sterns

Hi all.

Just thought id ask as got a bit of an annoying problem with my cooling system.
Started the day before i was meant to drive to stanstead, so that started my holiday off well, lol

Had just driven from work to home (7 miles) and as i got near home I could smell coolant and my temp. gauge was rising. Got it home and popped the bonnet to find the header tank lid had released and blown coolant under the bonnet.
After alot of looking around to find out why, we found that my rad had split on the LH side (same as my bros had on both his scoobs).
Thought, fair enough and replaced the rad, new coolant and bled the system.

Got back from Austria and drove to Bristol. No real probs. Drove then home to Sussex and as I got to Newbury, noticed the temp. was up.
Checked under the bonnet, loads of coolant on the RH side by the reserve tank and over the battery and tray(tho still coolant in the filler tube?) and no coolant in the header tank, tho no sign of it releasing from the cap.
Topped it back up and got home, only once the temp. rose again.

I re-bled the system all again, and checked the thermostat. All seemed ok.

But since doing that it still keeps throwing coolant out of the reserve tank side and spewing it all around the battery area. Though there is always still a high level in the tube. and the level drops from the header tank.

I cant work it out why it keeps overheating and throwing the coolant out.
Could it be a blocked pipe? though i did check most of them.

Can anyone shed some light into this and maybe help me sort it out.
Ill prob order a new thermostat anyway.


thanks very much
really appreciative

Tony

coulty

Head gasket has probably gone mate. Get a gas test done on your coolant which will tell you if it has.

sterns

just an update.

It doesnt really overheat when im just cruising, its only when i give it a little beans. It sarts to overheat, the the temp drops back down and is ok again. WTF?

anyone

cheers

Tony

funkyspider

First job, as already suggested, is to eliminate head gasket failure. I'm not saying it is that - just eliminate that first.

Find a little garage that will do a coolant gas contamination check. Should cost next to nothing (half hour job with the price of a bit of the fancy liquid) and then you will know for sure. Dont rely on the 'mayo in the oil' check , that may or may not occur with a failing head gasket, so its not a sure test. Also dont rely on the 'bubbles in the coolant header tank' test, although in your case this would be more likely than oil contamination if it was head gasket.

A failing head gasket will allow the coolant system to become over-pressurised as gas from the cylinder escapes through the crack in the gasket into the coolant paths that run through the block (this is how the coolant contamination test works - detects the exhaust gas chemicals in the coolant). The extra pressure will then find any weak spots in the coolant system, commonly the sides or bottom of the rad or the heater matrix behind the dash.

So step 1 - eliminate head gasket failure.

Could be as simple as a sticking thermostat, but eliminate head first.

Fingers crossed for ya m8