i've read a few threads on here about this but can't seem to find them again :bang: i only have my phone for net acess at the mo so don't shout me me

since i done the HG myself last year, the car has always used a bit of coolant, not a huge amount but enough to need topping up every couple of weeks, i didn't have the car long enough to know if it done this before the HG went or not.

can't see any leaks at all even when up to temp/pressure.

oil and coolant look fine, sniff test done and all ok.

any tips? it's getting really annoying having to check it all the time

thanks

Did you bleed the cooling system correctly when you refilled the coolant?

thelad said:

Did you bleed the cooling system correctly when you refilled the coolant?

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yeah

Must be leaking or burning it or blowing it out of the pressure cap walst you are driveing it.

thelad said:

Must be leaking or burning it or blowing it out of the pressure cap walst you are driveing it.

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that's what i'm thinking, for how much it's using i'd expect to see something after looking for a few mins, but it all seems dry as a bone.

if there was air in the system, that wouldn't really mean it would loose coolant though would it?

Theres no air in there if you bled it correctly.

thelad said:

Theres no air in there if you bled it correctly.

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ayee i know, just saying though, air in the system wouldn't result in it loosing coolant though, would it?

As the air lock works its way out to the expanson tank the area the air was in is replaced by coolant so yes!

Buy a compression tester to check for loss on the engine cylinders.

thelad said:

As the air lock works its way out to the expanson tank the area the air was in is replaced by coolant so yes!

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oh right yeah i get you now, since i noticed it using coolant last winter i must have put 20l in the car since i done the HG

thelad said:

Buy a compression tester to check for loss on the engine cylinders.

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done when i noticed the problem, came back fine

Must be the pressure cap then.

Only thing i can think is try a new cap or take it to a local garage and get the cooling system pressure checked, that would show any leaks.

When you did the HG did you skim the head? Usually the head get corrosion along the collant paths at the surface and skimming will clean that out. If this is the case a new HG will not fix the issue completelly.

dumbledore said:

When you did the HG did you skim the head? Usually the head get corrosion along the collant paths at the surface and skimming will clean that out. If this is the case a new HG will not fix the issue completelly.

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this would show up on the cylinder/sniff test

thanks for that, will try a new cap, to be honest i never thought of the cap

head was skimmed too when i done the HG in dec 2010

Make sure you get the correct cap for your model of car.

How about a slight leak from the heater matrix ? I had coolant loss for ages on a MK1 1.2 before eventualy the smell of hot coolant became obvious inside the car, also windows misted up on cold winter mornings for longer than normal after heat was plentiful from blower. It's a bugger to change as whole dash has to be removed !

hammer man said:

How about a slight leak from the heater matrix ? I had coolant loss for ages on a MK1 1.2 before eventualy the smell of hot coolant became obvious inside the car, also windows misted up on cold winter mornings for longer than normal after heat was plentiful from blower. It's a bugger to change as whole dash has to be removed !

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did you not notice the leak under the car.

i'll have another look around the matrix but i couldn't see anything last time and it's not getting any worse