Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: DaveDempsey on 07 August 2008, 10:45:10
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Ok quick over-view.
Had my Omega 3.0 for around 2 1/2years now. Ever since it was bought it occasionally uses water. The car could do 400miles without using a drop but then randomly use say a 3rd of its coolant.
Initail suspect was the oil cooler which was replaced but made no difference.
The system was pressure tested but no sign of any leakage.
There is usually a slight wiff of coolant when the car is warm but no sign of any leaks anywhere, and as mentioned you could drive to Chester and back without using a drop, but suddenly use some doing a 3 mile journey.
Now The cars done 30k since Ive had it doing this, and it is no worse now than it was the day it was picked up. If it had been a headgasket failure I owuld have thought it would have been a lot worse by now especially giving the heavy towing etc. the car has done.
There is also no oil mixing in the coolant.
Anyone came across this before?
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I would suggest the heater by pass valve, the difference in water usage being down to different heater settings being used. Just a thought ;)
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Will give it a check, although my heater setting never changes, is usually always sat on 23.
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hmmm, sounds suspiciously like the syptoms I had...
Leaking core plug
Would lose lots when car cool / warm, but could also drive a hundred miles with the same / no loss
Why the mention of Chester? Where are you?
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Chester has no real relevance tbh. just the most recent long journey that I could think of lol.
Imjust outside Edinburgh btw for referance.
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Do you switch AC on and off?
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Chester has no real relevance tbh. just the most recent long journey that I could think of lol.
Imjust outside Edinburgh btw for referance.
Ahh, just being in Chester myself, thought you may have been local.
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Air-con is never on as the compressor needs replaced, so hasnt been used for around 2years now.
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Doent really sound enough for HBV, unless the lack of use is causing a strange failure?
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I would very closing inspect HBV. Failing that, look in valley for weeps, and also back of passenger side bank between block and head...
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leaks can be a bugger on the mig. But usually its either quite dramatic(hbv) or a slow constant steady loss(oil cooler cover plate,tstat housing in the v, or metal coolent pipe at back of the block or core plugs on cylinder head) cheapest and easiest is to change the hbv but it can be awkward, see guide. If it still leaks then i would have the plenum and intake/fuel rail off and see if the cooler plate or stat is leaking(why did they change the cooler for a water leak?) and WHILE that is off check the back of the engine for the coolent pipe and core plugs.
shhh...or use a bottle of bars leaks, but dont tell anyone i said that...shhh
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Air-con is never on as the compressor needs replaced, so hasnt been used for around 2years now.
Yeah Dave I hear your pain man, where abouts near Edinburgh are you? I have some coolant tracer dye you can add to orange coolant, get yourself an ultraviolet touch and some yellow shades and you can spot your leakage.
I'm in morningside, send me a pm and we can arrange something
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Air-con is never on as the compressor needs replaced, so hasnt been used for around 2years now.
Yeah Dave I hear your pain man, where abouts near Edinburgh are you? I have some coolant tracer dye you can add to orange coolant, get yourself an ultraviolet touch and some yellow shades and you can spot your leakage.
I'm in morningside, send me a pm and we can arrange something
Er... Orange coolant? Your post implys some confusion between coolant and ac gas which has no colour afaik.
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No there's a liquid I ordered from the US which you can add to orange coolant, similar to the stuff added to the ac gas but for coolant. They show up the same with a UV light and some yellow shades.
Used it on my Omega to find the oil cooler plate leaking, along with my water pump. Worth the money
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No there's a liquid I ordered from the US which you can add to orange coolant, similar to the stuff added to the ac gas but for coolant. They show up the same with a UV light and some yellow shades.
Used it on my Omega to find the oil cooler plate leaking, along with my water pump. Worth the money
Surely if... no im going to leave it.
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chrisgixer - thanks for the advice. The oil cooler was changed as a precaution at the time as we have had a fair few in at work with them gone, and although unlikely it was no bad thing as the one that came out was in far from great condition.
Whilst the coolant lose isnt a great amount its irritating that its doing it all the same, I may resort to some stop leak yet :P
Ironingboard - cheers for the offer chap, may be an idea to see if theres any indication of the area of the leak, Im just outside Livingston so not miles away.
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chrisgixer - thanks for the advice. The oil cooler was changed as a precaution at the time as we have had a fair few in at work with them gone, and although unlikely it was no bad thing as the one that came out was in far from great condition.
Whilst the coolant lose isnt a great amount its irritating that its doing it all the same, I may resort to some stop leak yet :P
Ironingboard - cheers for the offer chap, may be an idea to see if theres any indication of the area of the leak, Im just outside Livingston so not miles away.
Just be aware leak stop is a bit frowned upon on here as some have said it can block your system. But i used it on my old car as a last resort and it sorted it with no problems. I guess if more than one bottle was used it would cause agro but if it cant be fixed i dont see another option. Good luck.
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Mark rebuilt my entire cooling system, due to many many issues, so it was known clean.
As there was still a leaking core plug, radweld was recommemded.
Has held it together for over a year no problems.
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Mark rebuilt my entire cooling system, due to many many issues, so it was known clean.
As there was still a leaking core plug, radweld was recommemded.
Has held it together for over a year no problems.
Was it radweld or leak stop? Or it that the same thing? Am i correct in saying Bars do both?
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Holts radweld.
afaik they are both about the same type of product.
One day we may fix it, but a bg job so probably not worth it
(head off i think!)