Oscar22

New Member
Hi All,

First posting on this very organised looking site!

I have a 2000 Td4 which has a water/coolant issue. On Tuesday morning I checked the water before a planned 700 mile round trip to scotland, via Birmingham. It was below the pipe in the header tank so I re-filled it to half way with water/antifreeze. I then drove to Brum, and checked again, and all water had gone. I put another 0.75l in, drove a short way further, and again all gone. There are no drips, and no over-heating, and nothing else that would make me worry.

I decided not to drive to scotland and left the car in a multistorey for 3 days instead. On returninig, the water was about a quarter of the way up the header tank! I called the AA for peace of mind, and he checked the pressure, ran the car for half an hour or so, and no water moved anywhere and the pressure held! There were 2 drips (yes that's all) under the car, but no other evidence of water dripping anywhere else. The back of the engine is bone dry too. He suggested I drive back to Cheltenham, and check the water half way back and when I got back. Both times the water looked a tad lower (probably pressure related) but still there. I then checked about 2 hours later, when the car had cooled, and all water had again gone from the header tank. Weird!

This morning and still no water, so i topped it up again and drove to the station. We'll see what happens when I get back later. Oh, and Im planning on driving to Plymouth later!

The strange thing is that there is no water/oil mixing anywhere so hopefully not HG, no dripping, no overheating (never above half) but strange water movements. Has anybody had any experience of this or can anybody please help!

Thanks a lot.

Oscar
 
either a pressure leak from some where. Have you checked the footwell to make sure the heater matrix isn't leaking? Though I'm afraid it sounds like HGF too me.
 
Thanks redhand.

I havent checked the heater matrix, although there is a slight damp smell in the car. If it were a HGF then would there not be oil/water mixing or overheating problems? Also, this isn't a common problem on a Td4 is it?

Oscar
 
if it is the heater matrix there's a step by step guide showing how to change it in one of this months LR mags - not sure how accurate is it so don't blame me if you end up with a pile of bits and a dead vehicle
 
Not as common as petrol engines but like any engine the HG can still fail. Oil/water mixing will only happen if the gasket goes near an oilway. it is possible for the water to be blown out of the exhaust. depending on where the gasket goes. I would get a sniff test and a compression test done asap. Certainly before driving to Plymouth.
 
Redhand, the AA man did a compression test on the water system and it lost no pressure at all.

Or are you referring to an engine compression test?
 
Engine compression test. If it didn't lose any pressure on a water/rad test then it's unlikely to be a leaky heater matrix.

However AA/Rac men are all failed mechanics so I wouldn't put too much faith in their diagnostic skills.
 
Thanks again, although Im not sure I fancy a HGF. Given that I haven't boiled it, what is the likely cost of replacement?

Oscar
 
this could be a leak in your rad matrix, and is only leaking under full pressure, ie engine working hard and water pump producing full pressure and rad fully expanded, you most probly wont see it as it will be steam, they are very difficult to find at this stage, i have found leaks similar to this in the dark using torch light ,

i would try rad weld first off,

yes i know its not ideal but needs mustand cheaper than stripping it down thinking its a hgf
 
Thanks John, that may be worth a try.

Do you know what the best way to check the heater matrix is? Is it something that is easily accessible?

Also, would there be any other signs to look out for?

Cheers
 
heater matrix is also a possibility , but if you are loosing all the water from the expansion tank, i would have thought the cabin would be quite damp and you would smell it,
i did have a heater matrix go on me (vectra) it filled the cabin full of steam when engine was up to temp, rad weld sorted it , its never a easy job replacing a heater matrix,
good luck
 
Fit a new Expansion bottle cap £3 from dealer. I had exact same and it fixed mine

Try this first HGF is rare on TD4
 
Mine did this. Kept losing water and had a slight squeek from the Alternator belt.

Turned out to be the silicone bead gasket on the water pump on the drivers side of the block and was dripping on the pulley.

Fixed with Radweld. Never been a problem since, and squeek vanished.
 
Wasn't actually Radweld, but some modern silicone based stuff that my local Indie garage gave me. They had also said don't use the older type Radweld.

(just can't remember the name, was a year ago and never had a poblem since)
 
Ok earthlings . . . .radweld warning ,dunt use it on any lr motors use more modern silicone based if you have to but always switch orft heater or you'll fook up matrix best to clamp it ,better still find the leak. .. .ok warning over :D :D :D
 

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