Adi Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Hello all... As the summer has set here (its around 95F outside) and after driving around 40-60 miles on mostly flat roads at an average of 30M/h, the temperature gauge goes upto around half way mark, i check the header tank and the coolant is less than 1/4th the max....so i have to top up the coolant-water mix again every time i stop. Checked for leaks...none at all...radiator is in a clean condition.(externally) I put in coolant to water mixture in the ratio 40 to 60. I was thinking that i would have to top up after longer intervals if i increased the concentration of the coolant to water...by 70 to 30. Is that ok?(I use Shell Coolant) or adding another kenlowe fan would be advisable? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew N Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 If the temperature gauge only gets to half way, it probably isn't overheating, so it must be losing water through an internal or external leak. Increasing the concentration of coolant won't make much difference - in fact, it might make things worse as ethylene glycol-based coolant/anti-freeze is good at finding leaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aragorn Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 If your continually having to top up then you most certainly have a leak. Might be from the expansion tank or its cap, might be a hose, or it might be the heat gasket, but you do have a leak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantd5 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 If your continually having to top up then you most certainly have a leak.Might be from the expansion tank or its cap, might be a hose, or it might be the heat gasket, but you do have a leak. Dont mean to capture thread but.. "my cup runneth over"... Mine is not leaking but there is the red liquid traces around the expansion tank.... donno... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aragorn Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 If the seal in the cap is duff it will boil over like that, or if the HG goes and the pressure gets to high, the cap has a relief valve inside which will dump the pressure and coolant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantd5 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 (Still begging for thread capture) Does that mean i should be burning some hard cash on cooler tank and lock? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adi Posted April 7, 2009 Author Share Posted April 7, 2009 Aragon, Andrew and Dan....will search for the leak again. Half an Hour back I just happened to open the filler cap for the engine oil and look what I saw underneath the cap... There was little condensation inside the filler pipe too When i put me finger into the pipe...this is the whitish sludge on me finger Is this the missing coolant by any chance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew N Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Sounds like a head gasket - or if you're really unlucky, a cracked cylinder head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantd5 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 B) Is it white chocolate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyboy Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Aragon, Andrew and Dan....will search for the leak again.Half an Hour back I just happened to open the filler cap for the engine oil and look what I saw underneath the cap... There was little condensation inside the filler pipe too When i put me finger into the pipe...this is the whitish sludge on me finger Is this the missing coolant by any chance? Assuming you're doing decent mileages when you go out and not just stop/start or short journeys, I think you've found the problem, . Looks like the cylinder head gasket may have gone and water is finding it's way into the lubrication system. Have you left it any longer than one journey before topping up the header tank? If the coolant level keeps going down when you don't top it up it would indicate a leak somewhere. If it drops initially then remains constant it looks like it's just "finding it's level", probably due to a faulty header tank cap, as has already been suggested in this thread. Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyboy Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 (Still begging for thread capture) Does that mean i should be burning some hard cash on cooler tank and lock? Dan, Try replacing the cap first. My experience of this type of plastic cap is that they can be faulty leading to fluid escaping past them, even at normal operating temperatures. Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adi Posted April 7, 2009 Author Share Posted April 7, 2009 Assuming you're doing decent mileages when you go out and not just stop/start or short journeys, I think you've found the problem, . Looks like the cylinder head gasket may have gone and water is finding it's way into the lubrication system.Have you left it any longer than one journey before topping up the header tank? If the coolant level keeps going down when you don't top it up it would indicate a leak somewhere. If it drops initially then remains constant it looks like it's just "finding it's level", probably due to a faulty header tank cap, as has already been suggested in this thread. Mark. I do an average of 50miles a journey...so i guess thats not short... The Engine was overhauled about 6 months back....but I guess as you say, the water finding way into lub system...the head gasket must be the culprit. But i have a doubt...if the water is mixing with the lub system..but..the oil level in the sump does not rise even a tiny bit as much as the amount of coolant thats missing...ie the amount i top up I have taken a sample of the engine oil and will send it first thing in the morning to a laboratory for analysis...keeping me fingers crossed. Thanks Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adi Posted April 7, 2009 Author Share Posted April 7, 2009 B) Is it white chocolate? yeah now landy will give em swiss chocs a run for its money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyboy Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 I do an average of 50miles a journey...so i guess thats not short...The Engine was overhauled about 6 months back....but I guess as you say, the water finding way into lub system...the head gasket must be the culprit. But i have a doubt...if the water is mixing with the lub system..but..the oil level in the sump does not rise even a tiny bit as much as the amount of coolant thats missing...ie the amount i top up I have taken a sample of the engine oil and will send it first thing in the morning to a laboratory for analysis...keeping me fingers crossed. Thanks Mark. Hi again Adi, 50 miles is certainly enough to attain normal working temperature. The likely reason that the oil level is not going up is because the water is turning to steam/water vapour and passing through the breather system through the cylinders and out into the exhaust. In the small quantities that yours is using this would probably not be noticeable as it exits the exhaust. The white creamy stuff inside your oil filler cap is emulsified oil. Just to make you even more depressed, it could also be a cracked cylinder head/cylinder. I seem to remember the old N/A diesel engine used to be prone to cylinder head cracking, please don't shoot the messenger and I hope it's just the head gasket and nothing more serious. Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adi Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 Hi again Adi,50 miles is certainly enough to attain normal working temperature. The likely reason that the oil level is not going up is because the water is turning to steam/water vapour and passing through the breather system through the cylinders and out into the exhaust. In the small quantities that yours is using this would probably not be noticeable as it exits the exhaust. The white creamy stuff inside your oil filler cap is emulsified oil. Just to make you even more depressed, it could also be a cracked cylinder head/cylinder. I seem to remember the old N/A diesel engine used to be prone to cylinder head cracking, please don't shoot the messenger and I hope it's just the head gasket and nothing more serious. Mark. Hi Mark will check the Head gasket and hope for the best ....AND... if its the worst i.e a cracked cylinder head/cylinder <_< ....I will take this as a positive sign that its high time(24years)that i changed the lump B)....i know this may sound blasphemous but i would go in for a Japanese lump. Thanks Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reiny Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 I'm going off-topic. Adi, at first glance, your engine does not appear to be a 2.5 litre but a 2 1/4 diesel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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