water problems!!

Hello,
i've had coolant issues for a while now (18 months) and has been slowly getting worse. I've done a sniff test and pressure test and both ok, also put uv dye in with coolant to see if i could spot the leak but couldn't see anything even with uv lamp. There is also no water in oil and no fuel in oil either.

Over a 50 mile run it would use about 1 ltr of water, never over heats or had any running problems nor starting problems.

2 weeks ago i replaced the headgasket (old gasket was marked where the water was leaking across and pins were split and bent) with a new 1 from turners and steel pins + new bolts. All was running well for the first 100 miles had to top up with water once as i guess it would take a while to get all the air out of the system. Yesterday i had went for a run fairly fast for 40 miles and it managed to use the full bottle of coolant.

Any suggestions please??

Its a 90 td5 2000 with 118000 miles on it.

Oh i should add the is a little blue smoke coming from it as well, started a month ago.

I had a car (can't remember which) that had the same symptoms. It turned out that was a head gasket that had failed and was ****ing coolant that was being pulled into the exhaust.

i think that was part of the problem but now it has a new gasket its still loosing water....

what would be the next thing to check?

Blue smoke is oil burning.
White steam is water.

Did you have the head pressure tested before you re fitted it

i didn't, was hoping it wouldn't be. been for another run and doesn't use any drive about at 55-60 but once you run at 80 it just drinks it. used the header tank full in 20 miles


So i'm guess this means it is cracked head... Anyone used ceramic seal before??

put a new cap on the tank and tighten it well(or at least see if yours is well tightened or not)... it must keep 1.4 bar in the system otherwise the water will vaporise and vanish...cos you can't check if the old one is releasing air or not, and if it is you'll lose coolant

davylat said:

i didn't, was hoping it wouldn't be. been for another run and doesn't use any drive about at 55-60 but once you run at 80 it just drinks it. used the header tank full in 20 miles


So i'm guess this means it is cracked head... Anyone used ceramic seal before??

Click to expand...

That's what I had with mine. The coolant was blowing out of the expansion cap.

It turned out to be the head cracked on the inlet side. It hadn't shown up during the pressure test when it was skimmed. The coolant was pressurising only when under load so didn't show up on tickover or at low revs.

unfortunetly it is a cracked head on ilet side probably on no.1 or no.2 inlet.

So a new head then? or any other suggestions on how i can fix this?

davylat said:

So a new head then? or any other suggestions on how i can fix this?

Click to expand...

New head I'm afraid

Would i be better getting a reconditioned engine or new head?

i'm guessing its a 10p engine rather than a 15p engine i have, but could i fit the 15p??

Or is there a better engine i could use?

Cheaper to get a new head. Especially if there's nowt wrong with the rest of the engine.

Had the same problem, turned out to be a core plug
Near the turbo are which leaked slightly, the heat
From the turbo cleared the water before it could be seen.

Alan

+1 on head cracked......

I put a new one on at 140k - Turners were excellent and their AMC(?) head was clearly stronger in vulnerable areas - valve seats.

Little bit noiser - I guess that extra metal - but smoother flowing with better grunt and fuel consumption, only slight but noticeable.

istr about 1100...??? well worth it with the rest of the engine fine (once I'd replaced the slightly banana shaped con rod which had tried to compress water/coolant. That doesn't work apparently.....

Finally got round to replacing the leaking rad last week too after topping up for months - amazing no top ups since....

Good luck, A

Hi , Yes I had same problem in my disco td5, drove me crazy for 2 years, had 2 head gasket changes ,head pressure tested twice coolant sniffed use pots and pots of k seal
,Still the same then some one suggested trying Steel Seal . Superb stuff , do put it in as it says on the bottle . It is a great success and have now done over 2000 miles and not used a drop of coolant . Good luck its about £34 a bottle but well worth it for me . TED