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[Jukeboxnut]

I have a baffling problem on my wife's "S" Reg (1998) 1.8 petrol Vectra estate.

I always check the car every 2 weeks and it has never used any oil or water over the last 4 years, in fact it has been very reliable with only the usual cam sensor and idle control replacements needed.

Last Friday she mentioned that she could smell curry in the car for several days also that there had been no heat in the mornings (heater blowing cold air) and the electric fan was always running.  When I looked there was no water in the expansion bottle and it took 4. 5 litres of water to top it back up to the full level!  When I started it it spluttered for a few seconds and then ran perfectly.  I took it for a quick run, the heater was blowing hot air and the temperature gauge was working correctly.  I topped up the water again and checked the oil - no sign of mayo.

The next day I took it to the localgarage and they pressure tested it, sniffed the header tank and took it for a test run then put it on the ramp with the engine running.  I was with them and there was no sign of a leak anywhere and no trace a of a head gasket leak, even the HBV seems perfect.

It has run fine all week with no water loss (approximately 20 miles a day in very heavy traffic each way) but this evening I had to add another 1 litre of water to the header tank.  There is no smell of antifreeze and no traces of water or stains anywhere.

Surely if the head gasket was leaking it would not stop for a week and then start again.  The car is running perfectly, despite having run nearly dry for 2 days, I have shown my wife how to read the temperature gauge (she is French and has absolutely no idea).

I would be grateful if anyone here has any ideas on what is wrong, I am completely baffled.  Could it be the inlet manifold cracked and leaking water into the inlet for instance?  I must add that there has always been pressure in the system even when I first discovered that it was vitually empty which again indicates there are no leaks.

[twiglet]

When the garage checked for leaks, did they try adjusting the heater settings in the car? It sounds very much like a HBV leak to me, but they will only leak when the heater controls are set in a certain position...  :-/

[Jukeboxnut]

Thanks for the reply Twiglet, the heater settings were not adjusted when it was in the garage, I will try playing with them over the weekend to see if I can make a leak.

[Jukeboxnut]

I finally managed to give the Vectra a rest run on Sunday, all was fine until I turned the heating down to cold and the HBV valve immediately started pouring water down the back of the engine.  My wife got a new one from the local Vauxhall dealer today and I have just fitted it (easy job on Vectra) and all is well at last.  It is a tough old bus as it was run for two days with virtually no water and seems fine.

Once again thanks for the suggestion Twiglet you have saved me a lot of head scratching because there was no leak at all when the heat was turned up and all traces of water quickly disappeared with the engine heat.  What a great help this excellent forum is and I like the new look although it was a bit of a fiddle to log back on for a minute or two.