I have a 2002 Xsara 2.0l HDI I was told that the cylinder head gasket was gone so I replaced the engine (used). Water pump replaced as well. It still was losing water slowly so I replaced Radiator; still losing water. Car is dry underneath no signs of water anywhere.
It seems to lose it faster when car is driven hard i.e. motorway speeds or when pulling a trailer. It seems to be slightly worse when the heater is on however everyone I have spoken to says that if the heater core was leaking I would smell it and the interior would be wet and the windshield would fog up. None of this has happened.
Can anyone help out?
I now some would scrap it but I have sunk too much cash into it and besides car is in good condition.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 04/05/2009 at 01:28
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Sounds suspiciously like head gasket trouble again, did the engine have a guarantee? Why did you change the engine, I would have thought it would have been easier and cheaper to fit a new gasket.
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My mechanic said he had run into problems getting the head skimmed and that you have no way of telling if the engine block has a crack internally plus the cost would be about the same so I went with the option of replacing it.
On the old engine the coolant used to boil out through the overflow bottle cap, and so far this does not seem to be happening with this engine.
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Guarantee is up
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needs pressure testing in dry place.
usually we would keep the car overnight on a ramp,leave it under pressure overnight and see where the coolant ends up.
are you sure the rad cap is good and is being tightend correctly?
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New cap on the expansion bottle, had it pressure tested yesterday - held steady pressure, though test was only for 10 minutes.
Today after a drive it was boiling out through the cap on the expansion bottle. It is still dry elsewhere and no smell of coolant in the exhaust and no steam. It seems as though there is a blockage somewhere causing the pressure to build. My mechanic took out the thermostat and locked it it the open position to see if that makes any difference. I will pass on the idea about putting it on a ramp overnight under pressure.
The heater gives good heat.
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The problem is that old diesels suffer from minute cracks in the heads and this is a cause of overheating. In that case a new head is needed - not an old one which may well have been scrapped for that very reason. Unless the 'new' engine was out of a recently crashed car I would not bother with it. I would have a proper reconditioned one- not from a cowboy either. But this would cost serious money I suppose. I had a VEGE once that was very good - but dear.
But you must have spent a tidy sum with all the reference back to the mechanic.
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Thanks. Yes I have spent too much on this problem and am about to give up unless I can find a cheap fix. Thanks again and will pass this info on to Mechanic.
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have you looked at the 2 pipes that run from the engine through the bulk head to the matrix as there is some rubber orings that tend to get worn hense the reason why you cant see any leaks because the water leaks when you are driving we had this problem off losing water and this is where the problem was our taxi has now done 377,ooo miles on the same engine
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Could you see any water on the ground or anywhere with your engine?
My is dry.
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