Coolant Leakidge? Where Is It Going?

[Yates-Is200S]

Hi all,

There seems to be something going wrong somewhere?

But what the hell is it!

Right, Here's the story.

I seem to be loosing coolant, well so my mechanic tells me. however i have only had the car a week so i hadnt really noticed it was loosing it. He topped it up and then was banging on about the head gasket for about an hour. trying to pressure test it with his ****ty pressure gauge which i never think are very accurate as the pressure could be going anywhere. Anyway, i took it down to my local mechanic and he gas tested it and no signs of head failure! which was a sigh of releaf as im sure many of you are aware lol.

So, i thought prehaps it needs a coolant change? as it was a cheap option i thought, to hell with it! so i decided to do an antifreeze change just to see if that solved the problem. (using toyota long life) Basically i did the change 2 days ago. topped her right up in both the rad and ressi bottle! The change went fine with no blocks or air locks! Then the next day i lost a little coolant which is understandable as it has to level out. as the day went on the coolant seemed to stay the same however this morning it has dropped again maybe 2/5ths of a litre or so?

so now its getting me thinking?........ Was the first mechanic right about the head......?

Anyway!, I dropped it down yet again to a different mechanic to get a 3rd opinion, who says:

(Quote)

"The rad looks in relativly POOR condition. i cant see a leak as such but it's a little flakey to touch in some areas, keep an eye on your coolant and run it for a few more days, it may still be finding its level! if it persists in loosing coolant after a week then i suggest replacing the rad as the next stage"

Do you think that has anything to do with it and could i loose slight pressure through the rad if its corroded?

let me know your thoughts guys cuz its really getting on my T*TS. :tsktsk: :tsktsk:

lol thanks :winky:

[Yates-Is200S]

Hi all,

There seems to be something going wrong somewhere?

But what the hell is it!

Right, Here's the story.

I seem to be loosing coolant, well so my mechanic tells me. however i have only had the car a week so i hadnt really noticed it was loosing it. He topped it up and then was banging on about the head gasket for about an hour. trying to pressure test it with his ****ty pressure gauge which i never think are very accurate as the pressure could be going anywhere. Anyway, i took it down to my local mechanic and he gas tested it and no signs of head failure! which was a sigh of releaf as im sure many of you are aware lol.

So, i thought prehaps it needs a coolant change? as it was a cheap option i thought, to hell with it! so i decided to do an antifreeze change just to see if that solved the problem. (using toyota long life) Basically i did the change 2 days ago. topped her right up in both the rad and ressi bottle! The change went fine with no blocks or air locks! Then the next day i lost a little coolant which is understandable as it has to level out. as the day went on the coolant seemed to stay the same however this morning it has dropped again maybe 2/5ths of a litre or so?

so now its getting me thinking?........ Was the first mechanic right about the head......?

Anyway!, I dropped it down yet again to a different mechanic to get a 3rd opinion, who says:

(Quote)

"The rad looks in relativly POOR condition. i cant see a leak as such but it's a little flakey to touch in some areas, keep an eye on your coolant and run it for a few more days, it may still be finding its level! if it persists in loosing coolant after a week then i suggest replacing the rad as the next stage"

Do you think that has anything to do with it and could i loose slight pressure through the rad if its corroded?

let me know your thoughts guys cuz its really getting on my T*TS. :tsktsk: :tsktsk:

lol thanks :winky:

Just to add, im only having to top up the ressi bottle, not the rad as of yet.

[kam05]

I think you need a new radiator- the current radiator probably has a hairline crack/split in it.

Oh, and DO NOT pour Radweld into the radiator/cooling system- doing that will do more harm than good. (Radweld can cause your waterpump to seize).

[Yates-Is200S]

hi mate yes i think i may be in for a new rad, do you know of any good brand names and also fair prices for a rad?

just got off the phone with parkers, and they have quoted me £200 all in for an ADL Blueprint Rad.

? what do you think ?

[stuie]

if its leaking shouldnt you be seeing coolant under your car after leaving it standing over night?

[Steve ( West Mids )]

Before yo start replacing the radiator you need to know for sure that's where it's leaking. Didn't you say on one of your other threads a mechanic was going to put some dye in it to show where it's going? That should be your next step. As suggested above if you are losing that much then you need to remove the undertray amd look for a wet patch under the car. Is the heater running hot still?

[Yates-Is200S]

Hi steve yes heater is still running hot, everything is running sweet, no miss fires or dodgy starts etc..

i cant see any leakes however, i was thinking maybe it is a very very slight hairline fracture that is seeping out when driving (cooling system under pressure) and maybe its drying up ? i will take the bottom pan off any leave it over night to see whats what.