Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: Bigron on 08 April 2017, 18:02:38
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Gents, I know - another coolant loss topic! I've consulted the guides and other posts on here, so I know the usual suspects - heater matrix (NO wet carpets) ;HBV perfectly dry as far as my fat fingers can tell; hoses all ok; no mayonnaise/water in expansion tank and no sign of a single drip on the ground.
For the last week or so, I have had to top up the expansion tank with about a quarter litre every 50 miles, which limits my range somewhat.
I would welcome an input, gentlemen and if you happen to be reading this, Serek, I may well be asking you to pressure test the system if I don't find the problem soon; in any event I will need to book in for an oil/filter change and a few other things so I am off on my Pilgrimage to Huntingdon in the near future!
Ron.
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Radiator or expansion cap neck :y
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I did check both those areas, DG, and they are perfectly dry and NO evidence on the ground, either.
Ron.
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Alien abduction.
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If it's down to Aliens, maybe they can take me to another Universe, where Omegas NEVER go wrong and don't require petrol - and I can have my pick of beautiful women - and have the abilty to service them fully! :y
Ron.
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I will ask the question that was so often relevant with engines; have you noticed the oil level rising in the sump? :-\ :-\
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A minor leak can evaporate and dry off before you find where its coming from. My favourites would be small crack in expansion tank neck, hairline crack near the top of the rad, or leaking o-ring on the rad drain plug. If you can rule them out, then possibly oil cooler cover plate, which wil need the plenum lifting off to find out.
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Oil level seems normal, Lizzie, and no mayonnaise.
Mig, I will double-check your points, but I didn't think that having to top-up with 250 ml after 50 miles was minor, really. I will follow a tip I got from here and add the contents of 2 or 3 highlighter pens to the coolant; even without a UV ;amp, if I cannot see a water stain as a witness mark, I ought to be able to see a bright green one!
If it's an oil cooler problem, I'm off to worship at the Shrine of Saint Serek..... ::)
Ron.
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On mine there was a hairline crack right on top of the radiator plastic side tank.When under pressure it fired a fine spray straight at the underside of the plastic thing that runs across the top of the radiator.Took me ages to spot that!
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On mine there was a hairline crack right on top of the radiator plastic side tank.When under pressure it fired a fine spray straight at the underside of the plastic thing that runs across the top of the radiator.Took me ages to spot that!
Not uncommon ;)
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On mine there was a hairline crack right on top of the radiator plastic side tank.When under pressure it fired a fine spray straight at the underside of the plastic thing that runs across the top of the radiator.Took me ages to spot that!
I've had that crack,too, on factory radiator.
As DG said - not uncommon - it must be a factory error.
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Oh dear; that would mean a new radiator, yes? :(
Ron.
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Oh dear; that would mean a new radiator, yes? :(
Ron.
That's generally how it works... £50-75 plus fitting ;)
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On mine there was a hairline crack right on top of the radiator plastic side tank.When under pressure it fired a fine spray straight at the underside of the plastic thing that runs across the top of the radiator.Took me ages to spot that!
I had exactly the same thing on my first Omega.
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Mines the same. but because the leak was no where near as bad as the water pump I've yet to change it for a new one.
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On mine there was a hairline crack right on top of the radiator plastic side tank.When under pressure it fired a fine spray straight at the underside of the plastic thing that runs across the top of the radiator.Took me ages to spot that!
I had exactly the same thing on my first Omega.
I have had the plastic tank split after entering a car park and bumping the spoiler on a ramp that was steeper than it looked >:(
The other sources of leaks that haven't been mentioned yet are corrosion of the ally plate that the oil cooler lives under, the coolant transfer pipe, the core plugs at the back of the heads and (finally) the head gaskets........
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Thanks for all of your suggestions, gents; I will follow them up closely tomorrow.
A slight aside: in previous posts, there was mention of a way of eliminating/confirming the HBV from suspicion, but I can't find it. Is it heater on Hi or Lo to stop a leak?
Ron.
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Thanks for all of your suggestions, gents; I will follow them up closely tomorrow.
A slight aside: in previous posts, there was mention of a way of eliminating/confirming the HBV from suspicion, but I can't find it. Is it heater on Hi or Lo to stop a leak?
Ron.
Both. Depends where it's cracked ;)
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Maybe Thermostat housing ?
The first I knew was a coolent warning, turned out half the coolant was in the middle of the V6 between the heads.
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250ml per 50m is probably approaching point it should become quite easy to locate.
I've had to replace rads in both my Omegas in last 9 months, both had hairline fractures on the hot side of the rad. MV6 was right at very top, TBE was just below top temp sensor.
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Must admit once I'd found the leak I "repaired"mine.Keyed up the top of the tank with some wet and dry,cut a small piece of plastic from a "loyalty"card that Maureen used to have keyed that in same way and stuck the two together with two pack epoxy.
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Must admit once I'd found the leak I "repaired"mine.Keyed up the top of the tank with some wet and dry,cut a small piece of plastic from a "loyalty"card that Maureen used to have keyed that in same way and stuck the two together with two pack epoxy.
Blimey, I bet that was a right poxy repair! ;D ;D ;D ;D
Sorry, couldn't resist ;D ;)
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Lizzie, your "joikes" are worse than mine!
Anyway, I have found my leak and it's just where some of you have said - at the top nearside of the radiator. As a quick bodge this morning I used some 2-part superglue from Poundland; sprayed the aerosol part onto the cracked area and squeezed the gel part over it. It bubbled and hardened, and I drove off after about 10 minutes!
Ok, having read Baza's repair method, I will upgrade mine in similar fashion and cross my fingers..... :y
Ron.
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A word of caution... it will eventually fail as such substances are heat sensitive ;)
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A word of caution... it will eventually fail as such substances are heat sensitive ;)
Everything will eventually fail ;D
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Ain't dat de troof, STEMO! :(
Ron.
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A word of caution... it will eventually fail as such substances are heat sensitive ;)
Everything will eventually fail ;D
Except death and taxes ;)
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If you've located the crack, you could try a 'plastic weld' by melting the plastic back together with a soldering iron or hot screwdriver. ;)
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Modern aluminium radiators with plastic tanks are consumables. When a new one is about £60, is it really worth trying to patch one up?
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Nick, on MY pension - yes! Iwould also have to pay someone (Serek) to fit it for me, so not just £60..... :'(
Ron.
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Nick, on MY pension - yes! Iwould also have to pay someone (Serek) to fit it for me, so not just £60..... :'(
Ron.
Which makes it doubly worth renewing, so you only have to pay for fitment once.
Most bodges need partial removal of rad.
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Understood, Rumpel, but this crack is right at the top of the radiator, along from the top hose, so access is easy. Just until I can get to a motor factor and buy some Isipon fast-glass, I sprayed it with gutter sealant, which I happened to have handy and so far it has retained its bodily fluids!
Ron.
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Understood, Rumpel, but this crack is right at the top of the radiator, along from the top hose, so access is easy. Just until I can get to a motor factor and buy some Isipon fast-glass, I sprayed it with gutter sealant, which I happened to have handy and so far it has retained its bodily fluids!
Ron.
Neither product is heat resistant, and therefore a waste of money ::)
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By all means as a temp fix, but plan to get it replaced ASAP. As the fix WILL fail, probably quite spectacularly, and other leaks would be far behind.
I have done both Omegas recently, proving I'm prepared to put my own money where my mouth is.