Leaking Coolant?

Renno123

My 00' car is leaking coolant. I brought it to a mechanic but he couldnt see a problem and advised i drive it and see what happens.
After about 100 miles the coolant was gone,
since then i've been putting in water to get me to places untill i can bring it in a again, but was told i got buy this product that stops leaks? what is this product and is it safe to use? I am getting anxious as temperatures beginning to drop.
Thanks

Nissan doctor

Have the problem diagnosed properly first.
Putting bottles of gunk into it only hides the problem for a while, it doesn't make it go away unfortunatly.


What car is it BTW?

Renno123

thanks. Its a clio
I dont want to be splashing money on it.. it could do with a new exhaust too
and a service,
and the nct is due in 4 months :eek:

Nissan doctor

Renno123 wrote: »

thanks. Its a clio
I dont want to be splashing money on it.. it could do with a new exhaust too
and a service,
and the nct is due in 4 months :eek:

Well if you planning on keeping it then you have to spend money on it.

If you don't want to spend anything on it then get rid of it now while its still running.

tiernanobrien

Fill it with coolant and turn it on and see if you can find where the leak is coming from. Its more than likely a loose connection or a hole in the rad. Happened to me during the summer. If its a hole in the rad theres a place off dorset street that fixes them cheaply enough!

alanhiggyno1

Happened to me on my astra few wks ago and cost 350 to repair.coolant leaking is coming from the head gasket.expensive repair that takes bout 2 days to repair

Renno123

alanhiggyno1 wrote: »

Happened to me on my astra few wks ago and cost 350 to repair.coolant leaking is coming from the head gasket.expensive repair that takes bout 2 days to repair

ya i was warned of that.
if thats the case it wont be fixed :cool:

Renno123

tiernanobrien wrote: »

Fill it with coolant and turn it on and see if you can find where the leak is coming from. Its more than likely a loose connection or a hole in the rad. Happened to me during the summer. If its a hole in the rad theres a place off dorset street that fixes them cheaply enough!

a hole in the rad.. i assume thats just wear and tear?

Renno123

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Well if you planning on keeping it then you have to spend money on it.

If you don't want to spend anything on it then get rid of it now while its still running.

do you know the name of the stuff i could get?
to keep it going until li can get it sorted?

La Haine

Holts Radweld Plus 250ml
or
Bars leak Radiator Sealer 135ml

alanhiggyno1

Tried both and didnt do anything and they are expensive bottles too

Renno123

La Haine wrote: »

Holts Radweld Plus 250ml
or
Bars leak Radiator Sealer 135ml

Ill have a look into them,
cheers

AmberAmber

my car over heated one day and smoke came up from under the battery and coolent was low. so topped up coolent and the next day drive 4 miles and same again. 2 days later took the car to the garage and told my story.
it was coolent connector that was broken in 2 places and thats why my BMW was loosing coolent 4lites of the dam stuff !!! so part form main dealer needed and it only cost €10 for the connector !! was delighted ! lucky girl was I.

so i hope you are as lucky !
some times it can be major some times its a handy job. you need a garage who knows thier stuff too i guess.

Nissan doctor

alanhiggyno1 wrote: »

Happened to me on my astra few wks ago and cost 350 to repair.coolant leaking is coming from the head gasket.expensive repair that takes bout 2 days to repair

If your head gasket was gone and it only cost 350 to fix it.....prepare for it to happen again sooner rather then later! A proper repair would cost alot more then that.

alanhiggyno1

Nissan doctor wrote: »

If your head gasket was gone and it only cost 350 to fix it.....prepare for it to happen again sooner rather then later! A proper repair would cost alot more then that.

Are u feeling ok??that is the goin rate to get it done and head skimmed too as it took nearly 3 days.u need to change garage if Ur getting charged more than that.also it helps to know mechanic too u kno

kermitpwee

alanhiggyno1 wrote: »

Are u feeling ok??that is the goin rate to get it done and head skimmed too as it took nearly 3 days.u need to change garage if Ur getting charged more than that.also it helps to know mechanic too u kno

The guy you are talking to is a mechanic, on that astra the t/b and water pump must also be replaced with the head gasket and new bolts and it would have had to go to an engineering shop to get the head checked/skimmed. No way was it done properly for 350.

unkel

alanhiggyno1 wrote: »

Are u feeling ok??that is the goin rate to get it done and head skimmed too as it took nearly 3 days.u need to change garage if Ur getting charged more than that.also it helps to know mechanic too u kno

HG replaced and head skimmed for €350? :eek:

Vego

Leaking coolant could be broken water pump

cruizer101

Just a tip when you are lookin for the leak. Your best to probably take the car out for a bit of spin first. If you just start up the car in the driveway its quite possible the thermostat will be closed and so coolant will only be flowing around the engine and not through the rad. If you take it for a spin and get the engined nicely warmed up, then come back and park it up with engine running the coolant should be flowing through all the parts so easier to spot the leak.

alanhiggyno1

cruizer101 wrote: »

Just a tip when you are lookin for the leak. Your best to probably take the car out for a bit of spin first. If you just start up the car in the driveway its quite possible the thermostat will be closed and so coolant will only be flowing around the engine and not through the rad. If you take it for a spin and get the engined nicely warmed up, then come back and park it up with engine running the coolant should be flowing through all the parts so easier to spot the leak.

