Coolant Loss
Coolant Loss
Author
Discussion

deano 4.0 chimp

Original Poster:

87 posts

252 months

Saturday 10th December 2005
quotequote all
Sorry that my first post has to be a plea for help....

I have been the proud owner of a 4.0L chimp (The Beast) for close to 2 months now and actually bought it through PH. It was a very good price and knew that the car had a few niggles which I have been slowly putting right. Most of it through hours of searching through this forum, so a big THANKS. But this time I must I ask for help...

Anyhow I had just left the house and a couple of hundred meters down the road the temp has gone up a lot quicker than normal, go another few hudred meters and it is getting close to 90 and now I see steam. I pull over and turn off the engine....Look under the car and see my coolant rapidly disappearing from the back of the engine (if that makes sense).

I have some water in the back of the car so fill up the swirl tank (just to make matters worse my bonnet stick thingy breaks) The water starts dripping out the bottom, I cannot see where it is leaking. It looks to be around the back of the engine, I was wondering if it may be a pipe or hose that has split/come off, maybe to the heater matrix? Trudge home and bring back 10L of water (chuffing heavy), put in about 3 litres and realise it is a lost cause.

As it is only about 2 minutes from the house do you think it is worth limping home?

Any help would be greatly appreciated...

Dean



>> Edited by deano 4.0 chimp on Sunday 11th December 10:15

GreenV8S

31,018 posts

314 months

Saturday 10th December 2005
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Where is the water coming out from?

v8 racing

2,064 posts

281 months

Saturday 10th December 2005
quotequote all
Hi dean firstly is it a serp or pre serp? they have different water routes on the engine, if you need to limp home providing the gauge doesnt go above 110 you will be ok, if the gauge goes up and then drops stop this means there is not enough water in the engine

deano 4.0 chimp

Original Poster:

87 posts

252 months

Saturday 10th December 2005
quotequote all
Oops....

It is a 94 plate so I believe it is the pre-sepentine. Still trying to get to know the engine/terms please bear with me.

Unfortunately I cannot see where the leak is actually coming from, but when I look underneath the car it is dripping from around the sump area towards the rear of the engine...

I shone a torch around the back of the engine, I saw some rust and moisture around a small diameter pipe underneath the rear of the plenum.

I cannot get underneath the car toooo damn low....

Dean

v8 racing

2,064 posts

281 months

Saturday 10th December 2005
quotequote all
yeh that helps the pre serp does have a pipe that runs under the inlet manifold, serps dont they come around the front, hopefully it will just be a case of removing the two water pipes from the heatre matrix to the back of the inlet manifold cleaning them with sandpaer and re fitting, it is much easier to do this by removing the plenum top just make sure you re seal the face between the plenum top and trumpet base

deano 4.0 chimp

Original Poster:

87 posts

252 months

Saturday 10th December 2005
quotequote all
Thanks for the info Rob..

OK deep breath,
I am about to go and try to limp the beast home and have a tinker in the garage....

When you say to seal the plenum what should I use for this?

Dean

Ballistic Banana

14,706 posts

297 months

Saturday 10th December 2005
quotequote all
To seal the plenum I use Blue Hylomar which was recomended by Mr Gotts on this thread HERE

Good luck

BB

>> Edited by Ballistic Banana on Saturday 10th December 19:52

v8 racing

2,064 posts

281 months

Saturday 10th December 2005
quotequote all
Any kind of silicone sealant or like the banana man says blue hylormar is good as well, providing it is oil and petrol resistant you will be ok

deano 4.0 chimp

Original Poster:

87 posts

252 months

Saturday 10th December 2005
quotequote all
It never rains but it pours......

Just braved sub siberian temperatures, my gonads have retreated to a place that only Shoulin Monks should know about. Get to the beast which I notice has frost on it...

Anyway I top up the water, quickly jump in the car and turn the engine, click then deathly silence...dash lights have disappeared... Trudge round to passenger side rip out carpet, find torch/fuses.

Take 2, jump into car and turn key, dashboards light spring into life fuel pump primes, click then silence dashboard lights disappear... Trudge round to passenger side shine torch into the footwell and check around the fuse board...I notice that there is some moisture around the bottom of the fuseboard....I think Fkit it can wait till tomorrow......

Go to shut up shop get my fandangled blipper thingy out and guess what...........
Get back on the floor torch in hand and check fuses.....Yep you guessed it....

