#1: Missing Coolant Author: 206HdiGti, Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 3:44 am ---- I've done almost 4000 miles since my coolant change. I've used proper pug stuff when it was changed.
I've had to top it up three times however since changing it. The car doesn't overheat, it just asks me to top it up.
I'm not considering this as normal behaviour. I cannot see if its dripping as the big cover is currently bolted on.
It lost some of a period of two days where the car wasn't used or even started, so i'm expecting there to be a leak somewhere.
Before anyone says 'I told you so' because of the model of engine/car, coolant leaks happen on all cars, so please helpful answers.
Any idea where to start looking?
Cheers
#2: Re: Missing Coolant Author: Edward, Location: In the garagePosted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 5:38 am ---- I'd look at the bottom of the reservoir - depending on the type of reservoir fitted. Later ones have a normal hose and jubliee clip which is reliable. Earlier ones had a metal coupling held in place with a circlip. These can leak.
I think the later radiator hoses don't use jubilee clips but couplings built into the hoses. My wifes 207 CC uses these and on the reservoir if I move the hose I have hear a schlurping sound as air enters the system! I top hers up with about 100ml ish once a year.
My 206 never lost any coolant and my Jetta doesnt ever drop either.
#3: Re: Missing Coolant Author: 206HdiGti, Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 6:21 am ---- Thank you Edward.
I Can always depend on your for very good advice!!
I will be taking the undercar cover off later (if it stops bloody raining!!!!) when I get home from work, as you just cannot see anything in these engine bays any more!
If it is that, I can just replace coupling with proper pipe and jubilee clip it?
#4: Re: Missing Coolant Author: Lecktorious, Location: ScotlandPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 8:05 am ---- Check the bottom of the radiator. It catches all the s**t off the road which corrodes the cores.
#5: Re: Missing Coolant Author: 206HdiGti, Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 12:16 pm ---- Will do
#6: Re: Missing Coolant Author: Timon2210, Location: PalestinePosted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 5:19 pm ---- well the best way to make sure where the leak is-If you have any-is to use the air pressure method,which mean you put high pressure air in the cooling system,and the weakest point ,even a hair line crack will be seen with coolant going out from there
#7: Re: Missing Coolant Author: 206HdiGti, Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 8:14 pm ---- When the coolant was changed we used a vacuum type system to suck all air out before putting it all back in again. When that happened it would have shown up a leak.
It must have happened since the coolant was replaced. I haven't had chance to look yet as weather has been bad
#8: Re: Missing Coolant Author: 206HdiGti, Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 1:05 pm ---- I have a leak at the end nearest the oil cooler in the radiator. Any idea where i can get a new one?
#9: Re: Missing Coolant Author: kandlbarrett, Location: SwindonPosted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 2:08 pm ---- Plenty on line between £45 - £60 excluding delivery.
#10: Re: Missing Coolant Author: Deckchair5, Location: Bath UKPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 3:19 am ---- When the coolant doesn't level out after someone says they have done a coolant change then I would suspect ineffective bleeding on the refill. A leak doesn't start because of a coolant change but ineffective bleeding is very high on the probabilities. A coincidence that you suddenly get a leak that you can't see after changing the coolant? I wouldn't think so
First thing I would do is set about rebleeding it using the normal methods as detailed in the manual
#11: Re: Missing Coolant Author: 206HdiGti, Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 4:55 am ---- I saw it dripping out the bottom of the radiator
#12: Re: Missing Coolant Author: macca1411, Location: Westhoughton, LancashirePosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 6:26 am ---- We used to drop a couple of raw eggs (works better than Radweld) into the radiator to plug a leaky hole
Leave the engine to run for a while and the egg is forced into the hole from the pressure . It cooks and seals it like a rubbery grommet. It's only supposed to be a make do and mend solution but I've known it last for a while.
Never tried it with an expansion bottle, so I would try to read up on it more before trying it.
#13: Re: Missing Coolant Author: 206HdiGti, Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 6:43 am ---- I'm just going to replace the radiator.
I have heard of that method, but I do 500 miles a week, cannot trust eggs for that.
Rads are readily available and it looks to be an easy job so i'll get the whole thing done properly.
Has anyone got the actual sizes of the radiator for my model?
Cheers
#14: Re: Missing Coolant Author: Edward, Location: In the garagePosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:23 am ---- Just make sur eyou get the right radiator for the age of your 206.
#15: Re: Missing Coolant Author: Lecktorious, Location: ScotlandPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:33 am ----
macca1411 wrote:
We used to drop a couple of raw eggs (works better than Radweld) into the radiator to plug a leaky hole
Leave the engine to run for a while and the egg is forced into the hole from the pressure . It cooks and seals it like a rubbery grommet. It's only supposed to be a make do and mend solution but I've known it last for a while.
Bodge. Some cooked eggs won't stop the a**e falling out the radiator if it's rotten.
#16: Re: Missing Coolant Author: macca1411, Location: Westhoughton, LancashirePosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 8:01 am ----
Lecktorious wrote:
macca1411 wrote:
We used to drop a couple of raw eggs (works better than Radweld) into the radiator to plug a leaky hole
Leave the engine to run for a while and the egg is forced into the hole from the pressure . It cooks and seals it like a rubbery grommet. It's only supposed to be a make do and mend solution but I've known it last for a while.
Bodge. Some cooked eggs won't stop the a**e falling out the radiator if it's rotten.
If the bottom of the radiator was falling out, you would be loosing more than a bit of coolant. Might be a bodge repair on a small hole, but it's enough to get you running until you can get the problem fixed properly. I can remember brazing and soldering radiators to fix them when they were falling to bits. That was in the days of the proper brass and copper radiators and not the crappy plastic substitutes they use today.
