Coolant issue - Nissan Almera

ZOLTAN28

Hi - does anyone know anything about coolant/radiators etc. as I know very little about this sort of stuff.

Temp gauge kept going to red - added coolant - coolant went back to min after a short drive - checked oil which was very low so added more and refilled coolant - again temp gauge goes to red after a short drive and coolant went back to min.

I assume there is a leak somewhere but I cannot afford to have it fixed or replaced - if I limit to short drives can it survive this without intervention? No steam oranything comes out and no puddling under car.

Any advice gratly appreciated.

CJhaughey

Where is the coolant going?
If it's not leaking out then it must be be going somewhere else.
You may not see puddling but it could be a steady drip or maybe the head gasket is gone.
You need to see where its going before you can decide what to do.
How low was the oil? off the end if the stick?
It doesn't sound like the car has got much more left in it, usually neglect of the basics will cause an engine to expire quite quickly.
Short trips or not, most watercooled engines don't last long with out proper cooling.
When you remove the oil filler cap is there any mayonnaise under the cap?

ZOLTAN28

Hi - chees for the reply.

Oil was at the tip now topped up to max - no idea where coolant is going - have filled it up three times but goes after about two miles so i assume it is leaking when I drive rather than when stationary.

Nothing unusual under oil cap.

I take it that if it is fixable, it ain't cheap?

CJhaughey

Where are you filling the coolant into the rad not the overflow bottle?
If you are losing that much coolant that quick it has to be going somewhere.
It may have been airlocked, how much water/coolant have you put in?
Keep filling and idling the engine to see where it is going, sometimes the hoses get air in them and need to be squeezed to burp the air out.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that just because you fill the rad to the brim there is coolant in the whole system.
There could be big pockets of air trapped.
Fill, squeeze hoses, check rad for coolant. repeat with engine idling. Be careful with the rad fan make sure it doesn't come on when you are squeezing the hoses.
Keep trying to fill the rad, and check to see if it is pouring out anywhere as you are filling the rad.

ZOLTAN28

I have put a couple of lires into the overflow - have not put anything directly into the radiator.

Bruthal

With the coolant after being so low, if there are no leaks there could be air locks in the system, and as the air comes around to the overflow bottle or rad, it will look like the level in it has dropped probably.

Bruthal

Maybe your losing some via the head gasket if there is no visible leak either.

ZOLTAN28

Car is driving normally and no steam is coming out - how much would it cost for a mechanic to run those checks described - I am useless with engines.

CJhaughey

Don't fill through the overflow bottle.
Fill through the radiator cap when cold, and keep filling it until it won't take any more.
You may find that you fill the rad and once you idle the car the level drops.
Keep filling carefully not spilling any and keep checking for signs of leaking coolant.
Its not hard. Don't give up because you think you are useless, everyone has to start somewhere.
If you take it to a mechanic ask them to show you how to check this, its important to be able to know how to check it.

ZOLTAN28

Cheers CJ - I am going to give it a go.

ZOLTAN28

I have filled the radiator and idled - checked for leaks - nothing I can see.

If I do find one is it expensive to fix?

Avns1s

Any mayonaise type scum on the dipstick or the oil filler cap?

ZOLTAN28

No - oil cap and dipstick were fine.

Avns1s

That's something positive but a long way from definite about the Head Gasket. With the engine running, is there any bubbling in the expansion tank? Can you see the coolant well up and then fall back? It seems as though its not leaking into the oil but could still be leaking straing into one of the combustion chambers.

Could be leaking from the water pump also. Can be hard to spot this as it can just evaporate off. What is the year and mileage of your almera?

No leak inside the car which would indicate a leak in the heater??

CJhaughey

Your car may be fine,hard to tell over the net.
Take it for another spin not too far, just to see if you have lost any coolant.
Check the temp gauge for movement.
When you get back wait a while and carefully open the rad cap.
Be careful , don't do this when the engine is hot you could get burned by hot coolant. Check the level of coolant and see if it has dropped by a significant amount or not.
You may need to top up again, keep a record of how much you have put in and how much is being lost , if any.
check underneath to see if there is any drops of coolant dripping from the engine, hoses or reservoir.

ZOLTAN28

Right - found the leak - looks like it iscoming from a hose but it is hard to get to - need to be under car to see it.

Is this difficult to fix or should I bring it to a mechanic - how much is it likely to cost?

Cheers for all the help.

Avns1s

Probably about the cheapest fix you could hope to have come across.

If you can do it yourself, the hose should cost less than €20. Labour will depend on just how hard it is to get at. Plus coolant of course.

Make sure it doesn't run low on coolant (water) getting it to a mechanic if thats your choice.

If the head gasket isn't already gone, it would be a shame to cause it to go at this stage.

CJhaughey

Ask in a Nissan Main dealer how much that hose is. Is it the bottom radiator hose?
It won't be that dear, if you are not confident take it to a mechanic and ask him to fix it, it will probably be half an hour with any competent mechanic.
No harm to get him to change the oil while you are at it.

ZOLTAN28

It looks a bit ricky to get to - bottom radiator hose - so I'll bring it to a mechanic - cheers for all the help

raher1

It's the big pipe behind radiator,where is connected needs cleaning under the brackets.

RickRoll

I'd say he found it within 6 months.