Losing coolant - uh oh!

[ChrisJG]

I have noticed over the last week or so that my coolant level has been dropping. Initially I topped it up with water but, the level still drops. I don't think its HGF as there was no oil in the header tank or water on the dipstick and there seems to be a small puddle of coolant beneath the car. I've booked it into S Williams to be looked at but, not for a week and a half. By the time I need to drive it over there, it is unlikely there will be a huge amount of coolant left in the system so, can I top it up with any old coolant in there to make the journey to the garage?

[kevin ritson]

Whereabouts under the car? Could be an issue with a hose or the radiator. Whatever it is you've done the right thing getting it looked at, the engine carries little coolant and a reduced amount can make quite a difference to temps.

[ChrisJG]

It was the level in the header tank that alerted me, the temperature seems to have been behaving itself so far. The puddle seems to be pretty much directly behind hte driver under the engine. I have had a quick look and can't see anything obvious that I could try tightening so, thought I'd let the experts deal with it. If I was to pick up some bog-standard coolant to fill up the system for the drive to Maidenhead (about 10 miles and the only journey I plan to make before its sorted), presumably I wouldn't be doing the car any harm?

[kevin ritson]

Top it up with some of the OAT stuff and you'll be fine if you're only taking it a few miles. Around the engine isn't a great place to find it but it's possible it could be the inlet manifold gasket which isn't too much of a problem. Other than that it's difficult to speculate.

Edited by kevin ritson on Wednesday 25th July 10:33

[ChrisJG]

Forgive my ignorance but, what is OAT stuff?

[kevin ritson]

Organic Acid Technology IIRC - I'm assuming with a 53 plate car you have the orange coolant. Just don't use water to top up.

[ChrisJG]

Ah, thanks. Correct, it takes orange coolant. Presumably this is something I can pick up from any standard spares shop? I hope so anyway as, I can't really drive anywhere to get any and there is only one spares shop in Henley.

[S Works]

Call Hoffmans Garage if you're in need of assistance, IIRC they're in Henley. It's run by Chris Randall (posts as randy on here and SELOC). I'm sure they'll be able to help.

[RHY 11S]

Second what SWorks said! I work in Henley and was over the moon to find Hoffmans did Lotus work right on my doorstep! Call 01491 573953 and ask for Chris - they're on the Industrial Estate where LA Fitness is.
Rhys

[ChrisJG]

Now that is good news!! I will stick with Steve for the upcoming investigation as he has always done good work for me over the years and its already booked but, for the sake of convenience, will definitly contact Hoffmans for my upcoming service in a couple of months.

Thanks for the recommendation.

[Scotto UK]

I had the exact same problem for over a month and it drove me crazy.

I was loosing water and had no idea where it was coming from... in the end I managed to fix it myself for the grand total of £5

Give this a whirl, it fixed the problem on mine
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Radiator-Expansion-Bottl...

[ChrisJG]

If it were the expansion cap, would I still be losing coolant while the car was parked up? (I haven't driven it for a week now)

[Scotto UK]

Again, same as mine.

My S2 sat in my garage for 16 days was not touched. When I finally got back of holiday the coolant had dropped.

Yours might not be the expansion cap but for £5 its worth trying it, as I say it fixed my problem

Edited by Scotto UK on Wednesday 25th July 15:31

[ChrisJG]

Well, whatever is leaking seems to have worsened! There is no longer any coolant whatsoever in the header tank and I can actually see drips coming off the bottom of the car. I was having a look to see if I could identify where the leak was coming from and, as I looked through the grill on the drivers side, I noticed a small split in the cambelt!! So much for the possibility of an inexpensive repair!!

I am now more concerned than ever about driving it to the garage next week! Are small splits normal and nothing to worry about or would I be a fool to attempt driving the car 10 miles?! I wasn't so worried about driving it with a coolant leak (having topped the system up) but, this feels altogether more serious potentially.

[shangani]

Although you are losing a lot of coolant, the fact that it is happening with the car parked is actually good news in that the problem is likely to be a hose clip / loose hose / split hose etc. HGF does not usually cause you to lose coolant in the manner you have described. Also, the radiator is at the front, so not likely to be that either.

Steve will find the problem easily I am sure.

[Trixster]

I would seriously recommend you dont drive it. If you've got AA Parts and Labour cover get them to recover it to the nearest Lotus specialist. The exact problem you described happened to my car over Xmas, albeit the leak was directly under the radiator. The radiator was knackered along with the fan. AA Parts and Labour covered the entire cost of the repair and Horizon even trailered the car back to me!

[MiniDiva]

It could be the water pump which I presume is driven off the cam belt - hot coolant on your cam belt may have caused it to perish.

If I were you I would think long and hard about driving it 10 miles for 2 reasons:

1. if the water pump is leaking and getting worse you could run out of coolant very quickly which could result in engine damage.

2. If your cam belt isn't sound and it breaks or slips then bye bye engine.

Both will hit you harder than getting it checked out and trailered to a garage.

Just my thoughts anyway. Maybe try and find out where the water pump is and look for leaks around the gasket (also presuming there is one!)

[Jez49]

Are you sure its the cam belt your looking at, it doesn't sound like you've removed the cam belt covers so I'd be surprised if its the cam belt, maybe the alternator belt?

In any case, topping up the system with water to get the car to the garage (as long as the cam belt is ok) will not do any harm whatsoever as long as the system is drained and refilled with proper coolant by the garage once the source of the leak has been found. The corrosion inhibiting benefits of the antifreeze wont be missed in a ten mile journey & its unlikely to freeze during the summer!

Jez

[ChrisJG]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies. Jez, you have highlighted another facet of my automotive ignorance! I had simply assumed the belt I could see was the cambelt but, if the cambelt is covered, it must be the alternator belt (breathes sigh of relief!). The dripping has now slowed again - I think that I may have encouraged the leak yesterday when I removed the expansion cap and leant over the car for a better look.

I am no longer as worried about the drive over the Maidenhead and will leave it in Steve's capable hands.

[Stato]

This sounds "exactly" the same as what I experienced a couple of months ago. Coolant was leaking and dripping from what appeared to be a bolt/plug behind the alternator. Unfortunately, this is where the head gasket had blown so was HGF. I posted it over at SELOC here -----> http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=118502&...