Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Debs. on 29 December 2009, 12:12:13
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Had to do a long trip yesterday; much against better judgement, in view of the terrible weather.
Nearly got back safely, but within 100 yards of home (on the 400 yard unmade and steep track that I laughably call a driveway) and in the teeth of a blizzard (falling on sheet ice) on the steepest part of the hill, I hit "something" (hidden rock or ice-block) under the valance/engine area.....loads of steam temp gauge instantly max`ed......I got it going (trying to do it in a way to limit head-gasket damage)and quickly managed to get the car nearer the house before the weather got even worse.
Debs. beloved Miggy.........I cried like a baby last night: I`m simply gutted! :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
I had a look with a torch but can`t see where the massive coolant-loss is coming from; there`s so much 'stuff' around the rad./induction/fans/covers/undertray etc.'.....all the hoses look ok, so I`m guessing it`s much more 'terminal' than rubber........any ideas what is low-down and fragile in the cooling dept.?
What`s involved in fully-seeing/freeing the radiator on a V6?
Did I mention I`m gutted?!?!?!?!? :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
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Heres hoping its something daft like the drain tap
guess if you pour water in, you may see where it runs out....
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not good debs, just hope its a simple cheap repair job, fingers crossed dear :(
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Just have to pour water in coolant bottle and have a look at where the leak is i guess, could be the drivers side hose on the low down part of rad?
Sorry to hear this!
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I thumped the valance on my last omega on the entance to a car park at less than 10 mph a few years ago and cracked the plastic header tank on one end of the radiator. In my case it was a slow coolant loss but I can confirm that the radiator is the lowest part of the cooling system.
If you had a diesel I would mention the Webasto heater under the drivers side.......
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I think the worst possible outcome would a new radiator. Not terminal, just a rather nuisance and costly.
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Yikes Debs, thats such a bummer!
I hope its an easy fix for you but I guess in this weather working under a car is the last thing you want to do
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Distressing news indeed D, hope that in the light of day whatever damage has been caused can be rectified without too much difficulty :y :y
Here's some :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* to cheer you up :y
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Heres hoping its something daft like the drain tap
guess if you pour water in, you may see where it runs out....
Thanks James :y....I think I`ll have to wait until the weather isn`t frigid; it`s -5 C. ATM (less with the wind-chill); I think if I put 'just' water in it might freeze and do more damage as I don`t want to risk (any more) glycol-antifreeze about the yard in case of the dogs licking and getting poisoned.
How much dismantling is reqd. to free the rad?.....it appears to have been installed using a shoehorn!
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Sorry to hear this Debs, can it be claimed on insurance?
Pain in the :-Xside especially with the weather your way. :(
Mick
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i guess with header tank off, and hole elsewhere, there would be plenty of expansion room for water / ice so can't see it being a problem....
but does sound a job for the better weather as you will be on the ground
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How much dismantling is reqd. to free the rad?.....it appears to have been installed using a shoehorn!
Not too bad (for an Omega).
There seem to be lots of things bolted to the radiator which don't actually need to come out but do need to be unbolted before the rad lifts out.
(From memory) the air con condenser is bolted to the front and bits of the multi ram are bolted to the back. I may have had to loosen a few other things to make space but can't remember what they were...
There are two spring clips (that hold the rad in) that need to be pushed down (to compress the mounting rubber) and then squeezed inwards before they can be removed. I used mole grips.
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Heres hoping its something daft like the drain tap
guess if you pour water in, you may see where it runs out....
Thanks James :y....I think I`ll have to wait until the weather isn`t frigid; it`s -5 C. ATM (less with the wind-chill); I think if I put 'just' water in it might freeze and do more damage as I don`t want to risk (any more) glycol-antifreeze about the yard in case of the dogs licking and getting poisoned.
How much dismantling is reqd. to free the rad?.....it appears to have been installed using a shoehorn!
Removal is fairly straight forward and it can do done (carefully) without getting underneath the car.
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I remember JamesV6 did one in a carpark / campsite with next to no tools, so shouldnt be too bad.
Maybe someone could write a guide on removal :y
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:-* Thankyou guys; I feel less upset (and 'hopeless') after reading your replies! :-*
`Soon as this blizzard eases I`ll put-on my thermals on and go try and see what`s what. ;)
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:-* Thankyou guys; I feel less upset (and 'hopeless') after reading your replies! :-*
`Soon as this blizzard eases I`ll put-on my thermals on and go try and see what`s what. ;)
Good luck!
