my astra is using too much water i have to fill up every day help please also we have trouble starting some days
astra 1.6 club estate using too much water
- Thread starter bethany
- Start date
Investigation time, Bethany - your car shouldn't use any water at all.
The leak may be external - dripping hoses, rusted radiator core, rusted core plugs in the cylinder block or even a drip around the water pump, which is hidden behind a cover. Look for evidence of water, steam under the bonnet or even crusty deposits where hoses join the engine.
We can't say if this is relating to your starting issue at this time, but if water is being blown from the water header tank under pressure when the engine is running then this would indicate a cylinder head gasket problem.
Do investigate things soon - if any engine is allowed to run out of water, it will (financially) self destruct.
John
The leak may be external - dripping hoses, rusted radiator core, rusted core plugs in the cylinder block or even a drip around the water pump, which is hidden behind a cover. Look for evidence of water, steam under the bonnet or even crusty deposits where hoses join the engine.
We can't say if this is relating to your starting issue at this time, but if water is being blown from the water header tank under pressure when the engine is running then this would indicate a cylinder head gasket problem.
Do investigate things soon - if any engine is allowed to run out of water, it will (financially) self destruct.
John
john thank you very much for your reply, i can hear water when driving the car, it sounds like swishing water, we did not have any problems until we had the car serviced last year. we do however have a rattle which comes from i think the engine
Swishing water Bethany is a sure sign of air in the system - which there shouldn't be as its meant to be sealed.
Its not surprising though, as you have to top up so often.
There may be one or two air bleed points around the engine - notably at the highest points where air will collect.....failing these, then its the done thing to gently loosen the highest hose from the heater radiator....not to take it off, but just to let any air escape.
There is a scalding risk here, if the engine is hot - but any friendly mechanic person could quickly sort this one.
As for the rattle, well.....it could be anything from a loose metal cover to other mechanical issues - again, professional diagnosis (i.e guess
) is worth considering.
John
Its not surprising though, as you have to top up so often.
There may be one or two air bleed points around the engine - notably at the highest points where air will collect.....failing these, then its the done thing to gently loosen the highest hose from the heater radiator....not to take it off, but just to let any air escape.
There is a scalding risk here, if the engine is hot - but any friendly mechanic person could quickly sort this one.
As for the rattle, well.....it could be anything from a loose metal cover to other mechanical issues - again, professional diagnosis (i.e guess
) is worth considering.John
I think its unlikely that the service would have made it worse. If you can hear sloshing (!) its may be that the heater core has gone, and is leaking coolent into the car around the dashboard/footwell area.
Its also worth checking the oil level and consistancy, as if it is the head gasket, the water could be getting into the oil, which would result in the oil becoming a emulsified mayonaise of oil and water, and an increased oil leval.
Daniel
Its also worth checking the oil level and consistancy, as if it is the head gasket, the water could be getting into the oil, which would result in the oil becoming a emulsified mayonaise of oil and water, and an increased oil leval.
Daniel
sorry to be a nuisance but i have discovered that i have yellow gunge in the oil chamber [where u put your oil in] the gunge is on the lid etc.
if the head gsket has gone can i still drive the car and will it do any damage many thanks.
The short answer is no. You cannot drive a car with a failed head gasket and oil thats full of water without damaging it in some way.
That said, I had a freind who bought an astra which failed its headgasket and he drove it for about a month (admittedly mainly short distances) with a mess of mayo for its oil and it didnt outwardly effect it. Although he then sold it for half what he paid for it as a better option than fixing it.
All depends how much the car is worth to you, unless you can get mates rates somewhere, changing a headgasket is not a cheap job as the labour and and parts involved are quite significant even if there is no damage.
Daniel
Try the effect of leaving the filler cap loose, depending on how bad the leak is it will either blow all the water out in which case dont use it or if its not to bad it will allow the pressure to escape without blowing the water out in which case you can use it but don't push it hard as the boiling point will be reduced by doing this.
I have been driving a Citroen XM for three years like this and rarely have to top it up.
Peter
I have been driving a Citroen XM for three years like this and rarely have to top it up.
Peter
The real test for a head gasket failure is to analyse the gas vapour that is above the coolant in the expansion bottle.
Using a syringe, the gas is bubbled through a blue liquid.....if that liquid turns yellow then products of combustion (gasket failure) are present.
Any decent independant garage should be able to do this for you.
John
Using a syringe, the gas is bubbled through a blue liquid.....if that liquid turns yellow then products of combustion (gasket failure) are present.
Any decent independant garage should be able to do this for you.
John
Just to clarify, this is the coolent filler cap, not the oil. And how well this trick works depends on the car and header loction.
