Technical help and advice wanted please?

[lloyd]

Help please?

My 54 reg 2.2i petrol has always been totally reliable for ever and then suddenly I have two completely seperate problems. I am no believer in coincidence so wonder if they might be connected.Okay here goes.....

A few days ago it started running hot and the heater stopped working. I was surprised to note there was hardly any coolant in it, so added a few litres and all seemed fine. Then it started running hot again and also no heater again, so I replaced the thermostat. That job done I went to start it and got only click click click from under the bonnet. This would make me wonder about a) battery, b) starter, c) alternator. If you put it on charge for just a couple of minutes however, it will turn over and start without any problem. So.........

Took it out on a test run today, and guess what? yep.....Overheated, no heater, pulled over and it wouldn't start again. A mate jump leaded it in seconds and driving home it basically ejected all coolant out through the expansion bottle.

With the latter problem I am now wonderring about either airlocks or water pump failure. And could expelled steam be affecting the starter motor circuit?......Any help and advice much appreciated!

[gregster]

Hiya mate...

They are related...as soon as the car starts loosing coolant, the heater matrix gets starved first, and hence the heater blows cold...(this is useful thing to remember if you are ever limping a car home with a water leak, as you can tell when its getting low again by leaving the heater on)
I would start by flushing the rad and cooling system with a hose pipe, then refill using plenty of antifreeze (this not only stops it freezing, but raises the boiling point too, and protects the cooling system from corrosion...)
Then bleed the system, with the heater turned to hot, and leave running, checking the level and topping up as required till the engine is at operating temp and the coolant level is the hot mark..
Check the electric fan is cutting in as it should do...and the rad isnt full of snow and ice...

Hope this helps

Greg

[lloyd]

Thanks for that Greg. Do you think the cause might be the water pump, or airlocks?

The lecky fans work fine and at present are on a lot!

Could the coolant problem be related to the starting problem, do you think?

[Drift]

I hate to say it and I hope its not, but it sounds like the head gasket.

Check your dip stick and filler cap for gunk, also see if any oil is in your water.
You may need a pressure test.

[BadBoy]

One thing that pops immediatley into my head is, is a belt slipping?
I don't know your engine so this is purely guess work but, if the same belt drives the alternator & water pump this could also explain over heating and a flat battery as the water is not being pumped round the system quick enough, and the alternator would not be charging properly.

[Drift]

Paul that doesnt explain where the water is going?

[Frenchfarmer]

[lloyd]

Going to check filler cap and dipstick now......brb.

[BadBoy]

[Drift]

Most likely not related, unless the car is really hot when trying to start and the ECU is cutting it out in a safety mode.

If the water pump had frozen it wouldnt sound nice and very likely by now the block would be damaged, I cant remember on the 2.2 petrol which belt the pump is operated from.

[lloyd]

Ok, no emulsification to filler cap, dipstick or radcap. No evidence of oil in coolant.....

[lloyd]

[Drift]

Its not a seized water pump then as it would have jumped and threw the timing out.

I would get a pressure test to be sure.

There is definitely not any coolant leaking?

[Rifleman]

I'd go with the head gasket theory too.
Check the exhaust for white smoke.
The oil and water dont have to be mixing for it to be the H/G, as it may have blown from a water jacket to a cylinder and being blown out the back.

[lloyd]

[Road Hog]

Do a compression test it will show if there is a break between water jacket & cylinder

[lloyd]

Well chaps, I filled the rad to the brim with two litres antifreeze and one of water. Filled expansion bottle too, as per manual. Turned heater on full, and it started first time. Bubbles a plenty out of the filler cap, topped up etc. Once the temp guage reached 80 I refitted the rad cap and then ran it at 2000 rpm for ten minutes. All is well. Heater working, temp stable at 80, and it starts.

Hopefully this was just down to airlocks but thanks for all the tips.

Now time for

[Rifleman]

Don't turn the heater fan up full whilst bleeding the system as you are taking any heat in the system straight out and not allowing the coolant to heat up. Should be on position 1 or 2 and on hot, facing the windscreen, because heat rises.
I hope all is well.

[lloyd]

Going to risk it and use it to get to work tomorrow. Should be a good test, 8 miles in standstill traffic.................

[fogman]

are you getting the white smoke on starting up or does it smoke more when up to normal operating temp ?

i hate to say it but it does sound like the dreadded head gasket failure, i hope it isnt but there has to be a reason for the loss of all that coolant in the 1st place & as i know so well the chances is its the h/g. the symptoms you have are exactly the same as i have now & im sure mines gone again, ive changed the stat, water pump & bypassed the matrix but no luck, it is possible that you could have a leaking heater matrix which could show water on the passenger footwell carpet area , you can bypass the matrix to iliminate it by taking both the supply & return hoses off & joining them together [ i used a flexible copper water supply pipe for a tap from b & q approx £5 and about a foot long, it was perfect for the job i just jubilee clipped it in to the hoses ] then refill the system again & use it for a few days, but if the matrix is shot the whole dash has to come out to replace it