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Car Question (boring!)

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I wasnt sure where to put this...

basically at the moment im having to top up my cars water every single day. At first I was just doing it every 4 days or so but I've got into the habit of checking every day and even if i fill it to where the line is one morning, the next morning its nowhere near that and i have to fill it back up again.

I know i need to take it to the garage but does anyone have any idea of what might be wrong? and is it gonna cost me loads of money of which i have none :(

all around the place where you fill the water up it looks like its been leaking, my dad said it might just need a new cap for the top of it cos its quite loose, and thats why it needs filling up so much, so my friend is gonna get me one from the scrapyard and give it a try.

but until then...any car people got a clue?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Water into radiator? Looks like that could be your problems, probably a hole. Cost will depend on where you go. Avoid main dealer.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i saw on top gear if you put an egg white in it it fixes it :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Can do, but it's only temporary...
  • JsTJsT Posts: 18,268 Skive's The Limit
    My flatmates car started doing that.

    Turned out to be the headgasket :|
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    if its the gasket you will get a very black sort of coolant in the header tank. I think.

    Maybe its just a pipe leaking when it gets hot.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah it could just be a leak. By the sounds of it at least your leak is fairly bad, which means that it should be obvious. My old Cavalier had a really slow leak that was impossible to find, really annoying.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I wouldnt have thought that much could be coming out the top. Take it to a few garages for quotes. You don't have to get it done there.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Might be a leak, might be the head gasket or might be the cylinders...
    One of my cars had that problem before it died, and the post mortem was that 2 cylinders were blown along with the head gasket and I was actually running on 4 cylinders which was drinking oil, fuel and water... ( was topping up every couple of days)
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    i saw on top gear if you put an egg white in it it fixes it :p

    That works if the leak is small, and as MoK said it's only a temporary solution.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    but until then...any car people got a clue?

    Yep - one of two things is happening. Either the coolant is being lost through an external leak, or it is being consumed through interaction with the combustion chamber, leading to evaporation - likely through a failed head gasket, though sometimes through a cracked head or block.

    What car is it?

    Ensure you don't just top up with water - you should be using 50% antifreeze when topping up at this time of year. No antifreeze means the water will expand once below 4C, and result in a cracked head or block. :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Phoenix_ wrote:
    if its the gasket you will get a very black sort of coolant in the header tank. I think.

    Maybe its just a pipe leaking when it gets hot.

    Not always - generally the first sign is a mayo-type gunge in the top of the expansion tank, or the cap. But some cars will do this each and every year, without any fault in the cooling system. And some cars won't show this behaviour at all.

    If it's a Rover with a K series engine, then bank on replacing the head gasket, locating dowels and head bolts. It would be prudent to change the water pump and timing belt at the same time - and the tensioner too.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Phoenix_ wrote:
    I think

    keywords :rolleyes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I wasn't trying to shoot you down, just highlight that what you've described isn't necessarily the case.

    But you're right, sometimes you do get black gunge in the coolant. :thumb:

    Because oil and water don't tend to mix, you're likely to see a thin layer of oil on top of the coolant as well. But many cars don't have the coolant changed often enough, and can look dark, brown, and generally fairly horrible even when there isn't a real problem - other than lack of maintenance :).
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yep - one of two things is happening. Either the coolant is being lost through an external leak, or it is being consumed through interaction with the combustion chamber, leading to evaporation - likely through a failed head gasket, though sometimes through a cracked head or block.

    What car is it?

    Ensure you don't just top up with water - you should be using 50% antifreeze when topping up at this time of year. No antifreeze means the water will expand once below 4C, and result in a cracked head or block. :)

    Its a daewoo matiz. not the coolest of cars but its dead small and i love it :thumb:

    and yeah, im topping it up half antifreeze and half water. not that i knew, but my dad told me to :D
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