Uh Oh, Cars taken a wee on the drive!

[Ricco_04]

Got home from helping my dad yesterday and noticed the car doing something obscene on the drive.   Smelt it and it was coolant......


Had a good gander under the hood and couldn\'t find the source (guess I really need to be underneath the car to really see where).  I have read about leaking AST\'s and cracked radiators - just gotr to find where they are :rolleyes: (joking btw!)

A look under the car just reveals one drip from the front left....


Just to add insult to injury I took the pressure cap off and dropped it trying to put it on and I cant even find where the hell it has gone!!!!  Looking at it, it has not lost all the coolant and seem to stop on its own.  I last used it on Friday, coming back from work, not much traffic (aint it good when there are no kids at school!) and didnt really give the car any stick.  Parked it up and all seemed fine.  Moved the car yesterday evening (just rolled it down the drive and not starting it) and it seems to have started then.  Just got to work out what it is??

[peterch]

Dropped pressure caps tend to end up by the air filter, ie teh seem to slide between the two black boxes at the front of the engine compartment, should be easy to see.

[MillSpeed]

Your best bet is to drop the undertray down, that\'ll make finding the leak much easier. Likely candidates are the rad, AST, turbo hoses (which get a battering from all the heat down there), dodgy AST pressure cap. Funnily enough, mine\'s just developed a leak. Looks like it\'s just the lower rad hose being a bit loose. I\'m gonna give my coolant system a complete overhaul soon, new pipes, alloy rad, the lot. For an engine that runs as hot as the rotary, the coolant system has gotta be in good condition or bad things are gonna happen! Gotta remember that the oldest of these cars are 13 now and the coolant system has probably never been touched!

[Ricco_04]

Peterch : Thanks for that.  I did just that,  took all the hoses and nuts off the airbox and there was the little b****r resting under one of the fans in the radiator.  Simple enough jub, just amaised how long it took me (keeping all loose parts a squillion miles away so didnt loose any probably didnt help there!!

MillSpeed : gonna have a look at it tonight.  I think the AST is ok (and the cap) so it looks like im going under!! (never done so before so fingers crossed)  Fair point about the age of them, you have got to say they have done very well without a complete overhaull.  I do plan to get an ali radiator for mine (and as much new silicone hose as possable) Right after I get my downpipe, sports-cat and PFC . . . . . . . :rollin - no, really!  (where will it end - had so many \'incidents\' with this car but there is no way I want to get rid of it - now matter how much it depresses me!!!

[Ricco_04]

Ok, Had a good look at it last night.  Topped it up with a bit of water and took it out for a quick spin.  Parked it up and.....no leak? Funny, I thought that it should pee out as it\'s at opperating temp?

Got under the car and could find no trace of a leak? Also checked the AST and could see no split/crack/leak their either? :confused:

[MillSpeed]

That\'s weird. Having said that looking at the pic underneath the car, it looks like it\'s dripping from the N/S trim under the oil cooler. I would\'ve thought anything dripping from the cooling system would be contained by the undertray and dumped elsewhere. I wonder if it was your washer bottle leaking? Long shot but worth a look I recon. Failing that you\'re just gonna have to watch your coolant level like a hawk in case the leak shows up again.

[jonrx7uk]

There is nothing over that side (IIRC) of the car related to the cooling system apart from rad.  The washer bottle is right above that area though.  Did it smell of coolant or washer fluid?

Cheers
Jon

[Ricco_04]

It did smell very strongly of coolant (not long been serviced too! :rolleyes:  ) Its deffinately not washer fluid as there is none in the system as there is a leak with the headlight washer jets :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

My next plan is to go out on a dry day and keep stopping to look and see if its leaking (well the passanger!  ) take fluid with me too and see what a few heat cycles do. I have the car in for a mot on the 20th so fingers crossed - and if not then its in the best place!!

Still very much open to suggestions!! (but thanks for the help so far :wave   )

[peterch]

Unfortunatley when I lost my radiator cap I didn\'t notice, and drove off with it missing. Only went 5 miles down the road, result £5,500 engine rebuild, virtually everything had to be replaced. The sort of mistake you don\'t make twice.

[Ricco_04]

Oh eck, suppose its an easy done but thats an expensive drive £1,100 a minute - sorry to hear that mate, must have been gutting?

Just also to say that I never did find the source of the leak and till now it has been ok (touch wood) Even in this hot wether (checking it like a hawk)