Technical a puddle under the Marea

[varesecrazy]

looked out to see this


bit of a rusty tinge.. so feared the worst.. coolant / failed rad..:bang:

coolant hadn't looked too scabby..but the car has been sat for @4 weeks.

Anyway coolant level is fine..,

I'm wondering if it's been filtering rainwater through the bumper / undertray support structure.. colouring as it goes..??
anybody had this..??


hoping to get it back on the road 1st April.. so don't want to have the front end off in the week before the FF meets/ shows:bang:

Charlie

 

[franglais]

i would suspect the under tray is playing tricks with you, and that this is coming from somewhere else, AFAIK there are no drainage points that far forwards. My old marea had a leak in the screen washer reservoir and would make similar looking puddles if I overfilled it, but obviously not rusty coloured puddles.

 

[varesecrazy]

i would suspect the under tray is playing tricks with you, and that this is coming from somewhere else, AFAIK there are no drainage points that far forwards. My old marea had a leak in the screen washer reservoir and would make similar looking puddles if I overfilled it, but obviously not rusty coloured puddles.

Funny yopu should say that..

I remembered last night.. our original 2 year old marea weekend always had a puddle under it after a £200 service

after time I realised the screen wash tank had a split @ 1/2 way up it.. so applied some TAPE as a level marker ( where it stopped leaking)

maybe it's still the same design flaw..??

car is normally parked on a @15' slope, BUT currently sat level.. so that could well make it drip from a different place

how's your 110..??

Charlie

 

[franglais]

maybe it's still the same design flaw..??

i should do a check on eper before spouting nonsense, but, i would imagine the design remained the same throughout the series.

how's your 110..??

mine is fine, done 30,000km this last year commuting and a few holidays, all is good, EGR is still little temperamental, but it did get mullered with a lump hammer sometimes it can't quite decide how far open it should be, and so it's operation is not very smooth between 1800 and 2300 at half throttle.
I had thought a wheel beaing was on the way out (and it still might be) but i have changed from my winter tyres and the noise seems to have pretty much gone away, so i think it was exasperated by the tyre harmonics.
otherwise it's a solid reliable runner.

 

[varesecrazy]

Ours is now back in service,
seems fine,
just need to get the time / enthusiasm for the few little maint jobs it's been waiting for.

trawling local yard recently - saw an Alfa 156 with a light Beige fabric interior..,:idea: like this..https://ssli.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDUwWDgwMA==/z/EBsAAOSwpIdW8DpI/$_86.JPG
had considered it for the marea..not really dark enough for ME ( practicality).. but would smarten it no end..,

current 2001 "splodge pattern" seats are grim.

Charlie

 

[franglais]

trawling local yard recently - saw an Alfa 156 with a light Beige fabric interior.

no no no! Faaar to light, i'd be scared to even let rip on those coloured seats for fear of leaving a skidmark!

 

[varesecrazy]

looking at the ad those pics were "borrowed" from,
there had been worse - YUK..

 

[varesecrazy]

UPDATE - glad to say the marea did the @160 mile round trip to a Midlands Italia meet today..no issues..

 

[varesecrazy]

UPDATE - glad to say the marea did the @160 mile round trip to a Midlands Italia meet today..no issues..

View attachment 166868

"Failed" on the way to the Forums annual bash..,

indicated overheating on motorway,
so limped home,
coolant level held .., so probably a rogue gauge.., :bang:

strangely.. on occasions I get the YELLOW warning for "low coolant",
BUT it doesn't come on for the "self-test" .. even more weird:spin:

the screen wash tank still dumps it's contents on occasions..so will need to wrestle it out of the car , and check for splits

Charlie

 

[franglais]

oh bugger, missing an event too
have you tried "helping" the gauge back down with a gentle but sharp tap on the dash? It's a common problem that i too suffer from time to time.

the screen wash tank is quite easy to remove really, but a little bit involved.
jack up car, wheel off, cowling off, 3 screws/bolts holding the tank (one shared with the coolant expansion tank), pull out the pump, and it drops down easily past the wheel hub.
my best advise is, get a new one, old ones aren't worth the price.
all the best

 

[varesecrazy]

franglais

Does your dash show the low coolant symbol..bottom right..at the selftest

Mine doesnt..but has flashed on occasions while showing high temps...

 

[portland_bill]

Is the coolant actually circulating through the header tank?
I've found vehicles in the past where the header is full, but the rest of the system is not. Pipe from header downwards was blocked. Worth a prod.

 

[varesecrazy]

Is the coolant actually circulating through the header tank?
I've found vehicles in the past where the header is full, but the rest of the system is not. Pipe from header downwards was blocked. Worth a prod.

Squeezing a hose moves the indicated level..
Im still suspecting a cruddy earth connection to the bodywork.

As the random heater fan switch. Also points to the same.

 

[franglais]

@franglais

Does your dash show the low coolant symbol..bottom right..at the selftest

Mine doesnt..but has flashed on occasions while showing high temps...

nope, nothing on the right hand side when switching the ignition on.

 

[varesecrazy]

nope, nothing on the right hand side when switching the ignition on.

all adds to the dodgy wiring / earth thoughts..

hoping to get a little time to go through it soon,

( PRETTY WARM here in the UK currently)
hiding in the shade under it..laid on a cold concrete slab may seem appealing

Cheers for the reply..!!,
Charlie

 

[franglais]

nope, nothing on the right hand side when switching the ignition on.

actually scrap that, it DOES come on, but not systematically, I had never paid much attention until you asked, i always watch the glowplug light in the morning when starting up, if nothing stays on then i ignored it.

 

[varesecrazy]

thanks,
I guessed it MUST work in some form,


I had a quick clean of the earth cable point under RHS headlight / chassis leg,

no improvement so far in cabin fan , or from the fuel gauge reading a little "biased"


used it for commuting @10 miles and no issues..,

Charlie