I'm losing water - but I don't know where?

witchy

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Astra G Diesel CDTI 53 Plate.

I noticed my engine temp rise yesterday and I pulled over and found the reservoir almost empty. I topped it up with some water I keep in the boot and drove home.

Earlier today I noticed the temp increase again so I pulled over and checked the water level again, it was almost empty. :err:

I filled the reservoir at a local garage and drove home, the drive home was only about 10 minutes driving. I opened the bonnet and noticed that my water tank was only half full.

I filled it once more and left the engine running as I checked for leaks.

The radiator doesn't appear to have any faults as I see no leaks, drips, damp patches etc. I also checked (as best I could) all the hoses and none of them appear to have any breaks and again none of those had damp patches etc.

I looked under the car and there was no water, no drips, nowt.

I checked the oil incase something nasty had happened inside the engine but the oil was clean with no signs of water contamination.

I've left my engine ticking over for 20 minutes and no water dripped from the car. I checked the engine tray incase that was holding the water, but it was dry as a bone.

Where can my water be going?
 
Has to be a head gasket m8 :(,
where else could it be going?

You dont have much luck with cars m8 do you :(
 
At least you ruled out the worst case scenario where it could be going into your oil. Maybe it could be evaporating away? But you would have noticed steam
 
told you before i am the bringer of all bad tidings

not for the exhaust thing ( only pressure test ) if leaking the other way then check oil and water to see if mixed
 
told you before i am the bringer of all bad tidings

not for the exhaust thing ( only pressure test ) if leaking the other way then check oil and water to see if mixed

lol.

Oil appears fine mate, nice and oily, no frothy muck in it.

Water tank is clean too, no signs of oil.
 
Shit piss shit shit piss!

Can the gasket be sealed or anything like that, or must the head come off and a new gasket fitted?
 
Shit piss shit shit piss!

Can the gasket be sealed or anything like that, or must the head come off and a new gasket fitted?

tbh i would get a garage to do a pressure test first to make sure, no good running about like a headless chicken to find out it aint that
and no you cannot fix without head off
king henry the v111 comes to mind
off with her head lol
 
Shit piss shit shit piss!

Can the gasket be sealed or anything like that, or must the head come off and a new gasket fitted?

stick some of this in it m8. you might be lucky.

it's wonderful stuff.



51xvx1qJgvL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
 
Any idea approx how much would a pressure check cost?

Cheers V14, I'll give that a try.

I'm only wanting to keep the car until next April, so I don't really want to spend £400 on a gasket replacement unless absolutely essential.
 
make sure your carpet not getting wet near your feet theres is a heater rad under the dash and when its full of water see if your heater gets hot as well does the water come out of the bottle if u leave the cap off with it running but dont try it when its hot in case it burns u
 
Here are the checks i would make before going to the expense of going to a mechanic

1. Check the water bottle , is the water brownish in color ?
2. With the car at running temperature check and see if you have any air bubbles coming up through the water
3. With the car at running temperature check and see if you have any white smoke coming out of the exhaust, does the exhaust smoke smell sweet
4. One more check to make is the heater matrix might have a leak , is the inside of the car wet anywhere in the front

the above checks are not 100% sure way of telling if you have a head gasket failure

Depending on how much the mechanic will charge you, you might be better off getting a Combustion Leak Tester and doing it yourself


Just had a quick look and it seems the UK is not that into Combustion Leak Tester...lol hard to find them in the UK


[ame=http://www.amazon.com/UVIEW-560000-Combustion-Leak-Tester/dp/B000NPDL76]Amazon.com: UVIEW 560000 Combustion Leak Tester: Automotive[/ame]



a cheap tool to consider for this type of diagnostics is a compression tester

AUTOMOTIVE ENGINE COMPRESSION TESTER KIT GAUGE VALVE on eBay (end time 15-Jul-10 12:02:27 BST)


but i would have to saying losing that much water with no sign of a leak is not looking good for the head gasket
 
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make sure your carpet not getting wet near your feet theres is a heater rad under the dash and when its full of water see if your heater gets hot as well does the water come out of the bottle if u leave the cap off with it running but dont try it when its hot in case it burns u

Carpet is dry mate and heater is working ok.

Some water did pour out over the top of the tank yesterday whist I had the top off.
 
Here are the checks i would make before going to the expense of going to a mechanic

1. Check the water bottle , is the water brownish in color ?

No mate. Yesterday the water was pinky/red. I suppose this was due to the coolant. Any water that I've added since has been clear.

2. With the car at running temperature check and see if you have any air bubbles coming up through the water

Millions of tiny air bubbles, it's almost like a throth.
But I thought this was perhaps due to the fact that the water was boiling in the pipes?

3. With the car at running temperature check and see if you have any white smoke coming out of the exhaust, does the exhaust smoke smell sweet

Smoke is typical diesel exhaust, no white at all and no sweet smell.
(is this a check to see if the coolant is being burned?)

4. One more check to make is the heater matrix might have a leak , is the inside of the car wet anywhere in the front

I've only checked the drivers side. I'll check passenger side later.

I do remember some water in the passenger footwell a few months ago, but I put it down to melted snow etc.

Many thanks for your help mate. :)
 
I'd be suprised if the temp is rising while its still got a lot af water in it. When the head gasket goes it usually blows the water out of the expansion tank and once it has blown enough water out that it can no longer cool the engine ,then the temp rises. It may be worth checking your thermostat or making sure you havent got an air lock
 
I'd be suprised if the temp is rising while its still got a lot af water in it. When the head gasket goes it usually blows the water out of the expansion tank and once it has blown enough water out that it can no longer cool the engine ,then the temp rises. It may be worth checking your thermostat or making sure you havent got an air lock

Temp is nice and stable when there is plenty of water in the tank charlie.

How can it blow the water out of the tank if the tank is sealed?

I'm dropping my son off at his friends, it's a 16 mile round trip.

I'll make sure the tank is full before leaving and I check the level once I return.

Don't worry, I'll be taking 8 liters of water with me - just incase :)
 
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