I'm very fond of my old Carina II. OK so getting it to go round a corner is a bit like pushing an over-laden shopping trolley while wearing roller skates and it has no acceleration to speak of but I when I bought it six years ago it was for for its reliability, and THAT is absolutely bomb-proof.
Or, should I say, was.
Friday before last it was serviced. Distributor cap and rotor arm burnt (it does this every year or two, so I just get them replaced), two new tyres, and the tales of the expected (rear shocks weak, slight oil leaks and other signs of graceful ageing).
Saturday I drove from Cambridgeshire to Dorset. Slight pinking on acceleration in 3rd or 4th -- since the distributor cap and rotor arm had been replaced I assumed that the pinking was due to dodgy new parts and resolved to complain to the garage when I got back.
All the next week I drove around Dorset, pinking and cursing.
Today my wife said "The car's making funny rattling noises and it smells of burning". I took it out for a run to see for myself and everything seemed fine until suddenly the engine temperature, which has never risen above normal in six years, went off the scale. I stopped the car to let it cool down with the engine off (it's got an electric fan). When it had cooled I limped into the nearest garage who kindly pointed out that my radiator was empty (thanks mate!) and filled it up with water free of charge. I was surprised at the lack of coolant -- the levels were topped up and I had seen no signs of steam.
A couple of gallons of water cooled the engine down nicely and got me back home. When I checked the car later on the driveway, I noticed no significant coolant leakage and all the hoses seemed fine. So -- seems like it is leaking out when the car's
going along.
Question is -- what do I do now ? It seems to me there are a few conceivable causes:
1) Broken thermostat
2) Broken water pump
3) Failed radiator cap
4) b***** big airlock in cooling system
5) Cylinder head gasket gone
I can't see that 1 and 2 would cause such catastrophic loss of coolant. 4 seems implausible to me. I would have thought that 3 would cause it to run slightly hot for a while before it went absolutely mental.
If it is a cylinder head gasket, is there any point in doing anything or should I just await the inevitable ? What's the easiest way of finding the cause ? Have I already knackered the engine by letting it overheat so badly and then pouring gallons of cold water into the cooling system ? Is it time to let the old girl fade away ? Should I at least drain the cooling system and put something more suitable in ? Or is it not worth bothering ?
Tell me the worst, doctor.
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If there is definitely no leakage externally then it is likely to be a head or head gasket problem. You need to find a garage who can pressure test the cooling system and also carry out a "cylinder block combustion test". This is more sensitive than a pressure test and involves drawing off the gasses present in the cooling system through a colured liquid - if it changes colour it shows there is Carbon Monoxide in the coolant (which there should not be). This will almost certainly confirm a gasket problem.
As the engine has clearly got very hot indeed it is quite likely that the head is distorted, but how badly will only be revealed when it is dismantled.
Best of Luck, Adam
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Thanks for your help Adam.
Pressure test indicated a hole in the radiator, which had then been blocked up with crud stirred up by the overheating/rapid-cooling process -- so when the car was stationary after refilling with water the radiator managed to hold on to its contents. But obviously it would only have been a matter of time before the plug was breached and it all came out again.
I replaced the radiator. Subsequent tests for exhaust gases in coolant were negative. And now the car goes as smoothly as it ever did.
Presumably the pinking was due to engine running hot because of coolant loss ? What I don't quite understand, though, is that I didn't see anything on the temperature gauge until it suddenly went off the scale -- I suppose the initial overheating could have been localised.
Anyway -- I've been pretty lucky, and the fact that the engine has come through with, seemingly, little damage is a testament to the Carina's engineering quality.
Is there any other damage that may have been caused by this overheating? The engine oil looks fine.
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Sounds as though you have got away with it !! Just keep an eye on the coolant level for the next few weeks, and, obviously, the temp gauge.
Regards, Adam
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