Technical over heating and water leak (help)

[bpat832002]

hi,think i might have a bit of a problem with my mk2 2002 punto active.
was driving yesterday and for the first time in years the temp gauge went up to too high normally it sits half way but this time it was up near the red.when i stopped i checked and the coolent level, was low so i topped it up and drove home was still high temp but dropping and raising alot.checked today and the coolent was low again so went and bought some more and filled it up again started the engine and had alook round and noticed there was coolent dripping from the bottom of the engine some were checked the pipes and they are all fine turned the engine off and it still dripped for a while but then stopped.started the engine again and it started dripping quite fast.i cant seem to see where its comming from it looks like its drippind from the bottom of the engine on the passenger side and also running and dripping off the sump.

does anyone know what it might be as i cant get it to a garage and it x mas tomorrow and am stuck without it.

thanks for all your help and sorry if ive missed anything out.

 

[rallycinq]

Did you bleed the system after filing?

If your car is RHD then the passenger side is the gearbox.

Usual fail points to look at, in no particular order:

Water pump

Water pipe that runs across the front of the block

Thermostat housing/gasket.

Any rubber pipe and its clip

Radiator.

Cheers

SPD

 

[bpat832002]

thanks for the help,i did bleed the the system and had agood check round and its not coming form any of the pipes.all the engine looks dry apart from the bottom where its running from.not sure if its RHD but it does look like the gear box is on the passenger side. thats where its running down.

 

[fingers99]

I think you'll have to get under it to see it better. From gearbox side could be thermostat gasket or core plug (mind you, it could be water from elsewhere leaking to there, running along something).

 

[bpat832002]

where abouts is the thermostat located is it at the top of the engine? also what is the core plug?. cant get alook now as its too dark but will have alook first thing in the morning. gonna look like aright plonker on christmas morning lol

 

[fingers99]

Thermostat housing is directly below the coilpacks (gearbox side).

Core plug, IIRC, is directly above the gearbox -- it's a sort of flanged plate about the size of a 2p piece. There are several, but the function of a core plug is simply to fill up the holes left in complex castings to get the sand out. Invariably they're in the water jacket. Normally they'll last the lifetime of the engine, but can be pushed out if the block freezes or rust away if a non-inhibited anti-freeze is used.

 

[bpat832002]

thanks for the reply,i dont think it is leaking from the thermostat housing but ill check the core plug in the morning,also noticed that the heating never got hot for a while today but would that be to do with the thermostat?

 

[fingers99]

Could be. Or simply lack of water.

 

[rallycinq]

The lack of heating is possibly a lack of coolant. Its imperative that you make sure its fully bled before proceeding.

Cheers

SPD

 

[DaveMcT]

Engines have lots of core plugs (they look like little jam jar lids) used to fill holes in the block that were left over when the casting mould sand was extracted. As said they can rust if plain water was used as coolant. They can also rust if the car is not used very much - road salt can rot them from the outside.

This might not apply to the 1200 - but worth a look anyway...
My HGT has an oil cooler casting that runs across the front of the engine block behind (beneath?) the exhaust manifold. At the LH (driver's) side it is attached to the cylinder head by two 6mm bolts holding a narrow gasket. I was certain this was tight but when I filled the coolant I got a leak from the bottom of the camshaft cover. On the HGT that would be huge job to strip. I double checked everything I'd had off the engine and found that cooler connection was not settled. I slackened both bolts and carefully re-tightened. Leak fixed.

 

[bpat832002]

thanks for all your replys guys and merry xmas.

still cant find where it is comming from,got a mate to have alook last night and he is baffled aswell.spark plugs look alright,no pipes are leaking ,stat housing is ok it was a bit dark but he got under neath and had alook and said its dripping from where the gear box meets the engine but its not leaking from there its just running off.ill have alook to see about the oil cooler casting because that seems to be in the area that the leak is.tuesday ill run it to the garage and get it up on a ramp to have a proper look.

thanks.

 

[fingers99]

Oil cooler I doubt on these engines AFAIK they were never of the water/oil type used on the 155 and HGT motors. Leak on front driver side could be from water pump or O ring where the water rail fits into the water pump housing.

 

[bpat832002]

hi,took it to the garage today and they had alook and said they think its a core plug leaking from in between the block and gear box.easy to fix but would have to strip it all down to get to it and that would be the hard part.said they would do it for £300 all in but wouldnt be able to do it to the new year and suggested that i should try some rad weild in the meen time as it might sort it out for awhile.tryed it and so far it has done the trick (fingers crossed). spoke to one of my mates and he said that it was abit exspencive and i should take it to mr clutch and have a new clutch put in as it will be cheaper and ask them to put a new cor plug in whilst its striped(ill get the core plug my self).what do you think of this idea?.

thanks again for all your help.

 

[fingers99]

I'd avoid Mr.Clutch, but agree that clutch jockeys will be the cheapest way to get it done.

Ask at your local factors for any reliable, cheap, clutch jockeys.