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[Alvaro]

I everyone,

I'm having a very wierd coolant leakage. Like I said in a post from other thread, I've coolant in the crankcase breather lines. The symptom is that the coolant acumulates before the butterflies (throttle body) and in the breather tubes.
I really don't have a clue of what is causing this. I don't have water in the oil neither oil in the water. I first thought that the coolant could come from the coolant line in the throttle body, but I couldn't feel any leakage there.
Does anyone know if in the breather box behind the engine is a coolant line?
Any other Idea?

Thanks in advance

[Alvaro]

I was thinking today that maybe the problem is in the HBV. That valve has a vacuum pipe, and maybe the HBV is broken inside and is alowing coolant in the vacuum pipe which makes its way to the throttle body. Can this happen?
I'll try to take the HBV out this week and see if the problem is there. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Kevin Wood]

Sounds like a wierd one. Are you sure it's coolant or just water?

The engine will generate some vapour that will find its' way out of the breathers in normal use, especially if it's done a lot of short journeys. Is there any mayonnaise in the filler cap? Does the oil look OK? No sign of mayo on the dipstick or coolant in the oil? Is the coolant clean with no oily residue in the header tank?

I wouldn't have thought the breathers could pick up coolant from anywhere, barring a head gasket failure between water jacket and crankcase which is rare..

A failed HBV is a possibility. Might be worth removing the vacuum hose from the valve and checking for leaks with the engine hot. Even then, the water would probably end up in the reservoir by the cabin air filter, and its' only route into the intake system is via the brake servo hose which would bypass the throttle body and breathers.

Sounds to me like the best course of action is to make sure the breathers are clear and do an oil change to ensure that is fresh and keep an eye on it.

Kevin

[Alvaro]

Well, I changed the HBV today it didn't look too bad, but it wasn't working (the "cap" was loosing vacuum) and it was installed upside down   (stupid dealer). I installed a new one, tomorrow I will see if I'm still loosing coolant.

Apropo oil and "mayo". I did have some mayo on the breather tubes and on the oil cap, but no mayo on the dipstick and the oil looks pretty normal. I suppose that is only due to condensation. I live near the coast, so the air is humid.

Here are some pictures of the old HBV:

[Jimbob]

A silver HBV!   Don't let Chopsdad see this, He will want one!

[Auto Addict]

A silver HBV!   Don't let Chopsdad see this, He will want one!

 

[Alvaro]

Well today I checked the coolant level and I'm still loosing coolant  
I can feel a small coolant odour trough the ventilation system. Where else can the leakage be?

I'm worried because I'm loosing coolant, but I can't spot where the water is going. Worst case scenario is blown head gasket and that is $$$. Any other ideas?

[PaulW]

Unlikely to be headgasket tbh, but if your unsure do a quick compression test and also check the color/condition of the plugs.

Also worth a check would be the coolant bridge at the rear of the V, and also the coolant extension tube which is near the thermostat (thermostat to coolant hose)