Technical Newbie :) Coolant going missing :(

[jimmy2008]

Hi folks jimmy here new on this forum hope you are all ok

My GF has a 2005 1.4 stilo active and only had it a month and it's in mint condition with only 49k on the clock with full service history and it's had a brand new service 3 weeks ago aswel.

but have today just notice that the coolant was pretty much gone and couldnt see a leak anywhere in site All the signs for a HG problem isnt there but havent fully checked anywhere else apart from just looking for a big leak but to be honest i havent a clue where to start for leak? :-/

BUT i have noticed tho even after a couple of mins of driving up the road that the temp gauge starts to move is that normal?

thanks for the help

 

[XB23]

Does sound like HG mate , u checked the oil filler cap?

 

[jimmy2008]

yeah checked all the signs and nothing there and the water is nice and clear and no slimy sludge under the cap either

 

[jimmy2008]

plus when the heating is on the temp garage going down whilst driving ?

 

[JayEm]

BUT i have noticed tho even after a couple of mins of driving up the road that the temp gauge starts to move is that normal?

That's normal. I just replaced the thermostat on mine as the old one was stuck open. Now it warms up within minutes.

 

[robbhp]

Hi folks jimmy here new on this forum hope you are all ok

My GF has a 2005 1.4 stilo active and only had it a month and it's in mint condition with only 49k on the clock with full service history and it's had a brand new service 3 weeks ago aswel.

but have today just notice that the coolant was pretty much gone and couldnt see a leak anywhere in site All the signs for a HG problem isnt there but havent fully checked anywhere else apart from just looking for a big leak but to be honest i havent a clue where to start for leak? :-/

BUT i have noticed tho even after a couple of mins of driving up the road that the temp gauge starts to move is that normal?

thanks for the help

We had a crack in the base of our radiator that would allow water to escape in a slow trickle, kept having to top it up once a week. Not expensive to have fixed as it looked a royal pain in the arse to remove the bloody thing .

 

[jim cooper]

Do you get a smell of antifreeze from the engine compartment? If the oil is clean then the HG should be ok. Look for leaks at radiator or hose connections and finally at heater and water pump.

 

[850kd]

In our 1.4 (54) we experienced water loss from the bottom of the radiator, it was only visible when the car was on a ramp because the view is obscured when looking from the top . So it took us ages to work out where the leak was.
A charge of FORTE leak preventer in the system did the job.That was two years ago and its still ok. Don't be tempted to buy cheap rad sealer stuff because it doesn't work on plastic radiators.

 

[jimmy2008]

Ok after 3 days from filling up to max level and doing over 200 miles in the car there is no water going missing now? i havent checked all what you guys have said so i will try that tonight

 

[jim cooper]

Was any mechanical work done at the last service? When my garage changed the water pump they left the coolant reservoir very low. Sometimes they just forget to top it up after doing work where some coolant leaks out.

 

[jimmy2008]

Was any mechanical work done at the last service? When my garage changed the water pump they left the coolant reservoir very low. Sometimes they just forget to top it up after doing work where some coolant leaks out.

No just a normal service strange one wanted to try a coolant pressure test on it but they cost so much :-/

 

[jimmy2008]

Did the sniff test and just smells like exhaust burnt oil so that's a good sign I think lol

 

[Davren]

Did the sniff test and just smells like exhaust burnt oil so that's a good sign I think lol

If your engine coolant smells like "exhaust burnt oil", then you probably have a leaking head gasket.
.

 

[jimmy2008]

If your engine coolant smells like "exhaust burnt oil", then you probably have a leaking head gasket.
.

No no I meant I smelt the engine part like jim copper said to see if the engine smelt like coolant which it didn't