires straight away again.

Ive had it pressure tested and they said they couldnt find a leak and then put this thing on with what looked like 2 small blue ink containers, he revved the engine for s few minutes then said 'it doesnt look like your head is damsged' so whats going on.

Edited by Vantroublempg on Saturday 20th July 11:05

[Vantroublempg]

Update:
Ive given it a few week and it still loses small amounts of coolant, ive also noticed tiny bubbles at the top like a foam when its cooled down and there are small bubbles on the dipstick. Any ideas?

[GreenV8S]

Do a block test / sniff test on the coolant just to make sure it isn't being contaminated by combustion products. It's quick and cheap to do. Five minutes for a mechanic, or buy the kit for twenty quid and DIY.

[GreenV8S]

Vantroublempg said:

Hi ive noticed small bubbles are apparent in my overflow. They remain overnight and when i tske the cap off when the engine is cold you hear a gush of air so it doesnt seem to be losing pressure but what will be causing the little bubbles. It does also lose coolant at a slow rate, about a full overflow every 5000 miles. But never over heats


I also have a weird problem where the van will start fine when cold but gets harder to start the further the day goes on, a bit like a drained battery it struggles to fire, but always does eventually. but once i leave it overnight it fires straight away again.

Ive had it pressure tested and they said they couldnt find a leak and then put this thing on with what looked like 2 small blue ink containers, he revved the engine for s few minutes then said 'it doesnt look like your head is damsged' so whats going on.

Edited by Vantroublempg on Saturday 20th July 11:05

Put this useful information in the other thread where you are already asking for help with this issue.

[Vantroublempg]

GreenV8S said:

Do a block test / sniff test on the coolant just to make sure it isn't being contaminated by combustion products. It's quick and cheap to do. Five minutes for a mechanic, or buy the kit for twenty quid and DIY.

Hi, is that not the blue ink test that they did last time i went? If not ill give them a ring monday and sort another.

[GreenV8S]

Vantroublempg said:

Hi, is that not the blue ink test that they did last time i went? If not ill give them a ring monday and sort another.

Yes it is.

[Vantroublempg]

GreenV8S said:

Yes it is.

God knows whats up with it then. May just buy a new coolant cap and hope i work my way up slowly ill find the answer

[GreenV8S]

Any other information you haven't told us about?

[magooagain]

It may be the water cooled oil cooler that is starting to give out. When it eventually gives out the coolent bottle will fill with oil,but generally the engine does not fill with water due to the oil pressure being higher than the water pressure.

A royal pain in the arse they are to repair also.

[Vantroublempg]

I bought some to finally get to the bottom of this coolant loss. I lose about a litre of coolant every 5000 miles so isnt major but its just annoying as i do around 1000 a week.

I bougbt some dye and uv torch, its gone down about an inch yet..... not a spot of dye anywhere. Arrrrrrhhhh driving me mad.

If i cant see a leak is it more likely head gasket related? As i have no other symptoms of head trouble

Edited by Vantroublempg on Wednesday 24th July 20:41

[Doofus]

It's leaking into the sump.

Sorry.

[Vantroublempg]

Doofus said:

It's leaking into the sump.

Sorry.

Whats that mean sorry not that technical and where will i looknto prove that?

For the record ive run head gasket tests using the blue ink at a garage and tjey said the head was fine, also did a pressure test and said it wasnt losing pressure.

[Starfighter]

Redo the UV search at night with the minimum possible background light. Unless you have a seriously powerful UV source you will need to get very close to find the indication. Any white light will drown out the UV reflection. A large tarp over the engine bay may help.

[Doofus]

Sorry, bad joke.

If it's losing coolant, and you can't find it, you're looking in the wrong place. Cryptic, I know, but not knowing the car, or the circumstances, it'll be difficult to diagnose over the internet.