#17: Re: Missing Coolant Author: 206HdiGti, Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 8:03 am ---- The car is still running, I just am getting fed up of having to top the coolant up once a week. I'm still using it, sorry if I mislead you.
#18: Re: Missing Coolant Author: bezford, Location: darlingtonPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 8:29 am ---- there's some really good coolant sealers about these days...some claim to bridge cracks in engine blocks and such mega claims...now while they may or may not fix cracks in blocks im sure they will fix a leak in a rad. or a pipe/coupling...rad weld type stuff it is.
#19: Re: Missing Coolant Author: kandlbarrett, Location: SwindonPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 8:51 am ---- If you really have a leaking radiator replace it. They aren't very expensive and if that dribble turns into a flow you will be looking at a headgasket or engine rather than a rad change.
Also possible recocvery costs from the motorway hard shoulder and the 2 hr wait in the cold that accomanies it.
#20: Re: Missing Coolant Author: Quarmbo, Location: Bristol & LeicesterPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 9:12 am ---- Replace the faulty part and do not rely on products like radweld. I've recently suffered a HG failure as a previous owner had splurged the coolant system with radweld. Too much radweld = ineffective cooling system = HG failure over time.
#21: Re: Missing Coolant Author: NathanG, Location: Ebbw Vagas (Wales)Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 9:50 am ---- I had a leak like this in a Fiat Sceinto, turned out to be a core plug. Changed it, never lost coolant again.
#22: Re: Missing Coolant Author: kandlbarrett, Location: SwindonPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 10:25 am ---- quarmbo: +1
#23: Re: Missing Coolant Author: 206HdiGti, Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 10:44 am ---- I never had the intention of pouring in a bodge liquid.
Though I have fixed my engine block pitting on my MR2 with titanium putty, but that isn't run of the mill stuff you can get from Halfrauds! I still wouldn't use that on a pipe or a radiato.
If you are going to fix a problem, fix it properly and buy the correct equipment and product.
The radiator will be purchased this week and fitted on Saturday.
#24: Re: Missing Coolant Author: bezford, Location: darlingtonPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 11:25 am ---- They sell them now that are supposed to fix a headgasket leak/breach but i tried one that was about£12 from the same company as radweld...blue bottle orange cap and label...
Needless to say it didnt work but it was on a mgzr and those k series engines nearly always go and are a b***h...so i wouldnt really recommend tjis but it must work in some cases or they couldnt sell the stuff under false advertising...
Dont forget if the h.g. has gone ...on a mgzr its either £12 or its £800 to £1200 depending on garage so if u can get away with the £12 its a hell of a saving and maybe worth a try???
They sell them now that are supposed to fix a headgasket leak/breach but i tried one that was about£12 from the same company as radweld...blue bottle orange cap and label...
Needless to say it didnt work but it was on a mgzr and those k series engines nearly always go and are a b***h...so i wouldnt really recommend tjis but it must work in some cases or they couldnt sell the stuff under false advertising...
Dont forget if the h.g. has gone ...on a mgzr its either £12 or its £800 to £1200 depending on garage so if u can get away with the £12 its a hell of a saving and maybe worth a try???
What?
#26: Re: Missing Coolant Author: macca1411, Location: Westhoughton, LancashirePosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 1:05 pm ---- THey might make it, and would be ideal in an emergency situation to get you home a bit like the tyreweld stuff, but I would still want to do the proper repair as soon as possible.
#27: Re: Missing Coolant Author: kandlbarrett, Location: SwindonPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 1:22 pm ---- Tyreweld: in my opinion = junk. Our company cars do NOT come with spare wheels but a can of tyreweld. My supervisor got a puncture that Tyreweld would not fix. He got to work so late that it was too late to even start the job and he was the only person planned for that shift with the skills to supervise the 350T crane.
Cost of crane, other plant, labour and overall delays to the job exceeded £180k.
All my staff now have cars now have a real (not space saver) spare wheel.
#28: Re: Missing Coolant Author: 206HdiGti, Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 3:07 pm ---- Did I say my head gasket has gone? No.
Chances are the old coolant however many years old it was, was blocking up a tiny hole so when the new stuff was put through it dislodged all the old crap and made the leak more evident.
An air compressor vacuum tool was used to suck out all the air prior to coolant going in so there was no air in the system when the coolant was put through. But since then it developed a leak.
#29: Re: Missing Coolant Author: kandlbarrett, Location: SwindonPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 3:32 pm ---- 206HdiGti: Ignore future posts here; your problem is diagnosed.
#30: Re: Missing Coolant Author: 206HdiGti, Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 4:09 pm ---- I know and I appreciate the knowledge thank you
#31: Re: Missing Coolant Author: bezford, Location: darlingtonPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:17 pm ---- I never said you had a bust head gasket i was mearly stating the facts about the use of these "sealants"these threads are meant to carry on and amble down different alleys its more interesting and known generally as a conversation or even a discussion....
.i would like to see some independant trials on these engine "sealants"just to see what abilitys they do have or are they utter tripe like everyone says???
Note...everyone slags them off but im sure plenty would try them if faced with a blown headgasket and a high hundreds bill??????i did but i am a half full kinda guy...
#32: Re: Missing Coolant Author: vickys.hdi.gti, Location: leedsPosted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 2:42 am ---- I could only reach the rear pipe bleed screw so could only bleed that one. Ran the car yesterday and it seemed fine. Not all 206s look like that in the manual. The diesl has loads of things infront of the thermostate if thats the thing i can see buried behind loads of pipes and tubes
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