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jimmythomson

Member Since: 18 Jul 2017
Location: Norfolk, UK
Posts: 46

Severe coolant leak problem

I arrived home this morning to hear the hissing of steam from my 300tdi. I gently undone the coolant tank and the pressure released and the hissing stopped. There was a significant amount of greeny/yellow liquid leaking down from the engine bay. The engine has now been left to cool. In terms of figuring out where the leak is coming from, is there any problem with simply topping up with coolant and then starting her up to see if I can spot the location? I'm keen to avoid doing anything that could cause more damage than may have already been caused.

I tend to keep a close eye on the temperature gauge and it never went above a normal level, so I'm hoping that I've parked up before the coolant level and temperatures got to critical. Are there any tell-tale signs for knowing whether things have melted? I'm guessing not starting up would be one.

Any advice much appreciated.

Jimmy.

15th Sep 2019 1:36pm

tolley

Member Since: 07 Nov 2011
Location: gloucester
Posts: 1115

how much coolant was lost Jimmy ?

15th Sep 2019 3:16pm

jimmythomson

Member Since: 18 Jul 2017
Location: Norfolk, UK
Posts: 46

I have to admit that I don't know. I guess I won't find out unless I fill her up again. Unless there's a way I can gauge how much had been lost?

15th Sep 2019 5:59pm

donmacn

Member Since: 06 Nov 2017
Location: Nth Scotland
Posts: 1850

There's another similar thread on the go just now.

On that one, it seems to be a burst pulley bearing on the water pump. ( https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic69040.html )

As I said on that thread, when this happened to my car (my wife was driving, not her fault in any way, but maybe she didn't stop as soon as I might have - steam escaping from under the bonnet

.) it was a perished hose at the back of the cylinder head - one of the ones running to the heater matrix. When I replaced the coolant hoses with silicone, refilled and restarted the engine, there seems to have been no harm done, thankfully.

I don't think there's going to be any way to figure out how much you've lost except to monitor how much it takes to refill the system.

Check all the hoses/joins before doing anything. Looking for splits/loose connections or other obvious leaks. As in the thread above, the leak was obvious even without the engine running. I guess that would be the ideal situation - something obvious, and hopefully easily fixable. Donald

1994 Defender 300Tdi 110 SW - owned since 2002 - 230k miles and going strong
(The 'rolling restoration' or tinkering thread: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538.html )
2000 Range Rover P38 4.0L V8

in the past..
RR classic - fitted with 200Tdi
1984 RR classic - V8 with ZF auto box
1993 Discovery 300Tdi

not to mention the minis and the Type 2 VW camper...

15th Sep 2019 7:35pm

jimmythomson

Member Since: 18 Jul 2017
Location: Norfolk, UK
Posts: 46

Quick update on this. I topped up with coolant and the symptoms are the same as JonJop's on the thread referenced by donmacn (thanks, btw). In other words, with the engine off, I top up and then get a steady stream of water coming from around the back of the power steering pump. I'm not sure that I can see how the water pump being defective would result in the water coming out there though. A mate suggested it could be a core plug, so I think I'll remove the fan tomorrow to get a look at the core plug at the front center of the block. If that looks okay then it's off with the water pump.

Any other/better suggestions welcome.

20th Sep 2019 6:19pm

tolley

Member Since: 07 Nov 2011
Location: gloucester
Posts: 1115

could even be the P gasket

20th Sep 2019 6:46pm

jimmythomson

Member Since: 18 Jul 2017
Location: Norfolk, UK
Posts: 46

Had a closer look today and managed to spot coolant spurting out of the front core plug. I'm guessing that the ancillary casing needs to come off for this. Is that the case? Does anyone know the procedure? Nothing much in the Haynes manual, though I did find this from Britannica Restorations on YouTube:

However it doesn't look like he has a power steering pump on that one, so makes like a lot easier I suspect.

Any advice much appreciated.

21st Sep 2019 1:46pm

dorsetsmith

Member Since: 30 Oct 2011
Location: South West
Posts: 4554

have used this video and drill & side hammer method to remover core plug (dry fitted the new core plug )

21st Sep 2019 3:00pm

jimmythomson

Member Since: 18 Jul 2017
Location: Norfolk, UK
Posts: 46

Thanks, dorsetsmith. Successfully removed using some punches and a hammer. Replacement plug and p-gasket on order

21st Sep 2019 4:00pm

jimmythomson

Member Since: 18 Jul 2017
Location: Norfolk, UK
Posts: 46

Just to finish the story, and pass on a lesson...

I received my core plug and gasket, and set about finding something to knock the core plug in with. I wanted to find something that would be just fit in to the inside of the core plug so that I could knock it in straight and level. I found just the job in the way of a Nielsen bearing driver. About 15mm of solid aluminium. So away I go, hammering it in, nice and level, feeling pleased with myself..........until it came to removing the bearing driver! it was such a snug fit inside the core plug that the core plug had gripped it tightly as I banged it in. It wasn't going anywhere.. I could have cried.

Anyway, after several hours of drilling the

out (over the space of a week or so) I finally got another core plug in and am back on the road.

Rookie mistake perhaps, but lesson well learned.

Jimmy.

8th Oct 2019 12:20pm

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