Bleeding Puma

[RDE]

My car began emitting a nasty smell as I pulled onto the drive yesterday. After noticing smoke/steam gently escaping from unde the bonnet I opened it to find pink coolant dribbling out of the heater control valve area and boiling on the manifold.

Has anyone had an HCV break to the point where it leaked suddenly? Is it more likely the hose has come loose/cracked? I would try and investigate buy my tools are elsewhere.

Also, can anyone tell me where to find the correct coolant online, as well as the hoses in case they turn out to be at fault?

Many thanks

[deevlash]

sounds nasty, try pumapeople.com for tech specs and such.

[Zad]

Hope the head gasket hasn't gone and overpressurised it. Look for the usual (mayonnaise in the oil filler cap, smell of hydrocarbons in the header tank).

[RDE]

Well I hope it isn't that too. One of the tubes on the heater control valve had snapped clean off at the base and the remaining plastic was really brittle, so i'm guessing that's the cause. Is it likely a head gasket failure would do that or is it just ste plastics suddenly failing?

New HCV is on the way so hopefully i'll be able to sort it.

[FWDRacer]

Those HCV are so sh!t. Ford ought to be ashamed of sending cars out with under engineered rubbish like this on them. Effects Puma/Fiesta/Ka.

[stu_the_flat]

YOu are very lucky. Its know to crack the the temp sensor to e at the top the the engine so that it still reads normal temprature when in realtiy your engine is over heating. I replaced mine its not a bad job and yo can do it will a fairly basic tool kit.

More info here (you will need to be a member.

http://www.pumapeople.com/forum/index.php?autocom=...

Cheers Stuart

[RDE]

Christ! That really was lucky. In reality i'd be surprised if I noticed the needle creeping upwards. If I was doing 82mph (on a trackday for example) and had half a tank of fuel left so everything was pointing up, then maybe, but otherwise unlikely. Does a light come on if the temp rises or anything?

Anyway, lucky escape and hopefully should be fixed in a day or so.