Radiator Trouble?

martshaw

Looking for advice on an 02 Opel Corsa 1 litre, there is water in the driver's footwell and the boot is damp as well. There is a lot of condensation in the car 1st thing in the morning when I start it up. Checked the radiator this evening, was nearly empty. How big a job is it as funds are tight. Any advice needed and appreciated.

Plug

Check and see if all the windows are fully up, maybe the rubber door/boot seals are cut or perished causing the interior leak. You would have to bring it to a mechanic to sort it out, let him put the car up on a ramp and see if the engine cooling system is leaking.

It shouldn't be that much of a job. How far down was the water in the coolant tank?

shedweller

Given the moisture in the boot as well, i'd agree with Plug that there may be a leaking seal around a door or window. The low coolant may have been a coincidence. Fill it up and keep an eye on it.

dunsandin

Probably a heater matrix leak at the front, and a boot/door seal at the back. Sit in the car while somone sprays it with a hose, and look for leaks. The matrix is, as far as I can remember, a dash out job, but the parts should not be too dear.edit, on reflection, the parts will not be too dear, but the labour might be a bit saucy.

martshaw

Just found out its the head gasket. Anyone have any idea how much it will cost to replace? Probably have to get it done at the dealers.

Anan1

I wouldn't bring an 02 Corsa anywhere near a main dealer, call a couple of local indy garages for prices. I'd want to know whether the heater matrix is ok before doing anything - if the car needs both that and the HG then it might be straying towards uneconomical to repair territory.

martshaw

Just had it serviced just a couple of weeks ago. Rang them this morning, said not to drive it. When I checked it yesterday evening, the radiator was nearly empty. But the oil level seems fine. The mechanic in the dealers said it was HG. So hoping not to much damage done.

dunsandin

As victor meldrew would say, I dont believe it. Water in the footwell is 9 out of 10 times the heater matrix buried deep in the dash leaking and pooling water on the floor. It would lead to low water levels, and on corsas and most cars, it is crappily underengineered and wont last more than 8-10 years. How did your mechanic diagnose the hg? Did he sniffer it or show you mayonaisse under the oil filler cap? Im usually wrong, so this case might be as per usual, but i would look for a second opinion, just tbs. Unless of course you drove it with very low water levels and cooked the engine, warping the head and stuffing the gasket?? If thats the case, get a second hand motor and get it fitted. And do the matrix while you're at it.

crosstownk

Is this the first time you've noticed the coolant system empty? If so then top it up - the two may not be related.

hanloj1

I had a leak in heater matrix of my punto. put nova stop(better than rad weld) from motor factors. This sorted it. If your head gasket is gone it'll cost ya.

dunsandin

Yeah, nova stop can be good stuff, you could try Steelseal on the head, works somtimes. You can google it, its not that dear.

dazza27

before you start throwing money into it get it diagnosed properly. the pedal box may just need to be resealed to stop the water leak into the footwell.i have seen this before.
doing a head is expensive and often unsuccessful as the head would have to be skimmed and this can affect valve clearences !
contact bolands of clondalkin for a professional diagnosis so you can make an informed decision.

dunsandin

buy another 02 corsa:D Just because 1 litre corsas are slow, its not nice for people to be calling them a "pedal box".

dunsandin

Asked a mate who's a v good mechanic about this today, and he said right off- head gasket, heater matrix and expansion bottle cap and rad fan switch. Apparently this is an opel/suzuki developed engine, and he did not have much good to say about them, - hg failure is almost guaranteed at some stage, and its a beatch to do the heads on the 1 litre, the 1.2 is much more straightforward. In his words, the 1 litre engine on the corsa is not a goody. coil packs and icv's also go a lot.

martshaw

dunsandin wrote: »

Asked a mate who's a v good mechanic about this today, and he said right off- head gasket, heater matrix and expansion bottle cap and rad fan switch. Apparently this is an opel/suzuki developed engine, and he did not have much good to say about them, - hg failure is almost guaranteed at some stage, and its a beatch to do the heads on the 1 litre, the 1.2 is much more straightforward. In his words, the 1 litre engine on the corsa is not a goody. coil packs and icv's also go a lot.

It's the heater matrix that's causing the problem, being repaired at the dealers as I have had a couple of bad experiences at independant garages unfortunately.

kino28982

dazza27 wrote: »

before you start throwing money into it get it diagnosed properly. the pedal box may just need to be resealed to stop the water leak into the footwell.i have seen this before.
doing a head is expensive and often unsuccessful as the head would have to be skimmed and this can affect valve clearences !
contact bolands of clondalkin for a professional diagnosis so you can make an informed decision.

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