Hawkeye D

Hi all,

STi Spec D 07/07 30k miles.

I think over the last few months, the coolant level in the tank nearest the radiator is rising.

It's almost 3/4 full now. There ia a max / min mark on the bottle towards the bottom, but from stone cold is way way over the max.

I can see a bit of coolant around the hole where the loose pipe goes in, and possibly some on the cooling fan bracket just underneath.

I've not checked the level when the engine is hot, but roughly where should it be? I checked the header tank near the turbo recently, and on stone cold the level was just below the metal cap.


Any ideas? Normal this time of year?

I'm sure it was always a bit over max, but not this much.

Level when stone cold :

[IMG][/IMG]

Hot, dried out coolant splashes (I think) on bottom hose and cambelt cover :

[IMG][/IMG]

poolio74

Doesnt sound good mate.I hope im wrong but sounds very much like head gasket trouble im afraid.

tubbytommy

iTrader: (20)

uh oh another amazing 2.5 headgasket issue.

Hawkeye D

That's what I was wondering, but surely that would lose / use water?

The coolant doesn't look contaminated in any way, and the tank isn't dirty or anything.

Hawkeye D

Air lock of some kind?

chopperman

Maybe you just have over filled it. It should be up to the max line when cold.

Hawkeye D

I've never put any coolant in it though, in either tank.

marshall332bhp

Ad if said it would loose water if was the head gasket. Hope it's not mate. Or ur in for a very expensive rebuild.

chopperman

Are you sure you were on completely level ground when you checked it ?

Hawkeye D

Yep. It's not just a bit over the max, it's miles over.

chopperman

If you suspect head gasket any garage can do a sniff test or litmus test. Best to catch it early if it is hg.

jazzyjembreaze

iTrader: (11)

The overflow tank isn't pressurised like the expansion tank
So for excess to be introduced the rad or expansion has to be
Overfilled
Airlock
Pressure fluctuation do to faulty rad or expansion cap
Head gasket
Take the overflow tank of & pour contents into a jug
If its not soiled in any way is say you have a airlock

jazzyjembreaze

iTrader: (11)

Ps
How often do you check your levels
There are many sighns of head gasket & if you arnt experiencing any other & your coolant is contamination free I doubt it is HG
Saying that - you can't rule it out with a 2.5

Hawkeye D

If the issue is an air lock, how do I get rid of it?

jazzyjembreaze

iTrader: (11)

Drain & start again from highest point very slowly with heaters on making sure the system dosent gulp

Hawkeye D

Usually check levels weekly. A little oil here and there, but nothing major.

Header tank was full only last week - level just under the metal cap.

I really can't work it out.

DeweyAXD

Hate to say it mate but it sounds identical to when my Spec D HG went. If its an airlock then air has got in the system from somewhere (as you probably know its a sealed system). If you've not done anything to the car then it can't have come from anywhere other than the engine.... not good.

You can try and drain the airlock but the chances of it coming back after is very high. I did the same myself to little use.

Take a CLOSE look at the temp gauge and the heat coming from the blowers (or lack of). If the gauge moves evening a couple of mm near to the half way then you'll know.

Honestly I feel for you... happened after 3.5 weeks of owning my Spec D and I checked it for all the signs before I bought it. Time to give API a call I fear.

P.S.... either way come join the Spec-D thread!! https://www.scoobynet.com/members-ga...i-spec-ds.html

merlin24

iTrader: (1)

Might be something simple like the Header tank cap passing under pressure and dumping a bit into the reservoir tank or it has been overfilled at sometime.
IIRC the reservoir tank holds 0.5l, so might be worthwhile emptying the tank out into a measuring jug and putting back 0.5l and monitoring it over a few days.

Mick

Hawkeye D

Hmm. I have a PSi3 ecu reader on the dash, and the temps seem normal.

Runs around 86-90 degrees, goes up to 96 when stationary until the cooling fan cuts in.

Plenty hot air coming out of the heaters, and the car seems to be running completely normal.

