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Technical 500 engine + bad advise

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Technical 500 engine + bad advise

Baglady1990

Baglady1990

One job always leads to another
Parked in the garage
Joined
Jun 3, 2019
Messages
1,908
Points
606
Location
west yorks
As most of you are aware my engine issues are legendary!
It went in to a garage nearby after my partner did another chemical test apparently I got the colour wrong... I thought it had turned green in actuality it was still blue...... don’t ask!
Garage did test and remained blue not green or yellow...
They replaced water pump and cam belt as pump was leaking

Picked car up this morning all ok but I was a bit wary..
Noticed they had filled my coolant above max line I thought best leave alone and all was ok until just now ..
Morley to Roundhay & back again with a 20 min break in between ...up to 70 on m way up hill .. then pop coolant popped it’s lid!

I was initially pleased I was told gasket ok as changing engine will de value car ..... and obviously if I didn’t need to change it I wouldn’t!

Surly the coolant shouldn’t pop!? I know it expands but not all over engine

I’ve been given conflicting advice from different garages .. my head is full of crap

Any suggestions?? And no at this stage I’m not getting rid of car!
 
Define “head is full of crap”

Also it might be worth putting all in one place everything that has been tried/done so far. What’s been changed what’s been serviced.
 
Last edited:
AndyRKett said:
Define “head is full of crap”



Also it might be worth putting all in one place everything that has been tried/done so far. What’s been changed what’s been serviced.
Click to expand...



All started when first garage told me head gasket had gone as coolant dipping.. then wanted a grand to fix it ...
2nd opinion.. different garage... no head gasket fine!
So far I’ve had a fuel injector fitted then coil pack went so fitted new

Coolant still disappearing and popping when topped back up
I’ve had air in system so bled it
Then water pump leak so replaced
Plus cam belt
Told by this garage all fine

I’m going to replace thermostat tomorrow see how I go if it’s not thermostat I have no idea
Car due a service
 
I'm truly sorry you're still having problems with your car.

You've spent a lot of money buying it, and quite a bit more money trying, unsuccessfully it would seem, to put it in good order.

Several different mechanics have looked at it, some of them have worked on it, and you have been given conflicting advice.

I can understand you're both confused and at your wit's end with it.

Unfortunately I can't diagnose the problem just by sitting at a keyboard. If you're still determined to keep this car, then I'd suggest you get it looked at by someone who actually knows these cars well. They can sometimes be difficult to bleed initially, but the system normally sorts itself out after a few cycles, providing the coolant is kept topped up. Engines in good order do not blow the top off the coolant reservoir.

What you've posted regarding leaks would suggest that the car may have been run in an overheated condition in the past. That is a surefire recipe for HG failure, and I wouldn't be ruling that out just yet. Personally I'd have done a compression test on this engine about 40 posts ago.

On a lighter note,
Baglady1990 said:
I thought it had turned green in actuality it was still blue...... don’t ask!
Garage did test and remained blue not green or yellow...
Click to expand...
at least your car isn't pregnant.
 
Last edited:
I have refilled loads of these cooling systems from empty without problem. Initially the level drops massively as the water goes round and you always get the gurgling in the car as air is pushed around. I run the car for about 20 minutes topping up, putting the cap back on to let the pressure build then taking it off again. Filling with the bleed screw off until coolant comes outfoxed the hole. Heater on, foot on the accelerator until warm air comes out. Keep doing this and in about 20 minutes it’s all done.
 
It's quite annoying that nobody can seem to hit the various nails on the head with this problem.

So far we know .... (but can you confirm);

1) The water pump is okay.
It's new... :D and the car does not overheat when you're driving along.

2) Radiatore is good... (no leaks reported).

3) Temperature control is good (no "overheating" on the gauge/warning light reported)


We don't know;

4) If the radiator/expansion cap is reliable. Do you have a spare one? Excess pressure should "blow by" through the cap, not blow out the cap altogether.

5) Whether the thermostat is or is not operating correctly... although the temperature gauge (3 - above) is stable.

6) Head gasket - apparently it is "good" .. but is this just by sniff test, or by compression test... and/or do you get air/gas in the radiatore?

7) Heating/cooling system may have had sealant in it..(?) which might have blocked some channels in the cooling system. But.... it works okay while it works, including the heater.

If you're going to change the thermostat (sounds un-necessary right at the moment) or remove it for a look.. can you see any signs of "****" in the water channels? You should only see alloy and maybe a little limescale.. nothing that looks like paste, dog-****, sausages, rags or anything that is not alloy or limescale.

We'll get to the bottom of this... :D although if I had one guess and I was going to win £10 million quid, I'd still say head gasket at the moment...


Ralf S.
 
On our elderly pop the full mark is quite some way down the expansion bottle, like 6 inch from the filler neck, I use a stiff clear tube to place in, finger on end then place against the outside for the true level as the plastic is opaque, so the thought of just below the neck "sounds" way too full
 
typecastboy said:
I have refilled loads of these cooling systems from empty without problem. Initially the level drops massively as the water goes round and you always get the gurgling in the car as air is pushed around. I run the car for about 20 minutes topping up, putting the cap back on to let the pressure build then taking it off again. Filling with the bleed screw off until coolant comes outfoxed the hole. Heater on, foot on the accelerator until warm air comes out. Keep doing this and in about 20 minutes it’s all done.
Click to expand...



