What Now !?

[toyroom]

So I'm driving along a freeway at 70, then stopped in traffic 5 minutes, then freeway ,then stop again. Noticed temp guage at the edge of red (never goes there) and heater gone cold. Drove about 200 metres and then coolant low light came on and 10 seconds later started flashing. Pulled over and stopped immediately. With that, the car blasted a cloud of coolant at the car next to me. 6pm in rush hour traffic in Salford in front of 200 grinning Mancunians! There was a 3.5 litre coolant deficit and the coolant sensor was rogered completelyt (?heat damage) We filled up the coolant and drove 30 miles home with the expansion tank cap off (to avoid pressurization) and with 20 dollars worth of Evian water from the gas station in the luggage bay. The car lost no more coolant and did not overheat. There was some bubbling in the coolant so we tested the expansion tank with a block tester but this was negative every time. The car has run at a standstill for over half an hour with temperature varying between 70 and 85 but without the fans cutting in. I have replaced the thermostat and coolant and bled the system. Any ideas or suggestions before I trust regular travel to the car again ?? Thanks Edited March 9, 2010 by toyroom

[Günter]

You say the heater was cold ?! How's this gonna be , with an hot engine ... was there an air-lock in the system ? Is anything else working correctly ? (for example the water diverter valve for the recirculation/heater matrix)

[USAndretti42]

The heater will go cold when there is no water in the system.

[trackmagic]

Is there is a "bleed line" leading from the engine water line outlet (going back to radiator) to the coolant expansion tank? It will be a small (6mm id) line.

If so, remove the line and check for blockage. If it is blocked you were experiencing a vapor lock in the coolant system.

Hope this helps,

Jeff

[mjims]

Loss of water, would indicate a leak somewhere, and a split hose (if thats what it is) may not leak without pressure.

check all pipes and connections, for signs of wetness and coolant loss, especially where the rubber pipes join the

aluminum pipes, as the aluminum corrodes/oxidsises and allows the joints to leak.

Let the system pressurise at tickover speed whilst you are watching over the car, right up to 100+ deg when the

fans should kick in and any leaks would be obvious to see.

Over heating may also not be down to loss of coolant, be sure to also check all the all connections into the header tank for blockage, they are susceptable to corrosion and clog up with rust, blocking the flow.

Take the pipes of and look down into the tank to check its clear.

Also; you can smell leaking coolant, it has a sweet sickly smell.

keep watching the coolant level in the header tank to see if its going down.

best of luck

[toyroom]

Done all of this, thanks and all seems OK. Fitted a new thermostat, O rings, short pipes from thermostat to rad pipes and hose clips. All pipes appear clear. Bled radiator and coolant hose in engine bay and went for a 10 mile 70mph drive then parked for 30 mins and drove back and then left engine running for 30 min with air con on full and heater off (fans on continually presumably due to air con being on full). Temp rose and fell between indicated 85 and 95. Switched air con off and exactly the same happened with the fans cycling in and out at 95 and 85 respectively. Next I will bleed the rad and engine when cold and then top up the coolant. (All the while checking the pristine garage floor and any pipes for any evidence of coolant loss.) Finally, I'll do the block test again. Don't know what else to do besides worry it's going to happen again!! Thanks for all your suggestions.

Edited March 14, 2010 by toyroom

[Günter]

As mentioned:

have you used compresed air, to blew out all the debris between climate & radiator -and the radiator fins foritself ?!

[toyroom]

Still behaving! Looks like it was probably a stuck thermostat...hope so!