Water leak in my AU wagon

Hi All

I purchased an Au wagon 18 months ago from a dealer in Perth. Luckily I got an extended warranty, yes I know there not much use but in this case it was for the best. I got lots of stuff fixed under it but had to pay for the rest. The car is dual fuel and I've tuned it for gas and use the gas oil. I've had the spark cables replace with high tension ones, replaced the crack air box, had the flooding problem on the front passenger side, the rear that sometimes unlocks when you let the front door slam shut, the cruise control that doesn’t, the air pipe into the carby burst open due to backfire and assorted small thing that I have solved.

But here’s the BIG one. A constant (as in it's always happening) but erratic (can happen 3 days in a row then not happen for 6 weeks) water leak in the cooling system. I have replace the reservoir (small crack) had all the hose clamps replace with tighter ones, cleaned and remounted the thermostat hose and pipe. And still the thing leaks! And the way it leaks is the frustrating thing. There is no pattern to it, it'll be fine for weeks and then suddenly go down over night. I have witnessed this, once I checked the car after it had cooled after a long trip, fine no problem. The next morning the reservoir was almost empty! One very cold morning before starting it I checked the it and found a drop of coolant under a metal pipe that ran into the engine directly below the thermostat housing, there was no coolant around the thermostat but the metal pipe had a small amount. But the engine holds about 5lt of the stuff but I've never found a puddle under the car. I just seems to vanish. An internal leak has occurred to me but the car seems to be running fine, some mornings it can be a bit rough. The car has had a small front ender, the source of many of my problems I think.

This water thing is driving me crazy. Can anybody help?

Eldarau

[NARCEA]

have you tried getting the system pressure tested mate?

I forgot to mention that I also had the radiator replaced and I would assume they did a pressure test at that time.

What would a pressure test show? If there was a leak I assume. I'll talk to my mechanic about it. Thanks mate.

One other thing I have a slopeing block and the car is parked on a 10 to 15 degree slope a lot of the time. I don't know if this matters or not.


Eldarau

[The Dok]

Originally Posted by Eldarau

I forgot to mention that I also had the radiator replaced and I would assume they did a pressure test at that time.
What would a pressure test show? If there was a leak I assume. I'll talk to my mechanic about it. Thanks mate.Eldarau

Take the car to a professional RADIATOR/COOLING SYSTEM repairer who will perform a pressure test in your presence & diagnose any problems immediately. It could (the leak) be any number of things from a head gasket to a split hose. This would at least give you peace of mind as opposed to talking to a "mechanic" who usually seem to leave you with more questions than answers when it comes to these things as not many have the experience or equipment to perform these specialist tasks. :lookedat:

[romaniac]

i was having similar problems to u, i just got a pressure test today and got one of the hoses that apperead to be leaking tightened. Ill keep an eye on the water level and see if it drops within the next few weeks.

Hi Guys

Thanks for all your advice.

Had the Mechanic run about a dozen different tests and turns out there is exhaust residue in the cooling water, which mean there is an internal leak somewhere. So big bucks to fix then it's gone, outta my life before anything else breaks, falls off, or blows up.

Thanks again all who replied
Eldarau