Hi all,

This morning on my way to work I stopped to put some air in the tyres and fill up water resorvoir - as the bonnet was open I noticed my coolant level was just below max'. As I continued on my journey the coolant sensor light came on and by the time I got to work 25 mins later the resorvoir was completely empty :eek:. Ive had a quick look without getting the engine cover off and I cant see any of the pipes loose or popped off (will have a proper look later at home). I did notice that the bottom left of the engine tray seems to be excessively oily / wet - I'm thinking it must be a popped or broken hose somewhere to lose my entire coolant resorvoir in about 13 miles :( Anyone got any suggestions? Given the above whats the chance of it being the head gasket?

I'll report back later once I get the engine cover off as Ive read there's some pipes near the fuel lines that are prone to popping, in the mean time I'll fill it up with G12 and nurse it home:confused:

Thanks, John

If it were the HG, I'd expect what little coolant there was left to be mucky as anything. SWMBO's car lost all its coolant earlier in the year without lasting damage, but this was during the cold snap, which may have made all the difference...

pinhole in a hose? - leaks fast when hot then magically disappears....

Thanks guys, I filled the resorvoir up with G12+ and drove it home tonight approx 15miles. Engine temps were fine and no beeping sensor warnings. I then checked the coolant reservoir when I got back and had lost max - min level on the bottle. I took the engine cover off but cant see anything obvious but then again Im not entirely sure where I should be looking :confused:

One thing for sure is that my engine tray is soaking on the left handside :(. I have ruled out the head gasket as the filler cap is clean with no gunk and the oil is still really pure (only changed 600mile ago), the fluid in the coolant resorvoir is also clean (as apogee suggested checking) so I'm pretty sure its nothing to do with the HG.

Looking at the Haynes manual I'm now thinking I may have a leaking radiator hose but I cant properly diagnose this until I get the car jacked up and the engine tray off, given the engine tray being wet on the left hand side (drivers side) do you reckon this could be a possibility? Is there any other pipes I should be looking out for around that area?

Thanks for the help, John

If there isn't an obvious hose/radiator issue, I expect the water pump is the culprit.

Kandy I had never even thought of that! Im guessing the water pump is located on the drivers side somewhere then? hence my wet engine tray

Anyone got an idea of cost to get this repaired (if it is the water pump) - I dont think the pump is expensive but I have a feeling there's a few hours labour involved at the garage?

Thanks, John

I've had the plastic bottles crack on a pipe nipple on my 2.0T Vauxhall, kind of scary when your running back from the sticks with hardly any water in the coolant tank.

I was having problems with the coolant bottle looking and sounding as though the water was boiling when the car was turned off.

Had a coolant check for gasses in the coolant a week or so before and they told me the head was fecked, no mayo etc etc and i didn't believe them.

Only when it blew the plastic nipple off of the tank it all became clear hehehe!

Check any attachments on the bottle for cracking also as the pipes and water pump.

Water pump is hidden by the cambelt cover. You can pop the top part of the cover off (two spring clips) and check to see if water is soaking the cambelt) If it is, get it fixed pronto.

Expansion tanks can leak, hairline crack where the pipes push on.

I'll try and remove the top part of the cover then and have a look, cars booked into the garage for Monday and wont be used before then, its a 4 spanner in the Haynes changing water pump so its beyond my abilities unfortunately!

Thanks, John

Turns out my radiator was cracked! As soon as I filled the coolant resorvoir the fluid would pour out, had a bit of scare once the radiator was replaced and my coolant warning came on dash - filled the resoirvoir up though and all is well. Guess it was just down to the cooalnt not being properly circulated until the engine had been run for a bit