Grr - where can water escape invisibly from?

Oscar · Post by **Oscar** » Sun Jul 18, 2010 6:17 pm

Ok, rubbish title, but the issue is this - we're losing water from Groliffe, and I can't work out from where. I've run it up to temp and stared long and hard at the engine, but nothing has manifest itself. I shall run it up one evening and find a nice dark spot and get under with the torch to see if I can spot steam, but I am a bit peeved. Swampy has never ever lost water or oil, and indeed the coolant looks like new even after 3 years. Groliffe on the other hand is causing anxiety, especially as we are off to France in it in two weeks.

Any help or thoughts gratefully received.

Oscar

Post by **Defender110** » Sun Jul 18, 2010 6:56 pm

Heater matrix! can you smell coolant in the cabin when the engine is hot and you put your heater blower on with heater set to hot?

Oscar · Post by **Oscar** » Sun Jul 18, 2010 9:48 pm

Nope, thought of that and it's fine, I think. I shall give it another go all the same, but I don't think it's the HM (I've had 2 lots of HM problems so I know what to look for.)

But thanks anyway....

Linegeist · Post by **Linegeist** » Sun Jul 18, 2010 10:08 pm

Distant memories are stirring here ......................... <creak> ....................

There used to be a substance we put into the cooling systems of armoured vehicles for tracing leaks (theye're a real pain to try and work on, with everything covered in armour plate and surrounded by fire cables, pipes and fire warning systems).

This stuff, when mixed with the coolent, would leave a whitish/yellow tracer streaking wherever it came into contact with the air (where the leak was) and made tracing it a lot easier.

Surely you must be able to get something similar in civvy street .........

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Sun Jul 18, 2010 11:45 pm

Water pump

I've just changed one on a ZX that would only leak when hot

kiwi · Post by **kiwi** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 5:40 am

Invisible leak?

Question is how bad is the leak as in how far can you go before the radiator shows low (sorry for the ryme)

Brings back a memory of missing water in my TZS which took 18 months and a few weeks parked up to show where the water was hiding.

Oscar · Post by **Oscar** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:17 am

The water pump is fairly new, Tom gave me what-for when I suggested changing it the other day.

I shall get it up to temp today and see what I can see. I'll report back

Oscar

kiwi · Post by **kiwi** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:51 am

Oscar wrote:The water pump is fairly new, Tom gave me what-for when I suggested changing it the other day.

I shall get it up to temp today and see what I can see. I'll report back

Oscar

Got an idea!

Radiator Cap.

Oscar · Post by **Oscar** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:59 am

It's new

but keep em coming, we'll figure it out.

Gibbo2286 · Post by **Gibbo2286** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 11:24 am

Head gasket, water's coming out the exhaust as superheated steam, i.e. invisible. Gibbo.

messerschmitt owner · Mon Jul 19, 2010 12:03 pm

start it up, with the header tank lid off - if the water's bubbling through that, it's the HG!

kiwi · Post by **kiwi** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 12:12 pm

Gibbo2286 wrote:Head gasket, water's coming out the exhaust as superheated steam, i.e. invisible. Gibbo.

Yea that was what I was pointing to in an earlier reply.

The fizzing bubbling water with the radiator cap or frothy gung was not evident. But the Number 2 cylinder filling up over a three week period was a very big giveaway. The process of a cool engine opened the gasket up!

Oscar · Post by **Oscar** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 1:09 pm

Oh billions of blue blistering barnacles! Back to the head gasket thing again.....

Sorry Gibbo, not directed at you, but I've just spent 3 weeks trying to figure out whether it needs a HG or not.

There's no gas in the coolant or in the oil, and no oil in water or vice versa. Unless there's a crack in the head letting water escape into the exhaust system - is this possible?

Oscar · Post by **Oscar** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 1:10 pm

That ZX estate for sale down the road is starting to look more and more attractive (not much to look at but has a lovely personality and is very loyal). If scrap prices weren't so low I'd weigh them both in against the ZX....

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 1:35 pm

Oscar wrote:Unless there's a crack in the head letting water escape into the exhaust system - is this possible?

Yes - I believe I've had this with no visible steam from the exhaust. Impossible to say for certain as it was cured over a year ago with a bottle of K-Seal. It won't work in all cases but did the trick for me on a VW engine, which are prone to cracking heads.