reg5 10 Posted July 13, 2012 (edited) Could anyone tell me the solution to this problem.ever time i have been out in my car and in gets warm and i stop let turbo wind down come back to the car 5 minutes later and its lost all its coolent out the header tank this has happened 5 times now any advice would be appreciated Edited July 20, 2012 by davidwort Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanl82 23 Posted July 14, 2012 You need to check where its leaking from first. When you switch off, stay with the car. Pop the bonnet, check the header tank, and check under the car to see if theres any evidence of a leak. You may be able to see a leak, by looking for white crystal deposits around pipework, block, or radiator etc. By the amount thats going each time though, it may be that its just water left and very little coolant. Put some coolant in otherwise it may be just evaporating with the heat under the bonnet where its leaking. There is another possibility, but you've not mentioned rough running, and I dont wanna scare you yet! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Critical_Mass 10 Posted July 14, 2012 is it leaking though and not just back pressure causing it to overflow from the header? Air lock? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
reg5 10 Posted July 20, 2012 I have found the leak it is comimg out the side of the header tank once i have switched the engine off any body got any clues? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanl82 23 Posted July 20, 2012 Change the header tank cap for a newer style blue one first, the older black ones are a common ploblem in that they fail to open and vent excess pressure. If this still doesnt solve it, do as C M suggests and bleed it all through again. Very straight forward to do, just remove the cap and run the engine stationary until up to temp. rev to about 2.5k every 30 seconds, for 30 seconds. In between, massage the water pipes to force the air out. Do this a dozen times or so, until coolant rises to the top of the header tank. Switch off, top up the coolant, job done. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Critical_Mass 10 Posted July 20, 2012 I have found the leak it is comimg out the side of the header tank once i have switched the engine off any body got any clues? Its not the right side is it, as there's an overflow on the bottle. Like a square hole. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanl82 23 Posted July 20, 2012 Its not the right side is it, as there's an overflow on the bottle. Like a square hole. Exactly. This is why I suggested as above. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Critical_Mass 10 Posted July 20, 2012 ah sorry sean, didnt realise you'd said that all ready. if its overflowing Id def do as sean suggested and get the car up to temp without the reservoir cap on. NB - put the heater on hot and the fan on full whilst the car is heating up. Once it boils over, leave it to cool. the level will drop and just top up. Then do it again. You may have to do this a few times. It'll always boil over without the cap on, this isnt a worry. once you've done it a few times, put cap on and run up to temp again and see if it happens again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
reg5 10 Posted July 22, 2012 Hi i have tried everything everbody has said.and it still releases coolant out the side of the expansion tank.but not all the time.a strange one Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites