Randomly thowing water out.

[California Dreamin]

I always put anti freeze in and the right measure (which is costing me a fortune when its spat out). The corrosion must be from a previous owner.

So the heads have been off for crack testing then? how did they pressure test the heads?

Corrosion! well, once completely flushed through and showing clean water.....the 50:50 new coolant mix should stop further corrosion from occuring.

Martin

[AdrianC]

I always put anti freeze in and the right measure (which is costing me a fortune when its spat out). The corrosion must be from a previous owner.

The correct-mix coolant you've been putting in is for a complete drain-and-refill, or for topping up? Remember, there's the thick end of twenty litres in there. If the stuff that's coming out is orange, then that's rusty water, no more, no less. From all the work that you've had done, that rusty water can't have anything to do with the previous owner. B'sides, that should not have got past any garage worth their salt, specialist or not.

One thought... What colour coolant are you putting in? Could it be that a mix of red coolant is looking orange-ish as it sits on the floor? What's the stuff in the main tank look like?

[ajsimmo]

... thermostat bleed off and rad bleed bolt out.

I deduce from this that it's a late cooling system (as the early has no bleed on the thermostat housing). In that case you should have the return "ring main" pipe around top of engine bay back to expansion tank. Check all the pipes that connect to that for blockage, especially the one from n/s head (very prone to blockage at top T-junction). Any blockage of flow in the return could prevent a section of the system bleeding the air out, and no amount of bleeding will get rid of it if it can't move. That might explain the intermittent nature of the problem, one day it does somehow move and the cooling system takes a big "gulp" of air, expands quickly when it gets to hotter part of engine and sudden increase in pressure shoves equivalent volume of water out to equalise. Very speculative without seeing it, but feasible and worth checking.

[California Dreamin]

^^^ considering all that silty rusty orange sludge^^^ one of those pipes could be blocked.

Martin

[Ian Hulley]

^^^ considering all that silty rusty orange sludge^^^ one of those pipes could be blocked.

Martin

Agreed, it's a known occurance.

[ghost123uk]

Just popped in to say I agree with this latest diagnosis. I had it once.

Here is a pic of what our KarlT found in his pipe that goes to the T junction in the upper bleed ring at the rear left hand side =



My T junction was blocked, took me ages with a small sharp poky thing to clear it (and the pipe).

[ghost123uk]

p.s. = By the way, when it dumps a lot of water out, has your low water level warning light been coming on ?

[pfield69]

Wow lots to answer here, thanks guys.
excuse me while i deal with them 1 at a time.

The rusty water keeps occuring which does suggest that the water pressure isn't getting every where or clearing everything.

The heads haven't been off, I told this would be a last case scenario as it could open a large box of frogs. Preesure test was done at my mate garage with compressed air and a gadget. He also used a sniffer?? He said that should be enough to test the heads??

The anti freeze mix I've been using is 20:80 as described on the concentrate (it blue not pink).

The anti freeze mix is used at 20:80 for all filling i.e. after flush, top up and blowout.
Alway blue used. tank looks rusty orange after a very short time of running.

ajsimmo: This sounds like a viable step as my flushing wouldn't have touched this part of the circuit. Job for today will be to remove All pipes and clean them out.

yes, when it dumps the water the light does come on. As a side note, sometime the low water light comes on even though it appears there is enough water in the tanks. If I topup anyway the light goes off. Is there another water level sensor somewhere like the rad?

I will post again after clearing out my pipes.

[ajsimmo]

A few more facts coming to light here in your post...
Blue antifreeze @ 20:80 is WAYYYY wrong. (BTW I don't quite get which way round you mean - 20% AF? 20% water? Both equally bad!)

Anyway, it should be pink G12 or equivalent (Comma Xtreme G30 is a good alternative) and 50/50 for best protection.
Sounds like the insides of your engine are corroding away at an alarming rate! This might explain why the light comes on even when coolant level is ok - the sensor "reads" the resistance of the circuit made by contact with coolant - no liquid, no circuit, light flashes. But if your coolant's so full of crud (that it's also caking the sensor probes) this will give a much higher resistance, light flashes. Put cleaner coolant in, resistance drops, light goes out. Simples (need meerkat icon).

[Oldiebut goodie]

Your wish is my command:

[Ian Hulley]

There's nothing wrong with Comma Frostmaster Blue Anti-freeze used 50:50. I've used it for 9 years in the 25 and in everything we use at work (commercial for the past 20-odd years). The key is to change it regularly and given the mileage I used to do 2 years would usually mean dropping it anyway for a pipe or hose or pump.

I'm replacing our cooling system from front to back for stainless this spring and I'll tell you now, it's having Comma Blue back in it.

Ian

[CovKid]

It wouldn't surprise me if you used corn starch and cabbage water.

[ajsimmo]

There's nothing wrong with Comma Frostmaster Blue Anti-freeze used 50:50.

Agreed, at the right mix it will do the job fine, but...

The key is to change it regularly

Absolutely. 2 years max, as you say. The main reason I promote G12 is that it will be better for the lower mileage majority - even those that do 2000 miles a year and don't change coolant for 5 years (or at all).

PS Thanks Oldie for the meerkat. Good work!

[pfield69]

Double checked my antifreeze bottle. -15c 20/80, -35C 50/50!
Just bought 25l of coldmaster and thats 33% for -18C, 50% -36C

I've taken 'ring' pipework off ready to clean.
Any suggestions on how to clean remaining pipework out as if this is blocked theres a good chance that where it goes through the bulk head that could be blocked too.

I've also noticed some stretch marks of cracks in the expansion tank.

[ghost123uk]

I've also noticed some stretch marks of cracks in the expansion tank.

Symptomatic of the Dalek cap not releasing excess pressure (happened to mine a few years ago).
On mine, the thin pipe blockage was causing the water in the L/H head to boil, creating pressure that the faulty cap was not releasing, in turn causing the head to jacket seals to fail = BIG trouble ending in tears

Anyway, my new (to me) engine turned out to be a PEACH