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[damon80]

Hello again folks...

After a run round the city centre today, when I parked up I decided to check under the bonnet with the engine on tickover (to listen to see if the hissing noise was any worse - as per my other thread).

Anyway, for some reason   I decided to take the cap off the coolant header tank (slowly I may add!), and coolant came shooting out of it!    Anyway, I obviously put the cap back on sharpish...

Is this normal?  It's never happened on any other motors I've owned?

I'm getting a bit panicky now - could this be a sign that the HG is on it's way out??  

[Auto Addict]

I would think that is normal, as the coolant pressurises when hot.

[damon80]

Phew - ta for that!

It's just that I've already experienced wallet-crushing HG failure in my last motor recently, so I'm a little bit on edge...  

[Darth Loo-knee]

Hello again folks...

After a run round the city centre today, when I parked up I decided to check under the bonnet with the engine on tickover (to listen to see if the hissing noise was any worse - as per my other thread).

Anyway, for some reason   I decided to take the cap off the coolant header tank (slowly I may add!), and coolant came shooting out of it!    Anyway, I obviously put the cap back on sharpish...

Is this normal?  It's never happened on any other motors I've owned?

I'm getting a bit panicky now - could this be a sign that the HG is on it's way out??  

Every car I have had did this if the engine was still hot..... at one time it used to say on top of the caps don't undo until cool.. so I would say that this was right.

[shyboy]

Removing the header tank cap when the engine is hot is potentially dangerous. Pressurised coolant has a much increased boiling point, and has the potential to 'boil' immediately the pressure is released, with exactly the result which you experienced. You were lucky not to get scalded!