UPDATE: i had the bonnett up this morn because wanted to have a look. The coolant level warning flashed and beeped at me again, so filled it up with a hose. And was pleased to see that under the brown oily stuff in my expansion bottle was clean red coolant. But even when the bottle was full, the light still flashed and beeped. I then noticed that when the car is running, red coolant drips off my bumper. I also noticed that one of the pipes goin in to my heating matrix was warm and one not that warm. On squeezing the pipe that didnt get warm, i can hear a squelching sound near my radiator. any more ideas? |
URGENT: Recent Head Gasket Change, STILL losing coolant and runs cold constantly.
Hi everyone, really hoping someone can help me on this.
Ok, before my head gasket blew due to running on not enough coolant (i think), the car would always run bang on 90, even when it overheated and spilt all of its coolant, (when i realised it blew) it still was on 90. but before it blew it would warn me the coolant level was overheating (and now realise it meant it was low) even when i had just turned it on.
since i got a recon cylinder head and new head gasket and system flushed and new antifreeze, it has been running cold. (i didnt replace camblet or tensioners because these had very recently been replaced, and the water pump was inspected for leaking when i had it changed and aparently that was fine too.) I drove from Nottingham down to London that night and it sat on the temperature that it would be on when you have just turned the car on. Thinking this was impossible, i checked at a petrol station and the expansion bottle and engine block were cool to touch despite hours of motorway driving. But not having a working heater and a car that ran cool wasnt the end of the world for me so just drove it anyway as it ran nicely and no red cooling light was flashing or beeping at me.
but last night i let my car tick over as when idling in a still position the car would actually get up to 90 and the heaters would get warm. the cooling fan didnt kick in, and i got the low coolant level warning flashing light and beeping. i let the car cool down and drove home about an hour and a half later and after a while it warned me again. today i filled it up with water to find the oil filler cap with no mayo and dipstick with no mayo, but there was a layer of it on top of my coolant. But underneath was clean red coolant so this didnt alarm me. Just took it out for a spin, and it lost coolant and i got the warning light and beeping again; and the dipstick is ok but the oil filler cap now has a tiny layer of mayo.
What is happenning? My car is running cold, (unless idling but then i got the warning light and beepiing after a while), my heaters dont work (again unless idling) and since i let it idle to long its now loosing water quite quickly??
i have a warranty on my recon cylinder head and hg so should i take it back? The only problem is that garage is in Nottingham and im in Essex.
Its been about a month surely it cant be my HG again? (i really hope not.)
Any help on this will be greatly appreciated because im just getting so stressed with this.
Many thanks, the_panzer
Ok, before my head gasket blew due to running on not enough coolant (i think), the car would always run bang on 90, even when it overheated and spilt all of its coolant, (when i realised it blew) it still was on 90. but before it blew it would warn me the coolant level was overheating (and now realise it meant it was low) even when i had just turned it on.
since i got a recon cylinder head and new head gasket and system flushed and new antifreeze, it has been running cold. (i didnt replace camblet or tensioners because these had very recently been replaced, and the water pump was inspected for leaking when i had it changed and aparently that was fine too.) I drove from Nottingham down to London that night and it sat on the temperature that it would be on when you have just turned the car on. Thinking this was impossible, i checked at a petrol station and the expansion bottle and engine block were cool to touch despite hours of motorway driving. But not having a working heater and a car that ran cool wasnt the end of the world for me so just drove it anyway as it ran nicely and no red cooling light was flashing or beeping at me.
but last night i let my car tick over as when idling in a still position the car would actually get up to 90 and the heaters would get warm. the cooling fan didnt kick in, and i got the low coolant level warning flashing light and beeping. i let the car cool down and drove home about an hour and a half later and after a while it warned me again. today i filled it up with water to find the oil filler cap with no mayo and dipstick with no mayo, but there was a layer of it on top of my coolant. But underneath was clean red coolant so this didnt alarm me. Just took it out for a spin, and it lost coolant and i got the warning light and beeping again; and the dipstick is ok but the oil filler cap now has a tiny layer of mayo.
What is happenning? My car is running cold, (unless idling but then i got the warning light and beepiing after a while), my heaters dont work (again unless idling) and since i let it idle to long its now loosing water quite quickly??
i have a warranty on my recon cylinder head and hg so should i take it back? The only problem is that garage is in Nottingham and im in Essex.
Its been about a month surely it cant be my HG again? (i really hope not.)
Any help on this will be greatly appreciated because im just getting so stressed with this.
Many thanks, the_panzer
1 - 9 of 9 Posts
possibly an airlock...Can you see where the red coolant is coming from? is your expansion bottle now over full? I would drain and refill it slowly to make sure all air is out
Sounds soo much like a airlock in the heater matrix.
If you have brown crap on top of your coolant, id be inclided to drain the coolant (drain the brown stuff from the expansion tank....remove the bottom hose so it doesnt go through engine) and slowly refill it all.
You might need to run the engine for a minute to get rid of any coolant left in the block.
If you have brown crap on top of your coolant, id be inclided to drain the coolant (drain the brown stuff from the expansion tank....remove the bottom hose so it doesnt go through engine) and slowly refill it all.
You might need to run the engine for a minute to get rid of any coolant left in the block.
im goin to halfords tommorrow to get a stat check and im gonna run a wire from +ve terminal and -ve terminalof the fan to make sure the motor is working. Then il know whether the fan is gone or whether the fan works but the car isnt communicating with it (like from switch or stat). as for an airlock, yeah definitely something il look in to, and yeah gonna take off the whole bottle and clean it refilling the coolant. Ive bought some radweld aswell. (Although the speed it leaks on to my bumper makes me worry this wont cut the Colmon's.)
But quite worried it goes off with the low coolant level warning when its full of water? This is what it did before my head gasket went, but i had it replaced with a recon cylinder head a month ago so it isnt worth accepting it could be that is it?
But quite worried it goes off with the low coolant level warning when its full of water? This is what it did before my head gasket went, but i had it replaced with a recon cylinder head a month ago so it isnt worth accepting it could be that is it?
scrape the electrodes inside the reservoir with a long driver. They may have a coating of gunge which can trip the low water warning syatem. If water runs out that fast onto your bumper you need to inspect the radiator and local pipework for splits or leaks[C]
Right iv put a bottle of radweld in and took it out for a spin touch wood it seems to have sealed the leak, but still wondering why the fan doesnt cut in, why it runs cold as ice unless its idling and why my heater doesnt work. Should i get a new rad or will the radweld last?
thanks
thanks
]1 - 9 of 9 Posts
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