Losing Water

[wanderinstar]

A few weeks ago the recently fitted [3months ago] bypass hose split,by the time I realised it had gone, the engine had got very hot [head smoking].Ever since then it has been using a couple of pints of water on a 7 mile trip. But I cannot find any external leaks. There is no steam coming out of exhaust, as I thought there would be if head gasket gone. No loss of power. Just water. Any ideas anybody?Ian.

[Multiphonikks]

Hi Ian,

Sounds suspiciosly like Hebe when I first got her.

Have you checked the Themostat? If it's been cooked by the car overheating it may not be working correctly - causing the temperature and pressure to rise so high that the water is simply boiling at the radiator. :/

I know Hebe did something very similar which we finally rectified by replcaing both the thermostat, heater take-off and heater hoses.


Nikki

[Willie]

Two pints per 7 miles is rather a lot. if it is entering the engine
you should find that the level on the dip stick rises! Are you sure
that the water pump is not now leaking when hot.

[Kevin]

As Willie says thats a lot of water in a short drive, have you tried leaving it running for a while say 15-30 minutes to see if there are any water traces or drips underneath, you could always try a water dye to assist with the leak because if its a small one it might be evaporating and you may only find the trace marks, the other thing to try is squeezing the hoses in case there is a tiny perforation in one of those and I suppose the carpets are dry and its not a heater hose leaking.

[ColinP]

Hi Ian,

Most antifreeze/corrosion inhibitors have a dye in them already. This gives you a sporting chance to see if there is a leak.

As a couple of thoughts:

If you run the engine (at home, bonnet open), check how the radiator and pipes heat up. It's possible that you have Kate's problem (dodgy water pump and/or lumps in the cooling system). You should also be able to see if the radiator cap is sealing properly (if the system's full you should get a small dribble from the overflow as the system heats up.) at that rate of water loss, you should be able to see it coming out sitting on the drive!

All the best,

Colin

[bmcecosse]

I would lift the head Ian - sounds like there is a serious problem in there. The bypass hose is just such a load of cr@p - at least Rover finally had the sense to do away with it on the Metro ! I advise you to do the same - means blocking off the ports in the head and the pump. Then either keep the heater tap open all the time - or drill a couple of 1/8" holes in the rim of the thermostat - to let some water circulate.At least if you continue with the hose - use the solid thick straight wall hose - the wee convuluted rubber kind are just trouble in waiting ! If you think over all the years of the time, effort, missed appointments, and money wasted by that stupid wee totally useless by-pass hose !!!!!!!!!!!!

[newagetraveller]

I agree with bmcecosse. If the head has got really hot there is a possibility that it has become warped.

[wanderinstar]

Thanks all,
Tried running engine while looking for leaks. Nothing
Heater gets hot after about 3-4 miles. Nikkis theory.
Doesnt lose water when stood over weekend.

Could there be a crack in head and if so wouldnt it show as steam in exhaust.
If I take head of will crack be easily noticable [only loses water when hot]
If head warped where is water going?

Ian.

[salty_monk]

I've heard of head gaskets going on vehicles that show no signs whatsoever except they are losing water. If it got that hot & you definitely can't see a leak then it's a likely suspect.

Does the engine "exhaust" through the radiator? That's one sympton on a lot of cars with a blown gasket.. (remove the cap & start it up)

With the amount you are losing I can't see it would be anything else (apart from the cracked head which is effectively the same thing) if you can't see it. I would double check & rev the engine whilst you are doing it etc, maybe a hose gave out... (check your carpets, it may be a heater hose that gave out so it's leaking inside the car.... try running with the heater valve closed)

Get the head off & get it pressure tested, you probably won't be able to see a crack although it is possible. Then you'll need a skim & a new gasket set before you can put it all back together.