Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: deviney on 24 March 2016, 13:39:38
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Ok so iv got a omega 3.2 V6.
The problem is its loosing coolant/water when i drive. There is no obvious leak other than when the engine gets hot the water leaks out the expansion tank. I bought a new expansion tank lid and this slowed it down to a dribble but i still lost about 2L every 50 mile and have to replace the lid every month :(
The coolant has sludge in it that sticks to the tank, iv flushed it out but it keeps coming back.
The engine sits nicely at 85 on the dash, so no over heating their.
Their is tiny pools of oil under the car if left to sit for a few days. But no huge oil lose.
Now i am unsure how i can tell if this is a head gasket issue or an oil cooler issue is there any way to tell in this situation?
Iv bought some steel seal encase its the head gasket so i can temp fix it until i can afford a real fix.
Any advice would be great thanks
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Is there any mayo on the dipstick?
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no the oil on the dip stick looks fine
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Oil Cooler.
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as zirk said, oil cooler.
Oil pressure is significantly higher than coolant pressure, so when cooler is broken, oil is forced into the coolant system (and this is why the coolant doesn't get into the oil).
Also, that causes the pressure in cooling system to rise beyond desiged pressure, resulting in opening of the expansion tank lid.
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Thanks guys. Would this cause a lot of coolant lose?
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Thanks guys. Would this cause a lot of coolant lose?
Its probably being pushed out under pressure, bottom line is its all going to get worse not better till the cooler is replaced.
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can it cause anything else other than a gunky coolant system to break because i need to drive it but also wait until next month when i get paid to fix it.
Also what will a garage charge to replace this because i have none to little mechanic skills
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Your effectively putting your Coolant System under more stress, plus, your pushing oily gunk around the system, personally I wouldn't recommend driving it, not for any distance anyway.
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can it cause anything else other than a gunky coolant system to break because i need to drive it but also wait until next month when i get paid to fix it.
Also what will a garage charge to replace this because i have none to little mechanic skills
Tear open a few ariel liquid tabs and pour the contents in the header bottle ;)
It will help stop the white sludge forming for a short while ;)
Where about are you ?
A few lads on here are decent mechanics
You might have one near you who could help out ;)
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am near Liverpool. it would be grate if i could get someone off here as at-least id know they know there shit!
Am are you joking about the ariel tabs that does not sound healthy at all haha
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It's just a detergent/degreasant. Perfectly healthy. You wash your clothes that's you're wearing, after all! :)
it's suggested after doing the oil cooler change to have a flush of the coolant system in this way anyway. What Tiger's suggesting is, in essence to 'give the car a couple of Codeines before going to see the doctor,' as it were, that's all :)
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Oil cooler is by far the likeliest cause.
Whatever the cause, do NOT use any miracle sealant whatsoever.
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The oil in the coolant will attack the rubber pipes and seals, so by continually using it will mean a bigger bill and decreased reliability when you do fix it.
Oil cooler failures on the V6 are normally as a result of poor coolant.
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Could also simply be the header tank... They are prone to cracking around the cap...
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Could also simply be the header tank... They are prone to cracking around the cap...
How does that account for the "sludge" in the ops header tank? ::)
Agree with others diags of failed oil cooler
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Could also simply be the header tank... They are prone to cracking around the cap...
How does that account for the "sludge" in the ops header tank? ::)
Agree with others diags of failed oil cooler
Here we go again >:(
Previous owner could have put any number of stop leak products in there... Thrown in a total lack of coolant maintenance and you're well on the way to sludge and scale throughout the cooling system. The last place this manifests itself is, ironically, the only place you can see it without removing anything... ie the header tank... And if replacing the cap has helped stem the leak, why can the tank neck itself not also be cracked?
£39 for a new header tank vs £150+ in oil cooler parts which may or may not be necessary... ???
Not to mention the labour time/cost.
It's a bit like suggesting that the windscreen be changed because the wiper blades are smearing.
Show me a picture of the crud in the tank on a piece of white paper and, if it's creamy cappuccino mayo then I will conceded that the oil cooler is indeed bollard.
