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Old 23rd December 2020, 13:28   #1
Gigagator
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Default Help Tracing a Coolant Leak - 1.8

Hi all,

I know this has been done to death but I was hoping for some advice tracing a coolant leak on my 75 Kettle series non-turbo.

I am currently having to put about a 2L bottle full of coolant into the system roughly once a month due to coolant loss. Excessive you will agree and it has definitely worsened over the last 6-12 months.

My understanding is the head gasket has been replaced prior to my ownership but I do not believe there is an issue with the head gasket as there's no indication of coolant in the oil or vice versa.

Problem is I am not seeing any coolant drops on the floor underneath and going around the engine bay with a torch yields no trace of lost coolant.

I replaced the expansion tank cap with a genuine new one purchased from DMGRS last year so don't think it's that.

One obvious point is to look at the inlet manifold gasket.
I had this problem on my Rover 25 1.4 K-series which had an obvious problem as it used to misfire like mad on start up.

My 75 doesn't do that though so I'm thinking its probably not the IMG?

Can anyone give me any pointers as it obviously needs fixing asap.
If I forget to do my weekly check I'm worried it will be game over for the Kettle.

Thanks in advance.
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Old 23rd December 2020, 13:34   #2
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I trust that you are not overfilling the header tank, or it will just push the excess coolant out past the overflow. The MAX mark is at the BOTTOM of the header tank. If you can't see the MAX letters, then it is most likely overfilled. If coolant is not being lost via a leak, it can be passed through the engine and you may see excess steam from the exhaust even after the initial start up.
See pic in post #7 here:-
https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...=coolant+level
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Old 23rd December 2020, 14:04   #3
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When i have a leak i get her up on ramps at my local garage. and run the engine - on one occasion it took 65 minutes for the leak to manifest itself - the IMG and obviously only leaking when the engine was very hot.

Or try this - i recently purchased this as a standby after a heads up on this site by T-Cut

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UV-Dye-To...IAAOSwugJeguXK
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Old 23rd December 2020, 18:43   #4
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Chasing leaks is a pain but at least if you're loosing coolant you can be satisfied it is going somewhere!

The cooling system is weak and has numerous common failure points. The IMG is a common one - it's worth replacing even if you're not 100% sure it's your cause. Water pumps and radiators leak; the elbow at the top of the rad can fail; the expansion tank can sometimes fracture (not overly common); the thermostat housing can leak; any of the pipes can split.

It's worth considering the heater matrix too as these can leak, although at your rate of loss I would expect this to be obvious through the odour and steamy windows.
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Old 26th December 2020, 17:11   #5
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Have you removed engine under tray?
Mine was losing coolant and couldn't see where. Then I removed tray to do oil change and found it. There's a strip of foam under the rad, the rad was leaking but being absorbed by this foam, with heat / air flow it was drying off so no drips visible etc

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Old 27th December 2020, 11:53   #6
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Took me over a year to find a leak on mine, turned out to be the plastic tee piece positioned at the top of the rad. Replaced it with an ally one and havent lost a drop for months. Must have only leaked when hot and just flashed off as there were no signs of a leak and when I inspected it once removed one of the hose connections was oval, probably due to someone fitting a jubilee clip and over tightening.
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Old 27th December 2020, 13:40   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drewbie View Post
Took me over a year to find a leak on mine, turned out to be the plastic tee piece positioned at the top of the rad. Replaced it with an ally one and havent lost a drop for months. Must have only leaked when hot and just flashed off as there were no signs of a leak and when I inspected it once removed one of the hose connections was oval, probably due to someone fitting a jubilee clip and over tightening.
The plastic t-piece is a classic failure point and swopping it out for a metal one is the way to go.
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Old 4th January 2021, 11:37   #8
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Hi all,

Happy New Year to all, hope everyone had a good Christmas under the circumstances.

Thanks all for the suggestions.

I think I will do the IMG as a matter of course.
Can anyone tell me if the coolant system needs draining in order to change the IMG?
I replaced it on my partners Rover 25 1.4 a few years back and drained the system for that purely because the coolant needed changing anyway. Would be convenient if I didn't have to drop the coolant though.

Also, the T-piece I have seen mentioned a few times as a possibly leak source though mine looks fine on inspection.

Could someone please point me in the direction of a good metal replacement? The only ones I see on DMGRS are for the 1.8T.

Many thanks as always.

Last edited by Gigagator; 4th January 2021 at 11:41..
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Old 4th January 2021, 12:56   #9
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Best to drain but not necessarily all the way. If you don’t drain the coolant can leak into the inlet port and needs removing from the cylinder. Theoretically could lock/damage the engine if cranked over, but qty that would leak would be minimal. I always like to remove plugs and crank engine over before attempting to start just in case any coolant residue entered cylinder.

Check inlet manifold face for warping, in particular the brass coloured bushes can pull out over the years and lead to reduced clamping force on the gasket which will never seal no matter how tight you make the nuts. Here’s my story and thoughts on the plastic manifold. Of course the ultimate solution is to get hold of a VVC 160 alloy inlet manifold and support brackets and the problem will disappear if it is the issue.

https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...5&d=1441785047
https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...6&d=1441785054

Last edited by Lovel; 4th January 2021 at 13:01..
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Old 5th January 2021, 07:53   #10
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O ring where top hose elbow meets rad
Both mine and mates 75 leaked there recently


Last edited by GaryGee; 5th January 2021 at 07:56..
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