Anyway I have got the car locked and alarmed so will have a look tomorrow..Shall pull out the board and dry it up if necessary. If the car shall not commeth to thy toolkit then I will just have to lug it to the damn car.....

On a more serious note do you think that the water has leaked inside somehow?

When I first got the car the passenger footwell was a tad damp which I traced to one of pipes weeping...I drained down the system and daubed some sealant around it. Topped up the system and bled it. I did start losing coolant after this but this was down to me not tightening the raditor hose back on properly

Dean

>> Edited by deano 4.0 chimp on Saturday 10th December 21:06

>> Edited by deano 4.0 chimp on Saturday 10th December 21:07

antonyj

5,254 posts

311 months

Saturday 10th December 2005
quotequote all
My griff had a small leak toward the rear of the engine, it used to leak and drip down to the exhaust.
I checked all my heater pipes, no leak. Changed the valley gasket and it leaked no more.
Not too bad to do either.


victormeldrew

8,293 posts

307 months

Saturday 10th December 2005
quotequote all
Sounds like the leaking hose has been dripping onto the fuses and relays. The heater hoses run directly over the top of the battery and all the electrics down there. An accident waiting to happen really.

deano 4.0 chimp

Original Poster:

87 posts

252 months

Sunday 11th December 2005
quotequote all
Thanks for your replies so far...

Blue Hylomar...Can I find this in a local Halfrauds or will i have to order?

Dean

antonyj

5,254 posts

311 months

Sunday 11th December 2005
quotequote all
Hylomar blue is just a standard gasket paste, get it anywhere.

deano 4.0 chimp

Original Poster:

87 posts

252 months

Sunday 11th December 2005
quotequote all
Just trudged myself and the toolkit down to the beast.......

What do you know...Cannot get in...No Alarm...No flashing LED on dash....

Is it the fuse again do you think?

OK I understand that there is a "Hidden" way into the car that for good reason is not publicised on the site. Therfore would someone be able to let me know through my personal e-mail on my profile.....

I think it may be time for some recovery......I hate being beaten.....

Dean

>> Edited by deano 4.0 chimp on Sunday 11th December 13:01

pete500

151 posts

274 months

Sunday 11th December 2005
quotequote all
The heater tubes run under the manifolds on serp engines too. On my 500griff i experienced coolant loss between heads and manifold, poured out on top of valleygasket and went off to the rear of the engine. Cause was loose bolts between heads and manifold.. pt

Deano 4.0 Chimp

Original Poster:

87 posts

252 months

Sunday 11th December 2005
quotequote all
A big thanks to Phil for the "info"..

Well the battery is dead as a Dodo...I took the liberty of checking the fuse board anyway which within the rubber covering is dry as a bone and no fuses blown

I can only think that there must be a short somewhere....

Anyway time to for a recovery truck.....

I'm gonna be a busy little beaver in the garage me thinks..

Thanks again for all the help/advice so far and I shall keep y'all posted

Deano 4.0 Chimp

Original Poster:

87 posts

252 months

Friday 16th December 2005
quotequote all
The beast is back in its cave...

I have started taking the Plenum off but seem to have come to an abrupt stop already....

After taking the 6 screws out I cannot seem to get the plenum off, the metal from under the window is in the way. I have already bent it up as was advised in a previous thread but I dont believe I can bend it any further without breaking it or at least making it look a bit shabby. The throttle cable assembly is also not helping, I have undone the 4 screws at the plenum side but will not release as the spring seems to be attached to both throttle assembly and the plenum.

When taking the 6 bolts out of the plenum the two at the rear were loose and rusty...This is the area where I was saying it looks a bit rusty. If water has been seeping in the plenum can this cause any permanent damage?

I will take some pictures when I get the plenum off...

Dean

>> Edited by Deano 4.0 Chimp on Friday 16th December 17:37

Nuggs

4,640 posts

264 months

Friday 16th December 2005
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Dean - is it because we're talking about a chimp here? They're a lot like humans, they need to leak sometimes...

Deano 4.0 Chimp

Original Poster:

87 posts

252 months

Friday 16th December 2005
quotequote all


>> Edited by Deano 4.0 Chimp on Friday 16th December 18:03

andy-w

1,987 posts

256 months

Friday 16th December 2005
quotequote all
take the housing off for the stepper motor...3 allen screws and it comes off then the plenum top will lift off with ease....been through this procedure a couple of weeks ago.