Expansion tank misery

[Chunkmama]

Yes another post about coolant I have read the old topics but am curious as to whether this is the norm for my van

I am using far too much coolant for my liking, my local garage say there is no problem with the system overall, it just uses a lot of coolant, is that right, I think they think I am neurotic now.

Van is a 1990 1.6TD, I have owned it for three years and the problem has always been present since I bought it although it has moved on to the fill up tank being low to the expansion tank being low, which I know is not right.

So now on a Saturday when the van hasn't been run since the previous night I have to refill the expansion tank with about half of its capacity. The fill up tank behind the number plate is generally at the same level never too much never too little. The heater works fine, no cold spots, the temperature gauge sits in its normal place of just slightly to the right of the middle unless we are trying to get up a big hill. The only time I ran out of water was when the pipe split last month as I know the problem is there and check it regularly.

I even had the garage bleed the system for me as although I had done my self it made no difference to the problem, and it didn't when they did it.

There are no cracks anywhere, its not leaking, it runs fine although a bit too lumpy at the moment.

I'm worried that there obvioulsy is a problem or I think there is but not so according to the garage (its a good one), am I frying the engine and will the head gasket 'blow up'.

Oh I have just thought of something which my be linked twice this year several months apart after very long runs say 200 - 300 miles the oil pressure light and buzzer has sounded, van stopped all checked no problems, carry on no more problems no more buzzing!

[T'Onion]

try getting a load of cardboard and parking the van over that (after a good run) leave it over night and in the morning if any of the system has a leak it will drip onto the cardboard.

I'd check the Rad and the heater valve (both open and closed) as well as all the t'other joints , drop the spare wheel and have a good look up there as well

[peasant]

If your engine is running lumpy, it could very well be that your missing water is dissapearing into the internals of the engine.

Cracks in the cylinder head are not unheard of in a 1.6td ...this is where water could get inside and get burned (or rather evaporated) with the diesel.

Any smoke signals from the engine?

How is the head gasket looking, any signs of seepage there?

When you rev the engine in idle, are there bubbles appearing in the expansion tank?

[Rozzo]

water in the engine whatever next

[Dan Wood]

water in the engine whatever next

Quite. It'll never catch on.


On a more helpful note, check the condition of the hose that runs between the expansion and top up tanks. My old watercooled bus did this a few times, and started to behave again when I replaced this with a fresh length of pipe.

I think what was happening was:

a) I filled up the system when cold.
b) It expanded as it got hot, pushing excess water through the blue cap and into the tank behind number plate flap.
c) After a run, it cools again but because of some microscopic-i-can't-see-it holes in the pipe between the tanks it sucked in AIR instead of the water it had pushed out.

I could be making all that up though, but it's a quick and easy thing to try....

[jason k]

just get the head sniffed, most garages will have the kit, its a coloured dye in a tube into which they suck coolant from your bottle if it changes colour then the head gaskets gone if not it dont change colour, do this before spending money on any parts!!

[Ye Olde Syncrospares]

or do a pressure test.

[Chunkmama]

Thanks for the replys the garage have checked the head gasket as at one point they siad it could be venting through the head gasket as which point I started sweating, but it was ok. Also I have had one pipe replaced recently and the others checked again no problems, my garage is not one of those just tell her we did it ones.

Maybe I'm just going to have to get my vwnut man to have a gleg for me again thank you for your help.