Serious Coolant leak.... yet still hard to

[MaxV6]

Delightful.

I'm getting sorely tempted to Take a Sledgehammer to this frigging car.

then see if the insurers will swallow

"honest guv, I came out to it this morning, and bugger me if the "opps-up fairy" hadn't jumped up and down all over the damn thing...  Dunno what must have got in to it...  "

the rate of loss would appear to be 1-1.5 litres of coolant for 2 miles of little more than idle speed 30MPH clear road.

Probably won't make it to Brackley in that state ...

Will phone around in the morning and see how much a complete set of every piece of coolant pipe on that near side side and rear end  of the engine is gonna cost.

replace everything, hopefully fault might get fixed....

Then find another garage to do it for me...

oppsing lovely.

[Marks DTM Calib]

The other option is to leave it until we come to do the cambelt, it means a change in venue again though....

[TheBoy]

The other option is to leave it until we come to do the cambelt, it means a change in venue again though....

Does seem to be a good option if thats suitable for all concerned?

[JamesV6CDX]

I'm only about 40 miles each way from you.

What are you doing Saturday evening?

I've got to service my own car, do a timing belt kit change, breather/TB clean and change my inlet manifold on Saturday, but if all goes well I will be finished late afternoon.

But providing all goes well with my own car - (which it should) - You cover fuel for 80 miles round trip (minimal - about 3 gallons) and I'll come up and take a look with you wihle I've got all the tools out - I'll want to give it a run anyway  

We could remove scuttle and wipers and take a look downt the back at least. No promises, but 2 heads are better than one... Offer is there if you fancy it.

When is this cambelt party arranged for?

[JamesV6CDX]

I'm only about 40 miles each way from you.

What are you doing Saturday evening?

I've got to service my own car, do a timing belt kit change, breather/TB clean and change my inlet manifold on Saturday, but if all goes well I will be finished late afternoon.

But providing all goes well with my own car - (which it should) - You cover fuel for 80 miles (minimal - about 3 gallons) and I'll come up and take a look with you wihle I've got all the tools out - I'll want to give it a run anyway  

We could remove scuttle and wipers and take a look downt the back at least. No promises, but 2 heads are better than one... Offer is there if you fancy it.

When is this cambelt party arranged for?

We would obviously need good lighting, not preferable I know but daylight will be gone.

[MaxV6]

James, as ever, you are a complete Star, but Sadly I have a previous "work" engagement....   with a client...  for Dinner and a Gig...  But the offer is truly appreciated nonetheless  .......  

another billion brownie points for the man if you please Admin


I'll probably get the pipe-work anyhow chaps.....  then whenever it does get looked at, the parts will be on hand...




I have the feeling that accumulating some spares might be a good plan.

once I've got the bits, I'll see what can be achieved "locally"  if I can get them this weekend, I'll try and  see if my Bro's free to give me a hand perhaps.... he's not local either....   but Blood is thicker than beer , just,  and  I'm already imposing on Mark  & TB's generous natures as it is....  

if it's during the week, it'll be a garage prolly... but no worries...




Dunno when the Cambelt party is yet James, it's entirely down to Their Saintlinesses respective Diaries....  


as an interested, but perhaps not critical question....  Mark.... the pressure test gizmo....  

how does it get around the Thermostat being closed when the engine's cold???

if the Steam escape happens immediately after the thermostat opens....  surely the garage would have had to run the engine to get that to happen before then using the pressurizing gizmo??

or am i thinking about this backwards somewhere?


Oh, and I'm told I should be interested in your V6 Aircon Compressor James... ......  I'll PM you shortly ish...

Best regards

Max

[MaxV6]

God Bless Henry / Las Jacarandas  

arranged a complete set of all potential pipes form around the rear half of the engine.....  inc Spare HBV,  V-bridge and all that malarky... , all the metal ones as well as rubber....  

£25

he went out and put all the pipe work back on a stripped V6 to try and make sure he didn't miss anything!

What a star

will pick them up over the weekend.....  then figure out next move...

[Marks DTM Calib]

as an interested, but perhaps not critical question....  Mark.... the pressure test gizmo....  

how does it get around the Thermostat being closed when the engine's cold???

if the Steam escape happens immediately after the thermostat opens....  surely the garage would have had to run the engine to get that to happen before then using the pressurizing gizmo??

or am i thinking about this backwards somewhere?


Oh, and I'm told I should be interested in your V6 Aircon Compressor James... ......  I'll PM you shortly ish...

Best regards

Max

Your thinking backwards...the stat is nothing more than a valve to stop flow, the radiator would pressurise from the return pipe to (the coolant pressure is fairly constant in the system).

When you pressure test the system, you pressurise the whole thing.....water will then escape from the failed point....it a common diagnostic method that you would like to think any garage/mechanic any good would do/know about.

[Andy B]

....it a common diagnostic method that you would like to think any garage/mechanic any good would do/know about.

So it's not something that your local fiendly Vauxhall dealer will do then?    

[Gaffers]

yeah but they will replace everything else that could be wrong first before getting it right and charge you an arm and a leg for it......