IMG_2998.JPG old thermostat out new in! Was a bit of a sod but I got it done
 
Ralf S. said:
It's quite annoying that nobody can seem to hit the various nails on the head with this problem.



So far we know .... (but can you confirm);



1) The water pump is okay.

It's new... :D and the car does not overheat when you're driving along.



2) Radiatore is good... (no leaks reported).



3) Temperature control is good (no "overheating" on the gauge/warning light reported)





We don't know;



4) If the radiator/expansion cap is reliable. Do you have a spare one? Excess pressure should "blow by" through the cap, not blow out the cap altogether.



5) Whether the thermostat is or is not operating correctly... although the temperature gauge (3 - above) is stable.



6) Head gasket - apparently it is "good" .. but is this just by sniff test, or by compression test... and/or do you get air/gas in the radiatore?



7) Heating/cooling system may have had sealant in it..(?) which might have blocked some channels in the cooling system. But.... it works okay while it works, including the heater.



If you're going to change the thermostat (sounds un-necessary right at the moment) or remove it for a look.. can you see any signs of "****" in the water channels? You should only see alloy and maybe a little limescale.. nothing that looks like paste, dog-****, sausages, rags or anything that is not alloy or limescale.



We'll get to the bottom of this... :D although if I had one guess and I was going to win £10 million quid, I'd still say head gasket at the moment...





Ralf S.
Click to expand...



I just don’t know! I’ve changed the thermostat I’m no expert but the old one looks bad! Couldn’t see any crap in holes but it’s hard to check .... if this does nothing then I’m off to fiat dealership for a diagnosis!

The garages I’ve been too have told me car fine haha they don’t listen to me maybe cause I’m a woman who knows!

Everything runs lovely .... until I make the car work ie 70 on motorway going uphill ect... that’s when I get overheating... however nothing on the dash to indicate

I am learning ... I never intended to do more than just my weekly checks fluid ect ...

I’m not a mechanic I’m no expert I just try
 
Baglady1990 said:
I’m no expert but the old one looks bad!
Click to expand...

One of the worst examples of internal cooling system sludge & corrosion I've seen on parts removed from a running engine.

For a comparison, take a look at the picture below. This is a 1.2 FIRE thermostat I removed a few weeks ago from a 9yr old engine that's done over 90,000 miles. I've not cleaned it or touched it in any way - this is in its 'as removed' condition. The difference is I've owned & serviced the car from new, have changed the coolant at the recommended intervals, and never topped it up with anything other than properly inhibited coolant.

If the rest of your cooling system is similarly affected (and it almost certainly will be), then your engine block & radiator are now basically scrap. The only way of bringing this engine back would be to strip it down completely, knock out all the core plugs, & ream through all the internal water galleries.

Even if the HG has blown (as some of us suspect), replacing it likely won't get you out of the woods. The internal corrosion and hard sediment in your block will prevent the coolant reaching all the places it needs to, you'll get localised hotspots in the engine, and the HG will likely fail again.

Your picture is an excellent example of why it's necessary

1) to change the coolant at the recommended intervals
2) never to top up the cooling system with plain water
3) never to run the engine without properly inhibited coolant
4) not to use any of the so-called leak sealing products.

Sorry, but I don't think you'll ever have trouble free motoring with this car unless you replace the engine and cooling system with known good parts.
 

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Last edited:
jrkitching said:
One of the worst examples of internal cooling system sludge & corrosion I've seen on parts removed from a running engine.

For a comparison, take a look at the picture below. This is a 1.2 FIRE thermostat I removed a few weeks ago from a 9yr old engine that's done over 90,000 miles. I've not cleaned it or touched it in any way - this is in its 'as removed' condition. The difference is I've owned & serviced the car from new, have changed the coolant at the recommended intervals, and never topped it up with anything other than properly inhibited coolant.

If the rest of your cooling system is similarly affected (and it almost certainly will be), then your engine block & radiator are now basically scrap. The only way of bringing this engine back would be to strip it down completely, knock out all the core plugs, & ream through all the internal water galleries.

Even if the HG has blown (as some of us suspect), replacing it likely won't get you out of the woods. The internal corrosion and hard sediment in your block will prevent the coolant reaching all the places it needs to, you'll get localised hotspots in the engine, and the HG will likely fail again.

Your picture is an excellent example of why it's necessary

1) to change the coolant at the recommended intervals
2) never to top up the cooling system with plain water
3) never to run the engine without properly inhibited coolant
4) not to use any of the so-called leak sealing products.

Sorry, but I don't think you'll ever have trouble free motoring with this car unless you replace the engine and cooling system with known good parts.
Click to expand...



Plan B then .... engine replacement
 
Looking at that thermostat I would say the poor girl has been ran on straight tap water for quite some time, shameful.
 
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