I'm really sorry, but I've got a 1.8 with a leak

[big_pete]

As the header says , I've got a 1.8 with an engine leak (what a surprise you may say!), however bear with me. Had my dear 75 from almost new & have had most of the probs posted on the forum, sorted a few out myself & the rest thanks to you guys. car is 99' on a v reg with 58000, so knew I was in the window for (1) fan probs, got a spare from scrappies & swapped bushes
round in readiness for failure on the car unit. (2), expected water problems (various), so no surprise , I've got a prob................ for the past 9 months have been losing fluid, but with no pattern, can go for weeks without loss of fluid , & then in a 10 mile journey , a cupfull goes, use car the next day , same again fluid loss, then nothing for days , or even weeks.

Have had engine pressure tested at different garages with no loss , have changed o rings & replaced expansion tank cap to no avail, fluid loss at differing amounts. Last week did 120 miles to see daughter , checked fluid next day about a pint gone, return journey home perfect no fluid loss.

It's doing me head in, all I do now is lift the bonnet, & squeeze the top hose if there's gurglling all o k, if not I know to top up again, winter is coming & the tophose rubber is going to get too rigid to squeeze.

The last place to pressure test was an x part centre , who also couldn't find a leak, their answer was that fluid might be being lost via a ''slightly faulty'' head gasket, & instead of finding its way into the sump was going out of the exhaust.
Well I'm o k with that but if one has a leak surely it would be consistant
I'm afraid that one of these times what ever it is that's failing will fail big time. Garages (to their credit ) don't want to bill me with a HGF just in case. By the way , water pump replaced last Feb, & I've been ALL Over looking for pink staining , nothing, am i right in thinking that if the heater matrix was leaking it would be visible without lifting carpets, so would see any probs?. my daughter had a 25 with a heater matrix leak & it nearly killed me ripping out the front of her car to replace it. Can anybody please help here , / thanks in anticipation pete..... forgot to add I spend more time looking at the temp guage than the speedo, & thanks to tis forum I look for a fall in temp as opposed to a boil.

[chrissyboy]

have a check at back of engine see if the inlet manifold gasket is leaking .

[big_pete]

Honestly I've done all that, no staining anywhere, am i beinng a bit (northern & ) thick, but would'nt an inlet manifold gasket failure show up on said pressure test?, & why oh why is fluid loss so inconsistant? Arghh!!!

[chrissyboy]

Honestly I've done all that, no staining anywhere, am i beinng a bit (northern & ) thick, but would'nt an inlet manifold gasket failure show up on said pressure test?, & why oh why is fluid loss so inconsistant? Arghh!!!


when cold i believe it leak there . have you checked the rad for tiny pin holes .and are all the jubilee clips of good quality,, they can cut in to the hoses and with movemen of the engine leak .whip number 3 spark plug out and see if its got water in the chamber after it has been standing and cold .

[Unclefista]

Can't help with a petrol engine specifics, but as for the heater matrix.
If you feel the carpet at the base of the transmission tunnel to the left of the drivers feet, and it's dry it's fine.
Changing the matrix on a 75 is a laughably easy job anyway :)

[big_pete]

Thanks for the info gents, I thought the heater matrix was a bit of an outsider, as for radiator & hose clips (rad replaced about 2 yrs ago & a/c condenser mounted directly infront of), I feel like I'm clutching at straws here but will give it a go tomorrow in the daylight, thanks , as a p.s. if there was a little fluid in pot no3, wouldn't there be a bit of a splutter on start up whilst said fluid was spit out?, cos that doesn't happen, am looking foreward to the frosty weather cos, if fluid is going out the exhaust then we should look like a steam loco untill warmdon't you think??

[chrissyboy]

Thanks for the info gents, I thought the heater matrix was a bit of an outsider, as for radiator & hose clips (rad replaced about 2 yrs ago & a/c condenser mounted directly infront of), I feel like I'm clutching at straws here but will give it a go tomorrow in the daylight, thanks , as a p.s. if there was a little fluid in pot no3, wouldn't there be a bit of a splutter on start up whilst said fluid was spit out?, cos that doesn't happen, am looking foreward to the frosty weather cos, if fluid is going out the exhaust then we should look like a steam loco untill warmdon't you think??


yes your right tll the engine has burnt off/dried the coolant it would be a bit jerky misfiring ...so that rules out the gasket lifted and losin coolant that way then .

[Unclefista]

Have you checked the spark plugs ?
Any coolant getting into the cylinders has always shown up as a clean plug in the affected cylinder in my experience.

[big_pete]

Weather hs been awfull today , will lookaround & pull out spark plugs on first decent day, am still hoping somebody can explain how the fluid loss is so unpredictable though, will post again , meanwhile thanks .pete....

[big_pete]

just an update & another question, (think I already know the answer) question,
have removed sparkplugs , nothing out of the ordinary, removed & changed springclips for jubilee type, no obvious signs of pink stuff anywhere, looked around thermostat , nothing, since last post have lost just short of a cupfull.

