Overheating :(

[mikeyjm26]

Hi everyone,

my car is still overheating. It runs fine whne I fill up the header tank and overflow but after a long drive the water seems to disappear from the header tank and needs about 2 - 3 litres of water to fill back up to top.

There are no puddles on the floor so I know it is not leaking and has really got me stumped so where is the water going?

Also car overheats when stationary and only way to get the temp down is to keep it 2k revs, but this only happens whens the water is low.

Any help is as usual greatly appreciated.

TIA

Michael

[wrxmania]

Air lock?

[dougster]

Sounds like an air lock.

 

[colin_ross]

Any heat out of the heaters?

[lescazscoob]

its not been my day my car has developed a problem similar to this too no hot air when car is idling only when in motion but its not overheating temp gauge reads normal.

but i have to top the water up every day no puddles on floor inside car or out son not matrix or radiator noticed a water mark though under the bonnet where the water has came out at some point from the bottle.

ps my car is a 2.0 sport dont know if that makes any difference or if it still means its fecked any help would be great.

cheers les.

[AlanG]

In both cases if water has been fine up until recently and no work has been done on the cars to necessitate draining the water system, i'd place a bet on (one or all) head gasket, water pump,thermostat failure.

Check if you have water staining down at the pump first, then check what sort of smoke you get out the back. Thick white is a definite gasket failure.

[dougster]

Mine had an air lock for weeks.

drb5 even fitted a new thermostat as we thought the old one was sticking but airlock came back!!

It eventully went away with the old thumb over the header tank pipe/squeeze the bigger coolant pipe trick. 

[lescazscoob]

i dont have any smoke out the back of my car just the norm im so hoping this is an airlock im off out to drain the system and start again will let yous know how i get on thanks for the help.

[AlanG]

Don't bother draining it. Remove pressure cap on your header tank and make sure the water level is full. Refit cap.

Squeeze the radiator hose next to the PS pump(while running the engine) (the one that goes to the radiator) several times and see if bubbles come up into your expansion tank.

Also squeeze the two heater matrix hoses at the bulkhead next to your clutch release arm. Check your water level in the expansion tank while doing this.

[lescazscoob]

i have drained it as the water was a funny orange colour and while doing so removed the thermostat the rubber seal which goes around the edge of it is in pretty bad nick looks a bit melted and distorted with bits of seal-it stuck to it so im going to have to get one of them asap.

i tried bleeding the air out as you said with the hoses but after a while i took it out for a drive with no difference then tried to get more air out  this time only a little came out so i went for another drive still the same 1 last final try at it and still the same.

could the thermostat have been my problem all along?

[AlanG]

Have replied to PM Les []

[lescazscoob]

pm returned alan thank you

[AlanG]

And back again! []

[bigdavie]

have yous tried checking the oil ?? is it mayonnaise colour /consistency ?? if so its a head gasket as said earlier !

[lescazscoob]

oil fine clean as a whistle! should be at the amount service just cost lol! this is why im stumped

[bigdavie]

hmm weird !! could you be drawing air somewhere ?? checked the torque on the heads etc ?? pinholed pipes ?? dunno mate just clutching at straws now lol !

[mikeyjm26]

Thanks everyone for all the replies. I will check it once I get my car back. Someone crashed into it outside my house on Wednesday and I don;t know when I will get it back.