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[Kate]

Hi everyone.  Had my thermostat done at  the cambelt party and now it's leaking coolant really badly.

Do you think it will be the coming from the thermostat housing or transfer pipe? Or could there be another source?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I can only drive a couple of miles without overheating.

Thanks very much!

[Timbuk]

Can you see which area it is coming from?

[markey mark]

yea need to know genaral area to say kate !!

[TheBoy]

Yeah, more info on where from. May be unrelated, such as the common hbv etc

[Kate]

Well it does seem to be coming from the cylinder block area. Thanks for helping!

[albitz]

do you know where to look for hbv kate  :question

[Kate]

do you know where to look for hbv kate  :question

No, I don't even know what that is!

[DaviesEB]

Just joined the forum a few months back. You must be having problems with the HBV (heater bypass valve). Look in the engine towards the passenger side.
Thanks
Bright

[humbucker]

this might help. picture of the hbv on a v6:

[humbucker]

Here's a how-to guide as well!

http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1193594464

[shyboy]

Hi Kate, hope you are keeping well.
Try to pinpoint the exact area of the leak. Cylinder block area is too general. Is it at the front or back, which side etc/ The thermostat and transfer pipe which you know so well would tend to show at the front r/h side of the engine, and the heater bypass valve at the rear l/h side at the back. Unfortunately water can travel away from the source before becoming obvious but looking at the engine from below should give you a very good clue.
So, front or back, left or right?
Don't let the engine overheat too much, if you can run it any distance, and remember that your corrosion protection fluid will be diluted by repeated re-filling, so will need replenishing when the problem is solved, as it will be.
Bit of a change, having too much heat instead of too little.  
Keep us posted.

[Kate]

Thanks Bill.  I had another look and the coolant is dropping over the top of the sump at the front and back.

If you look at the engine from the front of the car you can see coolant dropping down behind the drive belt and over the sump.  It is more to the left, not where the transfer pipe ends.

It is not coming out of the end of the transfer pipe, I checked that and tightended the jubilee clip.

I took the black pipes off and had a look at the thermostat housing but couldn't see any coolant there but I didn't have a good view obviously.

When I looked under the car coolant was also running over the top of the sump towards the back of the car.

Has anyone got any ideas where the leak is coming from.

I was going to try and fix it myself but I really am hopeless!

[Kate]

By the way, can coolant come of the HBV?

[shyboy]

When the HBV fails, it can cause fracture of the plastic body which then leaks water, or it may be simply split/cracked hoses. This water tends to drip off the back of the sump under the car.
If you have water actually dripping from the auxiliary belt area, ie. down the front of engine, then it could be that the seal between your water pump and the engine block has failed, (the pump is bolted onto the block and a rubber ring seals the joint between the pump and the hole in the block when bolted up), or more likely, the gland seal on the pump itself has packed up, letting water leak out round the pump shaft. The water pump on the V6 is driven by the aux. belt which makes it a relatively simple job to replace, and you could follow the maintenance guides on here to do it yourself.
You should first check closely that the problem isn't as simple as a split hose on the radiator or on the throttle body, or even the pipes from the expansion tank. Have a look with the engine running but keep fingers, hair, scarves etc. well clear.
I know the Haynes manual has caused you uncertainty in the past, but do see if it helps in this instance to identify pipes etc.
Good luck.
Bill.

[Kate]

Thanks again Bill. I'll have another look but I think I'll have to brave the garages again!