In the meantime, my opinion is as valid as anyone else's, even yours :-X
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Can't hurt to check header tank,can it?after all that's a free,easy check to do.Then if all is fine with that then oil cooler has to be prime suspect.Last week I paid just over £132 for one but then there was extra cost of 4 washers for bolts that pass through cooler pipes into cooler+washers for coolant bridge+I also bought a new oil filter due to the fact that filter has to come off to do cooler and mine is due oil change anyway it seemed foolish not to.So yes getting on for £150 touch in parts+labour[unless diy]
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Can't hurt to check header tank,can it?after all that's a free,easy check to do.Then if all is fine with that then oil cooler has to be prime suspect.Last week I paid just over £132 for one but then there was extra cost of 4 washers for bolts that pass through cooler pipes into cooler+washers for coolant bridge+I also bought a new oil filter due to the fact that filter has to come off to do cooler and mine is due oil change anyway it seemed foolish not to.So yes getting on for £150 touch in parts+labour[unless diy]
Don't forget the Grey sealer too. :y
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OOPS! yes I forgot grey sealant too :D
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Thanks for all the help guys.
Think am going to replace the expansion tank because it mayoed up with lots of creamy brown crud thats stuck all over the tank :( and replace the oil cooler.
If i wanted to buy the parts and then get someone to fit them... is their a list of what i need and a recommended place for me to get them from.
That way i can take it all to the garage and just pay the labour charge for fitting :)
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am near Liverpool. it would be grate if i could get someone off here as at-least id know they know there shit!
Am are you joking about the ariel tabs that does not sound healthy at all haha
Nup ;D
I ran mine for a while when cooler was starting to leak.
No problems around town.
Just scooped the gunge out of the tank every few days :y
Made the mistake of going for a blast down the motorway.
Car going great until I slowed down for some roadworks, the stat closed and the engine very nearly cooked itself :'(
Spent 2 hours parked up with the bonnet up near a tree for shade until it cooled down enough.
Limped into town to find a supermarket and popped in about 7 tabs.
The Bio part breaks down the oil and lets the coolant flow around the engine :y
The coolant does end up looking like watered down cat vomit but it did the job within minutes of running it again and I got home with the gauge sat at a nice 85 degree's :y
The coolant does end up smelling like a slappers handbag though ;)
Not that I know about these things of course :-X :D :D
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Thanks for all the help guys.
Think am going to replace the expansion tank because it mayoed up with lots of creamy brown crud thats stuck all over the tank :( and replace the oil cooler.
If i wanted to buy the parts and then get someone to fit them... is their a list of what i need and a recommended place for me to get them from.
That way i can take it all to the garage and just pay the labour charge for fitting :)
Don't put on new tank straight away, as it will need a few flushes to get all the shite out.
If you're not feeling up to DIY, try someone like Darth Loo-knee on here - you'll get a better job done than a garage would do. Also, not sure if Elite Pete still does stuff?
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Thanks for all the help guys.
Think am going to replace the expansion tank because it mayoed up with lots of creamy brown crud thats stuck all over the tank :( and replace the oil cooler.
If i wanted to buy the parts and then get someone to fit them... is their a list of what i need and a recommended place for me to get them from.
That way i can take it all to the garage and just pay the labour charge for fitting :)
Don't put on new tank straight away, as it will need a few flushes to get all the shite out.
If you're not feeling up to DIY, try someone like Darth Loo-knee on here - you'll get a better job done than a garage would do. Also, not sure if Elite Pete still does stuff?
Indeed. Twenty plus iirc from Aaronjbs... :D get a big box of tabs, you won't get much change from 40 :o
Only change the tank/refill with 50/50 when it runs clear. And don't use the car until then... :y
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You will need
Oil cooler,got mine off e-bay which included cover plate and nuts,washers,seals which hold oil cooler and cover plate together.I don't know if any one kit is recommended more than another.
There are 4 washers which go on the bolts which go through the oil cooler pipes into oil cooler.I don't know if these are strictly necessary to renew but why take the chance?Bought mine from Vx dealer.
New washers needed for coolant bridge.Again got mine from Vx dealer
Grey sealant for cover plate Vx dealer
Perhaps not strictly necessary but I also bought a new oil filter as this has to be removed to change oil cooler-and in my case it's due an oil and filter change anyway,bought mine from ECP,but basically can be sourced from any where you fancy.
So all in £140-£150 in parts.
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You're not a million miles from Daz (AKA Darth Loo knee) :y