I replaced the header tank about 12mth ago for a yellow one (original black)
in the hope of being able to see fluid easier without constantly removing cap,no luck there still end up squeezing top hose to listen for gurgling,
however sad to say I found afew, just a few little black oily blobs floating in the expansion tank yesterday, took it off & emptied contents into sink, a few more but not that many, the fluid had an oily look about it, but perhaps that is the antifreeze (he said hopefully), also there is just the slightest hint of mayo in the yellow oil cap,perhaps this is because the weather is now cooling
& there's a bit of condensation about, putting finger inside the hole & wiping it around the top of camcover produced nothing.
Question is , is this the small beginnings of HGF?, dipstick is clear, water still going somewhere, any ideas please , thanks in anticipation , Pete....

[ScottyV6]

I spent a long time trying to find my leak, eventually found it when I took the top timing belt cover off. might be worth a try! take top timing belt cover off and shine a torch in there.

[T-Cut]

- - - emptied contents into sink, a few more but not that many, the fluid had an oily look about it, but perhaps that is the antifreeze (he said hopefully), - - -

I'm afraid antifreeze doesn't make the coolant look oily. Antifreeze is totally water soluble, so apart from the colour, it doesn't look any different from water. Again, I'm afraid that only engine oil will produce the oily, rainbow effect on the surface. The oily globs in it are a giveaway (I'm afraid).

TC

[big_pete]

Dear Reddreadzone, thanks for your reply, the waterpump & belts were replaced in feb this year, honestly have taken top cover off (with a bit of scratting!) to look in there, as you expect ---- Nothing!,
T Cut I think you have only confirmed my suspicions, have had the car since almost new & been waiting for this moment, not in a nice way!(but almost a relief after 11yrs of watching temp guage), however can you please tell me where all the water is goin?, really out of the exhaust? & why so intermittant?. It will have to wait untill after Christmas now, any recommendations for south Cumbria? ,by the way we have a T reg 1.2 Corsa in the family....... pete..

[T-Cut]

- - - almost a relief after 11yrs of watching temp gauge)

A gizmo that gives a false sense of security and little else.

however can you please tell me where all the water is going?

Dunno

really out of the exhaust?

Dunno

& why so intermittant?

Dunno

It will have to wait until after Christmas now

I know.

any recommendations for South Cumbria?

Sorry, dunno.

by the way we have a T reg 1.2 Corsa in the family

Now I do know about these. The most utterly reliable little workhorse I've ever owned. Never let me down. Not a single fault. Starts when asked. Runs on nowt. Easy to service. Never leaks, never falters. If only. . .

TC

[Ratdogfink]

Have you looked at the T pice? Does your car have one? I found mine leaking but when the engine was more than warm it stopped due to it expanding. When the engine was cold it leaked overnight. Plastic expands more than steel.
Cheers.

[Borg Warner]

My 1.8T showed similar problems following a head gasket replacement about 14 months ago. Would go for ages without any loss then it would lose a small amount, then it wouldn't. There was also the "oil slick" in the coolant when I checked it. This went on until almost 12 months after the gasket was replaced when I noticed coolant underneath the car after it had been standing overnight. Had a good look around the head and from the rear I could see coolant running to the front of the engine - IMG had gone. However when I had it pressure tested it didn't show up until the engine was stone cold - plastic/alloy expansion contraction rates I believe.

Since having the IMG replaced some 3.5k ago not a drop has gone missing, the level remains static, there's no oilly residue in the coolant and the temp on the dash (not the temp gauge) remains very stable.

For the price of having the IMG replaced (in my case dealer price of £125.00) it is perhaps worth giving it a go. At least this will eliminate one of the potential problems.

Best of luck.

[suzublu]

IMG replace £125??????? you woz robbed,big time,gasket is about £7, labour about 1 hour, £75 max???

[pab]

IMG replace £125??????? you woz robbed,big time,gasket is about £7, labour about 1 hour, £75 max???The problem is these gaskets don't last,the latest offering from X-part is a bottle green coloured gasket,slightly thicker than the other duck egg blue version.

The later type is a better quality material and with it being slightly thicker it achieves a better seal..so they say.

Incidentally I've seen these IMG's changed in thirty five minutes,again it's not the speed of the job it's the quality.

[suzublu]

Which is why i've eliminated the problem with an alloy VVC inlet manifold Paul,no plastic heat warping or deforming.Up to now,touch wood, no leakage.:xmas-smiley-004:

[Borg Warner]

IMG replace £125??????? you woz robbed,big time,gasket is about £7, labour about 1 hour, £75 max???

The price also included the time to confirm what the problem was.

PAB is right the it's the quality that counts and the garage is a former MGR dealer and MG specialist and comes recommended.

[suzublu]

Even so,the price of a quality gasket is not that much???

[stevemac]

Fit one of these. You know it makes sense. :xmas-smiley-004:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MGF-COMPLETE-VVC-INLET-MANIFOLD-/110788368176?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item19cb805730

[Borg Warner]

Fit one of these. You know it makes sense. :xmas-smiley-004:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MGF-COMPLETE-VVC-INLET-MANIFOLD-/110788368176?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item19cb805730

Should mine fail again Steve then this is an option I've considered.

Hopefully the OP will see his options before it's too late.

[sworks]

Sounds to me as though it's the start of HGF I'm afraid. Inlet manigold gasket is easy to do if you're a diy'er. If the headgasket is done have it changed as a matter aof course along with the thermostat (much easier to get at with the head off and only a couple of quid). If your South Cumbria go and see Mark at South Lakes mini centre on Hindpool road - I have known Mark for many years and he is very knowledgeable and does quite a bit of 'K' series stuff.