Printable View
hi all
i have a vauxhall tigra and the cold water reservoir (round shaped with a yellow lid - next to engine) is running out of water every couple of days.
its really hard to see if there is any leaks because of where its located (no real access)
does anyone have any ideas as to what it could be?
cheers
themoose
Nothing good I dare say. Check the floor of the car for dampness which would indicate a burst heater matrix, not likely but posible. If you can't find any leaks or signs of leaks anywhere around the engine or water hoses then the next natural conclusion is that it is being burnt due to head gasket failure. A mechanic will soon tell you the problem for sure instead of thinking the worst.
thanks for the reply
if is the head gasket what does that mean exactly (sorry i know nothing about cars)
r we talking major expensive???
Upwards of £100, at least. No point in worrying about something that may not be. Head gasket is the gasket between the cylinder head and the block. It has several purposes, all of which involve sealing the various gallereys between the block and the cylinder head which carry fluids and hold in gases, (compression) within the engine from each other. A head gasket can go in many different ways. oil, water or compression can leak to air or indeed to each other. The most common faults are oil leaking into the water gallery which is usually easy to diagnose as the oil turns creamy white because it is emulsified with water, compression from the combustion chambers can leak into each other or to the oil or water galleries, the former will cause the engine to burn water and build up excessive pressure in the water system usually causing something to blow under the pressure, usually a hose or a week gasket. In severe cases it can cause the the engine to 'hydraulic', which means there is too much water present in the combustion chamber to be compressed and the engine stops dead as it is turned over to start it. The price of the job is dependant on both, the type of car\engine and the mechanic you choose to do the work. Labour makes up most of the cost unless the gasket set itself and\or the new cylinder head bolts (if it needs them) are unusually expensive. generally a good quality gasket set is around £30 but you can buy cheaper. So......in conclusion, get at least 2 estimates from 2 unrelated garages AND make sure you ask whether genuine parts will be used to effect a repair. If not, ask who's gaskets they use. If they say Motaquip, RUN a mile. Payen make quality gaskets for motor manufacturers so, they are a safe bet.
Possibly water pump or the switch for the fan which goes into the bottom of the radiator , vauxhall have modified the seal
cheers everyone for the advice
someone recommended putting rad weld in the reservoir, so i think i'll try this for a kick off and see if that helps before i take it in.
Either one would be obvious to even the least tech minded of people seeing there would be water p!ssin from them.Quote:
Originally posted by mactwo1
Possibly water pump or the switch for the fan which goes into the bottom of the radiator , vauxhall have modified the seal
Radweld and its counterparts can do more damage than they are worth. Such treatments have been known to block small pipes or waterways in engines, so......... don't use any more than the recommended amount.
thanks all
i found the leak at bottom of radiator, put some radweld in (a 250ml bottle) hope thats not too much.
seems to have done the trick so far.
cheers for all the advice its much appreciated.
themoose