God not another person who rips ppl off.when u are changing the belt u do the water pump not replace the gasket too.so what Ur saying if I did my belt and pump u would expect me to do the gasket aswell??come out of the clouds a bit and go back and learn Ur trade.I've done my belt and pump last year so don't talk pure utter bull sh1t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cornbb

alanhiggyno1 wrote: »

God not another person who rips ppl off.when u are changing the belt u do the water pump not replace the gasket too.so what Ur saying if I did my belt and pump u would expect me to do the gasket aswell??come out of the clouds a bit and go back and learn Ur trade.I've done my belt and pump last year so don't talk pure utter bull sh1t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Em, it sounds to me like he said that when you replace the gasket you need to do the TB and water pump too, not the other way round...

Nissan doctor

alanhiggyno1 wrote: »

God not another person who rips ppl off.when u are changing the belt u do the water pump not replace the gasket too.so what Ur saying if I did my belt and pump u would expect me to do the gasket aswell??come out of the clouds a bit and go back and learn Ur trade.I've done my belt and pump last year so don't talk pure utter bull sh1t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Proper head gasket replacement job...

Head pressure test and skim,
Check all other relevant tolerances,
Complete head set,
New head bolts,
Cooling system flush,
New timing belt and water pump,
Labour.


EUR350? Its not me living in the dream world. Maybe your mate didn't charge you labour or something but if thats the case its hardly an indication of what people should normally expect to pay.

SouperComputer

€350 head gasket job is usually the type you can expect the head to have been "skimmed" with a belt sander LOL. You pays your money and you takes your chance.

If you are doing the HG you don't "have" to do the timing belt and water pump, but if they are even close to being due you will end up saving money in the long run by not paying for labour twice.

trixyben

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Proper head gasket replacement job...

Head pressure test and skim,
Check all other relevant tolerances,
Complete head set,
New head bolts,
Cooling system flush,
New timing belt and water pump,
Labour.


EUR350? Its not me living in the dream world. Maybe your mate didn't charge you labour or something but if thats the case its hardly an indication of what people should normally expect to pay.

just out of interest ND would that be the case in every car were the all of the things you say to be changed at the same time? say for example just so i have an idea on my 00 1.8tddi focus how much would that all cost roughly? im not an expert myself but when factoring in the labour cost of having say the head gasket done on its own and then done sa you say does it make more sense to have them all done at once?

Nissan doctor

trixyben wrote: »

just out of interest ND would that be the case in every car were the all of the things you say to be changed at the same time? say for example just so i have an idea on my 00 1.8tddi focus how much would that all cost roughly? im not an expert myself but when factoring in the labour cost of having say the head gasket done on its own and then done sa you say does it make more sense to have them all done at once?

The above list is, for the most part, what has to be done every time. When a head gasket fails, you never just remove the head, fit a new gasket and thats it.

The vast majority of engine gaskets and head bolts are single use, meaning once removed they have to be replaced. The timing belt/water pump don't have to be changed if there is proof that they are still well withing their life span, but, in most cases, there is no record of when they were changed, so they would be renewed at the same time.

Also bare in mind that the cause of the head gasket failure has to be found and rectified too.

salamander27

Vego wrote: »

Leaking coolant could be broken water pump

That's where I'd look too. Happened on my old clio. Only noticed the leak dripping out of the bottom of the timing belt cover when the coolant bottle cap was off.

Renno123

I got some "Radweld- Radiator Leak repair"
should the coolant reservoir be completely empty before i add this??
it doesn't specify on the directions.

SouperComputer

Have you found a leak in your radiator? If not you are wasting you time and might well make things worse.

Renno123

SouperComputer wrote: »

Have you found a leak in your radiator? If not you are wasting you time and might well make things worse.

I have found the leak.. i just dont know what its coming out of specifically.
it is near the front wheel on the drivers side.. quite low down

Nissan doctor

Renno123 wrote: »

I have found the leak.. i just dont know what its coming out of specifically.
it is near the front wheel on the drivers side.. quite low down

Could be the water pump so as it would be in the area behind the drivers wheel.

By adding the likes of rad weld, you could potentially be making any future repair more expensive.

Renno123

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Could be the water pump so as it would be in the area behind the drivers wheel.

By adding the likes of rad weld, you could potentially be making any future repair more expensive.

oh well, too late now.

im 90 % sure its stopped the leak as there was no water marks on the drive after i moved the car.. after adding the rad weld.
ill bring it out later and see. ive marked the current water level so ill check it over the next few days
thanks