If you didn't live in the arse-end of no-where were closer one of us would probably be able to help.... ::)
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:-* Thankyou guys; I feel less upset (and 'hopeless') after reading your replies! :-*
`Soon as this blizzard eases I`ll put-on my thermals on and go try and see what`s what. ;)
Dont expect the worst just yet Debs. You will know more when you get the chance to have a good look. :-*
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Gutted for you Debs! :( :(
Good news it that I doubt it's more serious than a radiator and, as said above, it's a fairly easy thing to fix :y :y
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I think if I put 'just' water in it might freeze and do more damage as I don`t want to risk (any more) glycol-antifreeze about the yard in case of the dogs licking and getting poisoned.
I agree with you Debs. People don't seem to realise how toxic anti freeze is to animals (and that it has a sweet taste that attracts them).
I would worry that fresh water would dilute the antifreeze in the block as the only way to drain the block is to remove the water pump.
If I was in your position I would attempt to use air to pressurise the system (but I do already have a cap for my header tank that I have modified with a schradaer valve)
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I remember JamesV6 did one in a carpark / campsite with next to no tools, so shouldnt be too bad.
I remember it well - it was by Ben Nevis ;D
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steam does not always mean instant bad news Debs, just running though huge puddles at speed, water hits the exhaust and clouds of steam.
Something similar could have happend, damaged the rad or drain tap as mentioned, sending coolant onto the exhausts, that would cause clouds of steam, and temp issues.
Is it holding water? Is the expansion tank empty? As mentioned stick a hose in the bottle and see if you see it pouring out anywhere :)
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:-* Thankyou guys; I feel less upset (and 'hopeless') after reading your replies! :-*
`Soon as this blizzard eases I`ll put-on my thermals on and go try and see what`s what. ;)
Dont expect the worst just yet Debs. You will know more when you get the chance to have a good look. :-*
Off on a tangent: Bl00dy 'ell Steve did you get a visit from the ghosts of Christmas? most out of character you being nice.
Back on topic sorry to here about your car Debs I hope it's something simple.
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Guide here by RolandL (with pics) for replacing
radiator and condenser if it's any help in planning
the job whilst you wait for the weather to clear.
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1186952629
Hopefully it's something simple.
Best of luck.
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:-* Thankyou guys; I feel less upset (and 'hopeless') after reading your replies! :-*
`Soon as this blizzard eases I`ll put-on my thermals on and go try and see what`s what. ;)
Dont expect the worst just yet Debs. You will know more when you get the chance to have a good look. :-*
Off on a tangent: Bl00dy 'ell Steve did you get a visit from the ghosts of Christmas? most out of character you being nice.
Back on topic sorry to here about your car Debs I hope it's something simple.
He ACTUALLY WISHED ANOTHER MEMBER A HAPPY CHRISTMAS the other day too :o :o :o :o :o
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Sorry to hear of this misfortune, Debs. However, be consoled by the fact that even I have swapped the radiator out of a V6, so it definitely isn't that hard. ;) ;D
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Guide here by RolandL (with pics) for replacing
radiator and condenser if it's any help in planning
the job whilst you wait for the weather to clear.
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1186952629
Hopefully it's something simple.
Best of luck.
Thanks very much Grumps.....`just what I needed! :y
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I have a radiator you can have for free if you need it.
Years ago I replaced my aircon condensor on the 2.0 - sent a faulty one never collected - given to MDTM
After my prang last year I was offered a spare by MDTM if I needed it (mine has a broken mount).
So if my recent water leak is not radiator you can have this one if you need it.
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Off on a tangent: Bl00dy 'ell Steve did you get a visit from the ghosts of Christmas? most out of character you being nice.
[/highlight]
He ACTUALLY WISHED ANOTHER MEMBER A HAPPY CHRISTMAS the other day too :o :o :o :o :o
>:(Oi youse!....Steve`s our bessie-mate; leave him alone: or else! :P
;D :D :-*
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I have a radiator you can have for free if you need it.
Years ago I replaced my aircon condensor on the 2.0 - sent a faulty one never collected - given to MDTM
After my prang last year I was offered a spare by MDTM if I needed it (mine has a broken mount).
So if my recent water leak is not radiator you can have this one if you need it.