DeweyAXD

Interesting. Mine did have some oil in the tank too so if thats not there then maybe its nothing. Have you (from cold) opened the expansion tank and run the car to see if there are any signs of bubbles? Eventually mine had obvious bubbles in there.

Hawkeye D

Funny...I've not had the bottle to do that, in fear of causing an air lock!

DeweyAXD

lol well that is understandable but well worth a look first if you are going to investigate an air lock anyway. I think i'm correct in saying that it does no harm as you leave the tank cap open when re-filling the system as its the only way of knowing if you've got all the air out. I'll leave a proper mechanic to confirm that

thenewgalaxy

When my Spec D blew up (HG, ring land was also found to have gone) I noticed the following:

Several months beforehand the coolant level kept rising a long way after switching the engine off and letting it sit for a few hours.

If I looked when the engine was warm the level would go down a lot.

The oil consumption was always high but it got ridiculous - over a litre every 1000 miles.

Phoned a dealer in Warwickshire who had previously serviced the car under warranty who told me not to worry.

Then one day a few weeks later I noticed the heating didn't work, coolant bottle was nearly empty.

The car was nearly due a service so I took it in and it was serviced by a specialist close to me in the North West.

Two weeks later, On the way home that day I was driving along the motorway and I remember hearing a thump from under the bonnet. After coming off the motorway I noticed the temperature guage rising so limped a couple of miles home.

Looked in the coolant tank. The level had come up and forced the coolant tank open. There was oil in there and foamy coolant. On inspecting the exhaust there was a thick layer of white residue all over the exhaust.

I took it in and was told that it had a head gasket failure and on stripping the engine number four piston looked like it had never had ringlands on it!

I had the engine forged and made the decision to sell the car about six months later as it never felt right after the rebuild.

poolio74

Never felt right in what way?

tubbytommy

iTrader: (20)

when its on boost, the problems will occur.
idling and slow driving probably wont show up the problems.

thenewgalaxy

Didn't feel as smooth. Drunk more fuel. The engine note just didn't seem right either. It also used to idle a little erratically especially from cold. I also thought on boost there was an occasional hesitation or possibly a misfire. I was convinced a cylinder head was on the way out.

Was assured there was no issue but I reckon there was another problem brewing, I can't see how a bosted piston wouldn't damage something else either. I told the garage I sold the car to and they said it seemed fine so maybe it was just me.

If anyone on here is running a Spec D with the reg CV56 KZN I'd like to know how she's getting on.

chopperman

Probably needed a map tweak after the rebuild, especially if non standard part were used or the heads skimmed ect. I broke 2 pistons but no other damage was done to the engine.

Hawkeye D

The header tank and radiator levels are completely full.

I'm wondering though if I can see tiny tiny metal particles in the coolant.
I may be wrong, but looking with a bright torch, I think maybe I can.

I am concerned.

thenewgalaxy

I feel for the OP as those pics look to me as if there is something dark in the coolant - Could be the light though. However there is no doubting that there is way too much coolant in the reservoir I suspect it is being forced out along with some oil.

If you don't take it down the garage first thing tomorrow on low boost I'd recommend tipping the coolant from the reservoir into a clear jug and seeing how transparent it is. Any murkiness or oil is a bad sign.

I sincerely hope I'm wrong - maybe it is an airlock. I'm not a mechanic so I could very easily be!

WRT my Spec D the engine was remapped, omega pistons put in, heads skimmed, Cosworth head gaskets, new studs. I basically had the work done that was recommended to me.

Hawkeye D

I so can't get my head around this :

Ok, so there could be an air pocket somewhere in the system, so that could explain the equivelant amount of extra water in the coolant tank.
However, if this air pocket can push water into the tank, how come the air doesn't follow out the same way?

If it's an "air lock" where can it be trapped or "locked"?

Heaters ar working fine, plenty of hot air coming through, and A/C behaving as it should. No unusual misting of the windows, dry footwells etc.