Hello,
Im from Argentina, I've a Rover 216 (1996 new line).
Four days ago I detect that the hose that goes from the radiator to the engine was disconnected (I was driving at 50 mph and hear an extrange noise from the engine and then I pull my car out of the road and smell an horrible odor (coolant) ).
I wait for the hose to cool then I reconnect it and refill the coolant. I started my car and everything seems normal.
Since that moment I note that the engine generates an extrange vibration, like it is working in 3 cilinders or something like that.
Other symptons are:
- the explosions at the escape are irregulars
- start seeing watter at the escape
- vibration in the engine
- extrange noise in the engine (it sounds comming from one cilinder)
Test I make:
- no oil in the watter
- no watter in the oil
- the coolant level hasnt drop
- the oil level hasnt drop
* This tests are making me believe that there is no problem in the joint of the block.
After having this problem I renew the oil and its filter.
Do you have any idea of what could be appening in my engine?
Thanks in advance and sorry for my english!!
Christian.
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Hi Christian,
Sonds very much as though the cylinder head gasket has blown, although the fact that the coolant level han't dropped contradicts this - how far have you driven since filling it ? It is conceivable that the gasket has blown in such a way as to allow compression to escape, but to let very little water inro the cylinder, or even to loose compression to atmosphere without losing oil or water. In complete contradiction to THIS, however, you say you have water exiting from the tailpipe. Does not sound good I am afraid !
Only other thing you could try first is a new distributor cap and HT leads, in case water from failed pipe has blown back over the distributor/leads and has led to an HT insulation breakdown, which is now causing a single cylinder misfire.
To test for a head gasket failure you need to have the cooling system pressure tested, or carry out a chemical analysis of gasses present in coolant, done by bubbling air from expansion tank through a special fluid which changes colour if Carbon Monoxide (which should only be present in exhaust) is present.
This is called a "cylinder block combustion test" and the test kit is avaliable from Snap-On Tools if you have a supplier locally. In severe cases an exhaust gas analyser may pick up any CO content in the expansion tank, but be careful not to draw water inro the probe.
Good Luck, Adam.
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Was it a small pipe that blew off?
MG-Rover Questions? forums.mg-rover.org/
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Yes, I was the pipe that goes from the main hose (these that goes from the radiator to the engine) to the coolant repository.
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I had a similar problem several years ago after an overheating incident with a six-cylinder Vauxhall/Opel. The engine misfired from cold start-up after that incident but would usually run OK after a while.
There didn't seem to be any water loss but I was advised by a knowledgeable friend that it might be just a very small water leak into a cylinder and this might be wetting a spark plug. The next morning, after the car had been standing overnight, I removed the spark plugs and, sure enough, one was wet.
I couldn't be without the car for a few days so, on my friend's advice again, I put some 'Bars Leaks' sealant into the water system to see if that would give a short-term cure. In fact it gave a very long-term cure.
Christian, that may not be the cause of the problem with your car but you could take a look at your spark plugs to see if one is wet. Other than that, I think you should follow Adam's excellent advice.
By the way, don't forget that it is common for water to come out of the exhaust after start-up (in the UK climate at least -- don't know about Argentina though). A lot of people have replaced perfectly sound cylinder head gaskets after seeing water from their exhausts! The 1995 Rover 414 that I used to have gave out a lot of water until it got warmed through, and my current 1992 BMW 525 does the same.
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Yep, common problem a few years back, this pipe. There is a modified one available now, with crimped ends.
I'll bet your HG has gone, they usually did when that hose thing happened.
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Dizzy,
Had exactly the same symptoms as you describe on an early Saab 99 Turbo as I was about to trade it in (many years ago) to the Saab dealers for another Saab. It would run on three for perhaps 20secs after cold starting...no apparent water loss.
I mentioned this to the salesman but we agreed as I was trading it in slightly overdue for its next 6K service new plugs should cure it.
When I went back a few weeks later for some warranty work on the new car they were most spiteful because they'd had to do a head skim and gasket on the old 99, reckoned the workshop billed sales £250+ and took all the profit out of it.
Shame ehh....!
MM
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