'Merci bucket', Martin! ;)....`will know more when the weather improves. :y
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Sorry to hear of your misfortune Debs, You'll sort it though, I'm sure of that :y
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Sorry to hear this news Debs............but I feel sure that chivalry is alive and well ......and there is a OOFer close to you who is more than willing to help a damsel in distress...... :y :y :y....Free of charge.....naturally ;) ;)
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Sorry to hear this news Debs............but I feel sure that chivalry is alive and well ......and there is a OOFer close to you who is more than willing to help a damsel in distress...... :y :y :y....Free of charge.....naturally ;) ;)
You would say that. Because you're nowhere near ;D
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Sorry to hear of this mishap, Debs. Fingers crossed the damage is minor .... maybe in the light of (blizzard free) day you might find a dislodged hose or somesuch. I shall keep all fingers and toes crossed for you ---- let us know how you get on ( cos I will fall over!) :y
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Sorry to hear this news Debs............but I feel sure that chivalry is alive and well ......and there is a OOFer close to you who is more than willing to help a damsel in distress...... :y :y :y....Free of charge.....naturally ;) ;)
You would say that. Because you're nowhere near ;D
I'am shocked by your cynicism STMO ;) ;) ;).........I would willingly crawl naked over broken glass .......to help a lady OOFer in distress.... :P :P :P ;D ;D ;D ;) ;)
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Its quite easy to remove the rad Debs, I think the hardest part is removing the electrical connections down the passenger side of the rad. If you need a hand just give me a shout ;)
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Its quite easy to remove the rad Debs, I think the hardest part is removing the electrical connections down the passenger side of the rad. If you need a hand just give me a shout ;)
I'm not even going to lower myself on this one.
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Sorry to hear about your car. I hope you can get to the bottom of it real soon. :y
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Its quite easy to remove the rad Debs, I think the hardest part is removing the electrical connections down the passenger side of the rad. If you need a hand just give me a shout ;)
I'm not even going to lower myself on this one.
Er I think you already have. ;D
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Sorry to hear about your car. I hope you can get to the bottom of it real soon. :y
Dont you start
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Sorry to hear about your car. I hope you can get to the bottom of it real soon. :y
Dont you start
There was no pun intended ;D But I'll leave to colate words like, bottom, hardest and hand. ;D
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Off on a tangent: Bl00dy 'ell Steve did you get a visit from the ghosts of Christmas? most out of character you being nice.
[/highlight]
He ACTUALLY WISHED ANOTHER MEMBER A HAPPY CHRISTMAS the other day too :o :o :o :o :o
>:(Oi youse!....Steve`s our bessie-mate; leave him alone: or else! :P
;D :D :-*
:-* :-* :-*
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DEBs .. don't worry about it freezing .... any coolant left inside the engine/pipework is at the "correct" antifreeze mix, so won't be any different to it standing there as it did before.
I would wait until you can pull it into a barn with the Landy to examine. I would NOT risk adding water and trying to drive it .. as that will dilute any coolant still in there.
With any luck you just banged the drain tap off, worst case is probably a new rad.
Good luck and chin up .. :y :y :y
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Sorry to hear this Debs...
Hopefully it will be an easy fix :)
Think i have several bottles of rad weld spare somewhere.... :-X ;D ;D
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Debs, I'm very sure you will solve this problem practically.. :y
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Well if you have banged the drain tap off then the sub frame will be VERY bent lol.
I would suspect the subframe has cracked one of the plastic end sections...thankfuly V6 rads are reliable so second hand is a viable option
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Should add, if you want an extra pair of hands (not the best hands I'll be honest), then shout, im only up the road, and have tradeclub access :y
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Gutted for you Debs! :'(
Chin up though! :-*
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Gutted for you Debs! :'(
Chin up though! :-*
;) Thankyou Ljay :-* ......`feeling more positive now, with the very welcome OOF support and advice! :y
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If you are going to have a 2nd hand rad delivered,ask the sender to go completely over the top when packaging it.They are very easily damaged in transit.If its still recognisable as a Rad it probably isnt packaged well enough.Very easy to change btw,nothing remotely technical,just a bit of unbolting/unscrewing a few things until it can be lifted out. :y
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Gutted for you Debs, I think it will be a couple of days before you get to it due to the weather. Hope you've got supplies in cos I think you may get snowed in if the forecast is right.....
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Sorry to hear of your problem, just get the Series 3 out to keep you going...... :D :D :D