Coolant Leak

[randiandipandi]

Hi, 1.9DG 1989 petrol

I've been losing fluid for the last couple of months (about 1litre every 3 weeks) which I initially put down to air working its way through to the tank after my garage replaced the coolant recently. It was dry yesterday and I noticed a small patch of fluid (not the usual oil leak) and have explored this morning. Those who have seen any of my previous posts will know I have zero mechanical knowledge! The liquid was (unsurprisingly) dripping at the lowest part of the engine - primarily around these two bolts:


IMG_0894[1] by Larfinn, on Flickr

I wiped the wet areas (didn't smell of petrol and it wasn't oil - so I'm assuming it is coolant). The liquid came back and formed a drip:


IMG_0895[1] by Larfinn, on Flickr

It seemed to be coming from between the "engine" and the plate that the screw/bolt is holding on. Is this plate something I can/should take off to further explore where the liquid is coming from. When the engine was off the drip reformed after a minute or so. With the engine on, the drip reformed every 2-3 seconds! I can't see anything obviously amiss when looking down into the engine bay. I had the water pump replaced a while back so know where that is and I looked along any of the pipes connected to it but couldn't see any obvious leaking (looking down into the engine bay).

I was planning on sending the van to the garage soon anyway as recently it seems to be a bit hesitant in acceleration (any possible connection to coolant leak?)

Any observations welcome!
Thanks,

[ghost123uk]

Look at the engine from the top. Look at the large rubber seal that sits between the head and the block. It should look dry and greyish black in colour. If it has any signs of wetness anywhere (top, sides and bottom) or any signs of pink, green or white deposits visible then you may well have the dreaded head seal failure.

See here about it = https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Pe ... _head_leak

Mind you, on the bright side it may be a hose leaking and it's just running down the engine casing. Or it could be coming from the water pipes on the carb, or even from the inlet manifold cooling. You will just have to clean everything up and look hard to find the source.

[Ian Hulley]

If it has any signs of wetness anywhere (top, sides and bottom) or any signs of pink, green or white deposits visible then you may well have the dreaded head seal failure.

Otherwise known as the 'waterjacket seal' ... the 'head gasket' is a thin anealed ring on the top of each barrel.

Ian