Think i've got HGF

[ara2312]

Oil dropped a little the other day for the first time so I topped it up.

All was good but got home today and whilst waiting to get into the garage temp rose to high 90's and the fan kcicked in - i turned it off straight away - looked under the bonnet and coolant was very low, well pretty much empty.

Is this the dreaded? I hope not as I have it booked in tomorrow for s2 shocks and can't afford both!

Can anyone confirm if i'm going to be poor this Christmas?

[Hollywood Wheels]

Wouldn't necessarily worry. Never turn the engine off when the fan is running, always wait for the fan to finish cooling. High 90's is nothing, mine regularly hits 104 when stuck in traffic and I have an upgraded radiator. The coolant will have looked low because at that point it was doing it's job cooling the hot engine. Slight oil use is no worry, a hard driven Elise will need slight top-ups from time to time. Check the coolant when cold, and pop a bit of oil in the engine.

Is there any gunk in the coolant? Any mayo on the oil cap?

Edited by Hollywood Wheels on Wednesday 31st October 18:43

[ara2312]

No gunk in the oil or in the coolant - just worried me as its the first time its happened and its been doing the same run home from work for months - ive checked the coolant again and its a little low but the oil is fine - maybe i've got a slight leak??

[Hollywood Wheels]

Maybe....have you checked the connections you can get to in the engine bay? I really wouldn't worry about the fan cutting in. Then again, the coolant should sit happily at the min mark. It might be worth just asking for the system to be checked when you're having the suspension done...

[ara2312]

Thx - looks like a bit of an over reaction on my part - i'll get it all checked tomorrow and hopefully it'll be fine

[fatwomble]

I had a couple of "all my coolants disappeared moments" topped up and has been fine for 10,000 + miles. We all tend to be a bit paranoid about HGF(unfortunately sometimes quite rightly).

[Chris49]

ara2312 said:

Thx - looks like a bit of an over reaction on my part - i'll get it all checked tomorrow and hopefully it'll be fine

Hope so fella, I'm yet to do a decent run with you, don't want you dropping out too soon!

[S Works]

Could be air in the system, or a leak in the rad. Top it up and leave it overnight somewhere that you'll see if anything leaks out overnight. Then start it up tomorrow and run it up to temp, watching to see if anything's dripping out anywhere and keeping an eye on what's happening in the coolant reservoir.

[M7RT V]

If you pop it into ProTyre in Poole they'll do a HGF sniffer test for nothing, they did the same for Oly and I.

[ara2312]

Well - just had a call from Sportmotive and the verdict is HGF - bugger!

[S Works]

ara2312 said:

Well - just had a call from Sportmotive and the verdict is HGF - bugger!

But on the upside. Upgrades time! Get the head polished and ported and while it's off see if you can get some more ponies. Reasons to be cheerful

[ara2312]

Mmmm - i'll give them a call to see what can be done - what sort of gain could we be looking at? and would anything else need to be done?

[ara2312]

Got the car back today and pleased shes all fixed, also found out the cat was shot so decided to see how a decat would sound - well its loud and given me lots of smiles but i think its probably too loud for everyday so think ill pop a cat back in, sportomovive suggested a sports one for £250, any other options??

[Beachbum]

Saw your car whilst I was there picking mine up. Couldnt tell much from what they were doing, but they did seem to be doing a lot in the short time I was there.

[S Works]

ara2312 said:

Got the car back today and pleased shes all fixed, also found out the cat was shot so decided to see how a decat would sound - well its loud and given me lots of smiles but i think its probably too loud for everyday so think ill pop a cat back in, sportomovive suggested a sports one for £250, any other options??

Call up Sinclaires or Maidstone Sportscars and buy a second-hand regular one for about £100. They tend to have them around from cars which have been converted.