Loosing coolant on E36

[Palfrem]

Went up to Manchester today - 65 miles in, the yellow radiator light came on.
Engine temperature not rising and got to destination OK
Put about two litres of water in reservoir and got home with no light on
Went out this evening two miles later and back on comes the light. Checked water level and it's about where it was before I topped it up in Manchester.

Hmm.

No signs of water on drive, no steam, etc. Temp just about a needle width above 80.

Any ideas please chaps?

Thanks as ever.

 

[The _Don]

Went up to Manchester today - 65 miles in, the yellow radiator light came on.
Engine temperature not rising and got to destination OK
Put about two litres of water in reservoir and got home with no light on
Went out this evening two miles later and back on comes the light. Checked water level and it's about where it was before I topped it up in Manchester.

Hmm.

No signs of water on drive, no steam, etc. Temp just about a needle width above 80.

Any ideas please chaps?

Thanks as ever.

Take it back to avantgarde should be under warranty still ?

 

[davidjpowell]

Had this a few years ago.

Turned out that I had topped the power steering fluid up with water... Not to be recommended.

 

[carat 3.6]

Take it back to avantgarde should be under warranty still ?

+1, I take it you cant see any leaks with the car running?

 

[martyz]

Any signs of coolant leak around header tank cap? could be many causes; split hose,water pump,thermostat housing,head gasket,any signs of water to oil transfer? probably the first step is to book it in for inspection as soon as possible.

 

[SJX]

Pull the dipstick and check the oil level / condition. If it looks watery/frothy, peer into the oil filler cap and do a mayonaise inspection. Any white quag here would indicate poss head gasket failiure (water jacket to oil way)

Because the weather is warm it may be difficult to see if there is white steam in the exhaust gasses but a good test is when the engine is up to operating temp, cover the exhaust with the palm of your hand, if it feels very wet and sweaty this indicates excess water vapour in the exhaust gasses (water jacket to cylinder blow) You can prove this by pulling all the spark plugs out, the steam cleaned cylinders plug will look incredibly clean compared to the ones from unaffected cylinders.

If none of the above..... relax its should be some thing cheaper.

 

[millo777]

A simple and often overlooked problem is a faulty radiator or expansion tank cap. It has been known for a faulty cap to let coolant flow into the overflow tank, but not let it back out into the expansion tank which would explain your problem. A new cap is £6.53 plus delivery from inchcape.

Get the coolant system pressure tested and it should be easy to identify any leaks. If you suspect a head gasket problem, a combustion leak tester kit is only about £40 online and very easy to use and probably cheaper than getting a mechanic to do the test.

 

[hotrodder]

Have a close look around the waterpump and run your finger around the back of the pulley. It's not that uncommon for them to start to leak when they're on their last legs (initially at least) with no obvious outward signs other than using coolant as it tends to leak onto the block and evaporate. If you shine a torch down behind the waterpump/under the inlet manifold you might see dampness/a suspicious water stain

Mine went this way a couple of years ago... even when it had gotten bad enough for the car to mark it's territory when parked it still ran at normal temperature unless sat in heavy traffic when the temp would creep up faster than usual.

 

[Palfrem]

Thanks for your suggestions chaps.

It's under warranty and I'll book it in, but I always like to know what the problem might be.

Thanks again

 

[kth286]

the water pump front seal will leak only when driving - and they do go.

look under the water pump on side of engine block and there is a part of the engine casting which will catch and hold the coolant leak. Shine torch and you will see it sparkle.

changing coolant pump on these is a book time of 6 hours because of the large amount of dismantling.

also needs a special thin wobbly to get at a couple of the pump bolts.

i spent two days doing mine several years ago, and never had a problem since.

needs to be a Merc dealer part for longevity, as you would not want to have to do this job again.

part exchange pump may be available now a days.

 

[scillyisles1]

Possible causes are :

- head gasket
- water pump
- expansion tank cap (there is no radiator cap on these cars)
- the hose from the expansion tank enters the radiator at the top- the connection is a push fit which can come loose.

 

[jaymanek]

I would say water pump, there are probably residues around it?

 

[st4]

If you've topped up the coolant with water, best change it for proper coolant, will make everything in the car rusty, not good.

 

[Palfrem]

I've had a look and suspect the water pump

Overnight it has lost just about three litres of water

There is a big pubble on the drive on the drivers side.

It's being collected on Monday.

I'll keep you informed of developments

 

[Niks]

Hope you get it sorted out. I remember when I first picked up my car from Charles Ironside, about a few months later I had the same issue with the water pump. Kept losing so much water to the point I had to keep topping up every morning before I drove to work and before I left work.

Must be something to do with the way they clean the engines???

 

[Palfrem]

Just a quick note to confirm that the water pump was the culprit and new one is being fitted.

 

[brigadier]

Like it was mentioned before - old waterpumps often start leaking after flushing/cleaning