Technical Leaking coolant. Need help

[Robbie965]

My coolant seems to be leaking and before I go out in my car I need to check the coolant levels and top it up as it drops down quite a bit. I have found a split in one of the pipes but I'm not sure whether it is the reason for the leaking so here are the pictures of the split and stuff... The pictures are of the split in the pipe, a further shot so you can see where it is and the coolant thingy.

 

[lou5590]

I can only see the first and las pic but unless that orange stuff is rust I'd say that's the cause of the leak. How bad is it leaking? Replace that pipe and see if there's any difference

 

[Robbie965]

I can only see the first and las pic but unless that orange stuff is rust I'd say that's the cause of the leak. How bad is it leaking? Replace that pipe and see if there's any difference

Took it to a garage and they said that was just a breather pipe and shouldn't affect the cooling system at all... They said it could be a head gasket problem so they checked it for me with some kind of liquid which changes colour if there's a problem and nothing. Then they said that it could just be because I don't drive it around that much cause when I pulled up, the coolant reservoir filled up to above what I had filled it as if it had been pumped back into it. Not sure what that orange stuff is, but whenever I've checked, I've never seen wet splashes anywhere and even put some cardboard down under my car to see if anything dripped onto it over night and nothing. They are sure it isn't the head gasket, and they said something about condensation but it's probably because I only drive it very short distances everyday

 

[lou5590]

Surely if it was head gasket you'd have excessive smoke from the rear, mayo on the oil filler cap, and or oil in the water. The fact you drive it short distances shouldn't really matter I would have thought. Try drying all the pipes to and from the expansion bottle and rad and checking for leaks that way. I'd still get that hose replaced tho

 

[ck247]

Could be a few things as mentioned, water pump, expansion tank, pipes, pipes would be the most likely, or even look at the radiator

 

[Robbie965]

Surely if it was head gasket you'd have excessive smoke from the rear, mayo on the oil filler cap, and or oil in the water. The fact you drive it short distances shouldn't really matter I would have thought. Try drying all the pipes to and from the expansion bottle and rad and checking for leaks that way. I'd still get that hose replaced tho

They said about cause i don't drive it too far, it's not getting the chance to heat up and pump it around properly. Checked for mayo and there was a bit but they said it was nothing to worry about. Going in for an MOT and service soon though so will get it looked at more thoroughly then and get the pipe replaced. Unless something goes wrong before then

 

[lou5590]

How short of drives are we talking about?

 

[Andy Monty]

Check the radiator closely early gp radiators were prone to leaking on the seams

 

[lou5590]

Check the radiator closely early gp radiators were prone to leaking on the seams

Touch wood mine hasn't yet.... July 06 it was made haha

 

[phil0254]

The genuine antifreeze is orange in colour ,so that may be a clue..you said it was checked for a blown head gasket ..When you say the colour never changed ,that was because he was checking for exhaust fumes in the coolant..So that is fine ..Get someone to pressure test the cooling system ,that will force coolant to leak from where the leak is as long as it is an external leak (as in hoses ,water pump)How much coolant are you loosing over what period of time ?? Any dampness beneath the car ??