set off today heater full on, noticed no heat temp gauge of the scale.steam from around top hose but could not see were coming from.added 2 ltr of water and started motor.would not allow me to add further.noticed bubbles in water fill pipe.welcome your views on causes and next steps.

 

You could have an air lock in the system. so you will need to bleed the system to get the air out.

 

head gasket failure can lead to bubbles in the water(don't want to cause alarm as hopefully its something simple like an airlock as banny mentioned above) Might be worth checking the oil to make sure its not watery as this can be a sign of head gasket failure. Is this the first time its overheated?

James

 

In event of head gasket failure the oil may or may not get contaminated. If you suspect that the coolant is being over pressurised due to a head gasket failure then a coolant contamination check will tell you. Smaller garages should be able to perform one for you as its not a particularly specialised bit of kit they use.

Hopefully just air lock, but they normally happen just after refilling the coolant system, however if it was 2ltr down on water then that's a fair amount so undoubtedly there will have been air in there. Run it gently with the heater controls on warm/hot for a few miles after topping up, any rise in the gauge temp or drop in air temp from the heater will indicate you still have a problem of some type.

 

Hi James,Banny.
Yes 1st time,will check oil, if ok will thoroughly check top hose and bleed system.Have to say head gasket is a nagging thought.

 

what year of car?
Classics tend to have radiator failures on the endcap (usually drivers side near the top rad hose) This is sometimes not noticeable when the car is cold as it is usually a very fine crack, however when it gets warm and the system is under pressure then it shows its head.

The bubbles will probably be air getting in the system, find the cause of the steam first and worry about anything else later

 

1998 Turbo (uk) Owned from new, has 147.000 on the clock and has never missed a beat untill now.