Empty coolant reservoir - help!!

[andyj941]

Hi I've just noticed that my coolant reservoir is completely empty, and I think I have a leak. I haven't noticed any problems yet in terms of the behaviour of the car, but need to know where is the best place (maybe halfords) to get hold of orange coolant (monoethylene glycol based) to ford specification WSS-M97B44-D to top it up and then keep an eye on it to see where and how fast it leaks. I also plan to make an emergency top up with clean water to prevent damage. Any help would be appreciated thanks

 

[andyj941]

I know halfords do antifreeze but it doesnt say on the website what cars they're suitable for and they're all own-brand. Does anyone know what specific product I should get? Thanks

 

[^neo^]

Top it up with water first and see what happens.
I'd leave it running for 1/2 hour after you've topped it up and see what happens.

 

[Spark123]

Once you have had the car running, don't remove the lid from the coolant bottle until it has cooled down.
What model car is it?

 

[andyj941]

Fiesta 1.3 Flight 2001. OK I've topped it up with water for the time being. I don't know how long it has been empty because I didn't take the cap off and look into the reservoir - I thought it was full because the orange colour went up to the fill level but it turns out this was just staining caused by the antifreeze. I've examined the pipes and there doesn't seem to be any obvious crack or split although I did notice when changing the spark plugs that the first recess (the one on the left) was wet and the base of the engine block gets wet again after I've cleaned it with an orangey looking fluid that at first I thought was oil. I might upload some photos of it so you can take a look.

 

[^neo^]

Could be a leaky thermostat housing if it's on the left side. Pretty sure the housing is on the left

 

[Spark123]

What colour is your oil?

 

[andyj941]

I changed it only a couple of months ago so still looks new - not black

 

[Spark123]

It hasn't gone milky which is a good point, means your coolant hasn't got into the oil.
As neo said before, fire it up (keeping your eye on the water level), and see if you can see any leaks.

 

[andyj941]

Thanks I've kept an eye on the level and it doesn't seem to be going down at all, took about a litre of water to top it up. Have checked for leaks too but can't see anything obvious.

Could anyone tell me what this strange tool is that came with the car? It has a hex nut on one end with a hole in the middle, then inside the socket itself is a strange uneven flower-like pattern unlike anything I've seen before.

 

[Burnerman]

Thanks I've kept an eye on the level and it doesn't seem to be going down at all, took about a litre of water to top it up. Have checked for leaks too but can't see anything obvious.

Could anyone tell me what this strange tool is that came with the car? It has a hex nut on one end with a hole in the middle, then inside the socket itself is a strange uneven flower-like pattern unlike anything I've seen before.

Yer strange tool sounds like yer locking wheelnut key, mate Check around the water pump for coolant leaks, and you can top up with Comma Xtreme antifreeze if you like. Cheers John

 

[manvan]

sounds like head gasket water being burnt off through exhaust system just had same kind of thing with my ford ranger a good garage would check this quite cheaply.

 

[andyj941]

OK I've found out for sure where the coolant is leaking from because I've scraped away the rust with a screwdriver, dried it up and ran the engine for a couple of minutes and I could see the liquid seeping through.

Untitled

• andyj941
• 16 Jun 2008
• 1

I'm not sure of the part the leak is happening from or how to describe it so I've uploaded a photo to show where (highlighted by the red arrows) it is leaking. It seems to be from a broken seal or something and is only slight but I'm worried that by disturbing the rust layer it may leak a lot faster now so will keep an eye on the coolant level constantly. The problem is on the right hand side of the base of this silver metal part immediately to the left of the engine block, and as a result coolant accumulates in the first spark plug recess.

What is the problem, how did it occur and how expensive would it be to rectify? Still haven't got round to changing the coolant but won't bother if it's just going to leak out. I hope it won't be costly! Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

[darkarius]

looks like the stat seal is leaking. New thermostat shouldnt cost much at all. When you take the top off make sure everything is clean inside and around where the rubber seal sits. Its possible the seal is actually attached to the thermostat rather than just sitting around it. When you stick the new seal on, stick a smear of vaseline on the seal.

 

[andyj941]

OK so that's the thermostat? Will give it a go. Where can I get a new thermostat from, halfords? I believe I need a new housing and sealing ring too (I guess it's that that's gone).