Jump to content

Coolant loss, tested with colour-change fluid, what next...


Recommended Posts

Hi, I have a 55 VRS with a steady but slow coolant loss. I've been through the checks for radiator, expansion tank and looked for gunky oil. It seems the loss is due to presurisation and then coolant being pushed out the expansion overflow valve/thing. So... a garage used some sort of tester that checked for gasses in the coolant (red/blue liquid) and "proved" that its head-gasket failure.

So... options. One garage said I needed to have headgasket replaced, water pump, skimms, new timing belt etc and quoted £1050.. thats a third or more of the car's worth!! Another said it was most likely to be a cracked head. What do you guys think... scrap? drive off a bridge or into a canal? :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't know where in the country you are, but if near MK-you could do worse than call into Unit 18. Alternatively, contact them ( I remember they prefer e mails,than PM) to ask for advice.

With gass in coolant, you'll need at minimum a new head gasket.A cracked head will only show up on inspection,once head has been removed .

But again, unless you've had engine temperature well into the red,removed cap and added cold water ,this is unlikely.

FOR THOSE FACED WITH THIS Si****ion, EITHER LET ENGINE COOL DOWN BEFORE ADDING WATER, OR USE THE OVERSEAS METHOD-get cap off, remembering that steam scaulds. Let water settle down. Get an assistant to standby ready to add water. Start engine,and get assistant to add water. This way , the cold water is heated by the existing water and there's less chance of a crack.

But ,a decent garage will check head for warping ( to me,not a tech,but an owner/driver/fixer for over 40 years, I'd suggest that unless the temperature has gone over the top , the head will be ok).At same time, it would be prudent to replace water pump and timing belt. At first ask, a main dealer quoted me about £350 for a belt & water pump/tensioner change, coming down a lot when I quoted Unit 18 price. Head gasket change- two hours labour (my guess)-anyone give exact figure ( at what -something like £75 /hour) would not push the figure up into the £1k mark .

I'd suggest looking for an garage without a horse tied up outside.

Edited by VWD
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

FOR THOSE FACED WITH THIS Si****ion, EITHER LET ENGINE COOL DOWN BEFORE ADDING WATER, OR USE THE OVERSEAS METHOD-get cap off, remembering that steam scaulds. Let water settle down. Get an assistant to standby ready to add water. Start engine,and get assistant to add water. This way , the cold water is heated by the existing water and there's less chance of a crack.

Surely if you put a bit of cold water in to top up the coolant level it would heat up by the time it got to the engine therefore a cold liquid would not hit the warm engine block and cause a crack.

Edited by armstrong21490
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Armstrong is right, just topping up a little won't be a problem if it mixes in the reservoir, but if this is very low/empty then the cold water won't mix but dive straight down the pipe. VWD's warning is spot on; I've seen very serious scalds from a radiator. Best not to take off cap if engine is hot. The boiling point of the water is over 100C due to the pressure and it will be forced out by steam because, even if not apparently boiling, the sudden reduction in pressure will cause the pressurised water in the engine to turn to steam . An old trick was to run water over the outside of the radiator. Heater on and full fan helps too

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Mine has been like this for almost 12 months now! I refuse to get the head gasket done with it costing so much until i have any other symptoms other than the coolant loss... I just keep it topped up. Can sometimes last a while, or it can go pretty quick depending how hard i drive. I've had mixed opinions from garages.

Marc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, I have a 55 VRS with a steady but slow coolant loss. I've been through the checks for radiator, expansion tank and looked for gunky oil. It seems the loss is due to presurisation and then coolant being pushed out the expansion overflow valve/thing. So... a garage used some sort of tester that checked for gasses in the coolant (red/blue liquid) and "proved" that its head-gasket failure.

So... options. One garage said I needed to have headgasket replaced, water pump, skimms, new timing belt etc and quoted £1050.. thats a third or more of the car's worth!! Another said it was most likely to be a cracked head. What do you guys think... scrap? drive off a bridge or into a canal? :)

This exact same thing happened to mine (between 63k and 95k miles). £590 total for fix and that was 60k miles ago. Worth fixing at that price.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Community Partner

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to BRISKODA. Please note the following important links Terms of Use. We have a comprehensive Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.