Coolant loss

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MULDERKE

Well-Known Member
Posts
696
Location
No Mans Land
Hello ALL.

I loosing coolant from a joint near the water pump that doesn't seem to have a casket.

It's at the elbow of a pipe. See pic's.

There looks to be only one bolt holding the joint. Should there be a casket there?

Any help welcome.

Cheers
 
Sorry.

Try again
 

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I've just re-read the thread and it would seem i was half asleep when i posted.

Forgot to add it's 2003 TD4 Diesel

Cheers all.
 
A casket? Has somebody died in your engine bay? :eek:

But seriously... what you're looking at there is your thermostat housing. Having replaced my thermostat last year (comes in a new plastic housing) I know that the join you see leaking has no gasket on it. The pipe in question protrudes through the flange and into the thermostat housing. The seal is made with a rubber O-ring, and it only needs that one bolt to hold it in place.

Access is EXTREMELY limited, so getting another bolt on there would be nightmare.

It looks to me as if the O-ring has been disturbed in some way or it has failed. Best bet is to get a new one and replace it. I'm not sure if you'll need to take the thermostat housing off to do it (hopefully not), but if you do, I wrote up the procedure here after I did mine:

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/td4-thermostat-replacement-way-do-166331.html

Long job. Good luck...
 
Just looked closely at your pics again. All seem to show that bit missing (a hole) from the thermostat housing next to the coolant pipe flange - that don't look right!

Reckon you might be treating yourself to a new housing and stat to make this one watertight as that damage could well be significant. They're about £40, I think.
 
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Just looked closely at your pics again. All seem to show that bit missing (a hole) from the thermostat housing next to the coolant pipe flange - that don't look right!

Reckon you might be treating yourself to a new housing and stat to make this one watertight as that damage could well be significant. They're about £40, I think.

Yes, I saw that to.

This leak is only recent, I have had the car since Oct 11 and done 6ooomls in it without a problem so hopeful it will just be the 'O' ring.

Having read your post thermostate change, i take it i'm going to have to loosen the water rail at the rear of the engine to get enough movement to get the thing out of the houseing?

Is there any other way?

Cheers
 
to get at the water pump is a dificult one I change mine on the previous one it was a matter undo the pipe all the way along (you can do it betterfrom undernieth) then I took the engin mount of as well as stableiser at the drivers side bottom on engine and then you can lower the engin it was a case of do the top nuts on the pump then lower the engine and do the bottom nuts but is you are doing just the pipe it should not be to bad
 
Yes, I saw that to.

This leak is only recent, I have had the car since Oct 11 and done 6ooomls in it without a problem so hopeful it will just be the 'O' ring.

Having read your post thermostate change, i take it i'm going to have to loosen the water rail at the rear of the engine to get enough movement to get the thing out of the houseing?

Is there any other way?

Cheers

I would have said that the only way to get that pipe out of the way to replace the O ring is to either loosen it sufficiently OR remove the thermostat housing. The first way is fraught with difficulty as, even if you remove the coolant rail bolts on the back of the engine, it is still a bastard to budge that pipe. I am not sure you would get the enough movement on it to get to the O ring.

Which leaves you with the job of taking the thermostat housing off. You still have to flex that coolant rail pipe as much as you can, but at least the thermostat housing will be loose at this point, if you get it undone first :)

I still don't like the look of that hole in the thermostat housing so if it were me, I'd bite the bullet and replace it. Sorting the O ring out in the process.
 
I would have said that the only way to get that pipe out of the way to replace the O ring is to either loosen it sufficiently OR remove the thermostat housing. The first way is fraught with difficulty as, even if you remove the coolant rail bolts on the back of the engine, it is still a bastard to budge that pipe. I am not sure you would get the enough movement on it to get to the O ring.

Which leaves you with the job of taking the thermostat housing off. You still have to flex that coolant rail pipe as much as you can, but at least the thermostat housing will be loose at this point, if you get it undone first :)

I still don't like the look of that hole in the thermostat housing so if it were me, I'd bite the bullet and replace it. Sorting the O ring out in the process.

Bullet bit! Now where to get one from?

Any help welcome and would like OE part really.

Cheers all.
 
I got mine from Island 4x4. It was the genuine article, and cost £35 + delivery, from memory.

Make sure you've got the correct Tx tools I've listed in the "How to do it" thread. It'll be a nightmare without them. Other than that it's just standard spanners and sockets.
 
Probably keep an eye on it for now.

Depends if your coolant is getting up to temperature or not - is your gauge sitting on or around the halfway mark? If it's lower it could indicate the thermostat's had it and you'll be wanting to replace it before the winter anyway. F/L heaters are pretty crap so ANY extra you can get out of them is a bonus...
 
Probably keep an eye on it for now.

Depends if your coolant is getting up to temperature or not - is your gauge sitting on or around the halfway mark? If it's lower it could indicate the thermostat's had it and you'll be wanting to replace it before the winter anyway. F/L heaters are pretty crap so ANY extra you can get out of them is a bonus...


Thanks Craig.

If i change the 'o' ring, it will be the case i'm sure, that the Stat will need doing before winter!

It's the way of these things.

Thanks again for your advice.

Cheers
 
Hello all.

Well the leak didn't stay away for long. So after the good advice on this forum i decided to opt for a new thermostat housing.
And was i glad i did!
When i stripped the stat off it just fell apart with the disc that does the sealing left snug in the engine.

The 'O' ring on the pipe was shot.
This was a break down waiting to happen. It took a bit of time but i got there.
What i would ask is, can anyone I.D a part i found while doing the job. It seems to go into a valve looking part on the back of the engine.
It wasn't attached to anything else.

What i would advise is, don't be tempted to swap the existing bolts for an alternative, say with hexagon heads to make life easier getting them back in.
The original bolt are Tri-lobel , and as such almost cut there own path back in to the Ali.. casting, if you don't pickup the original thread with ordinary bolts you strip the threads in the casting and you'll be F****D

Any one who has these bolts out look down the profile of them.

You will see there are three lobes to it. Not round like other bolts!

Cheers all.
 

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The part you're showing in pic 3 is the turbo boost control solenoid vent filter.

As it's a vent it's not meant to be connected to anything - it just minds it's own business hanging there.

It's on the service schedule to be changed every 12K

Singvogel. :cool:
 
The part you're showing in pic 3 is the turbo boost control solenoid vent filter.

As it's a vent it's not meant to be connected to anything - it just minds it's own business hanging there.

It's on the service schedule to be changed every 12K

Singvogel. :cool:


Cheers Sir,

Is it a LR part only?

How/ where would i get one?

Thanks
 
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