overheated then sprung coolant leak

[hixsy]

ok, the other day on me way home, me van started to overheat, it hit 3 quarters and kept goin without looking like stopping, so i pulled into a layby before it got too hot, i could see a trail of water and one big puddle under the engine. ive checked for pipe bursts and such but cant see anything.

when i got home i tried topping it up and letting it run to temp to see where the leak is coming from, i only topped up the normal filler and the expansion but considering the amount of water i seen on the floor id've thought it needed a hell of a lot more but it didnt seem to take it. Im told that the diesel needs to be pressurised but im concerned as the radiator isnt getting hot now at normal running temp. Am i too assume thermostat/water pump ? would the engine pop something if it got too hot but be ok when at normal temp ?

There is no movement in the coolant and the only hot pipes are the ones close to the engine, the pipes to/from the rad arent getting hot.

wat ya think? engine is a 1.6 diesel van is a 'C' reg

thanks

[fairwynds]

Hiya
could be
head gasket - you dont want it to be!
or (maybe more likely)
coolant tank cap failed (which allows too much hot coolant back into expansion tank and it pisses out of tiny vent in top of it) or
thermostat or combination of both. . .
Cap is an easy fix and always a good idea to change it, so if prob persists then do 'stat..
FW

[VWCamperfan]

I take it you have bled the cooling system?
If you havn't that would account for the small amount of water going in and the no movement of water around the pipes...

[hixsy]

how do i tell if it head gasket, without sounding like a moron ? lol

aint bled the system, i really dont understand these diesel engines to much, ill head over to the wiki then...