406 SRi Turbo - Coolant Level..

[hardwired]

Hi,

For a while now, my coolant light comes on, then next opportunity (ie: next morning or after work) i fill the coolant level up..

It used to take a good week before the light would come on abd i would have to top it up again..

I filled it up only yesterday evening (after work) and yet after work today, so only 24 hours and about 30 miles of driving later, when i started the car again, the light was on and i'm worried i've got an internal leak somewhere, which for my car will be mega-money..

One garage quoted me over £700 for a head gasket change, which they say it could be. I can't see an external leak but thats only looking at the engine from a 'hmmm, which bit is the engine' point of view as i'm a novice, it could be leaking somewhere externally - lets hope so, as this would be far far cheaper..

Are these cars prone to this or something that would affect this? its a P reg and has done now 138k..

I've added in some K-Seal to see if i can seal any holes but hasn't really done much..

Does anyone know the following for my car:

• How much is the overall capacity for the coolant? I would guess at 5-ish litres..
  How much does the coolant level drop before the light comes on?

So if say the total capacity is 5 litres and it has to drop about 1.5 litres (which it what it normally takes to fill it up when i have to), that still leaves 3.5 litres in the system - so is the coolant light just a guide ('Hey, levels a bit low, so top it up, when you get a chance') or is it an emergency warning ('Fill it up immediately before impending death of engine')?


Any ideas?



Paul

406 SRi Turbo
2.0 Petrol
1997 (P)

[puggy]

could possibly be the water pump, try placing a large piece of cardboard
under the engine overnight , drivers side, or looking at car from the front
have a look at the left hand side to see if there are any water stains .

[mjb]

Is there a mayonnaise-looking substance inside the oil filler hole? If so it's head gasket time

On cars this old though a new radiator is to be expected. Look for coolant-coloured stains on or around it. Also look carefully for steam when you brake (it looks like the exhaust from the car in front!)

Check the undertray too - the black plastic tray under the engine bay. You can see it quite easily on the tubby from under the bonnet. If it's not dry you've got a leak somewhere

[hardwired]

can't see any leaks as such, but i'm a novice, dunno what i'm looking for, my engine is covered in all sorts of crap and stains. I have noticed coolant stains on the radiator but they don't seem recent or wouldn't they look like that?

can't see anywhere it might be leaking from but will have a good all round check with the engine running and do the cardboard thing overnight and see..

No sludgy oil showing up either in the oil filler cap or the end of the dipstick, but i was told that that wasn't a 100% guaranteed sign anyway..

Haven't noticed steam when i brake, but obviously wouldn't have been looking for that, but will check. also will check the drip tray. Speaking of which, there is one beneath the radiator too and the other day there was a small amount of water in that, but not enough to justify the amount i have been losing, unless of course that its only catching a small portion of the leak..

Anyway, thanks for the help

[mjb]

I have noticed coolant stains on the radiator but they don't seem recent or wouldn't they look like that?

They won't look recent - the radiator's hot when in use (and largely unpressurised at other times) so any fluid touching it will immediately evaporate off leaving a possibly burnt-on stain

Speaking of which, there is one beneath the radiator too and the other day there was a small amount of water in that, but not enough to justify the amount i have been losing, unless of course that its only catching a small portion of the leak..

Bingo - you've almost certainly got either got a leaky radiator or hose at the front of the car. Most leakage will occur when the engine's hot, so it'll just evaporate. The stuff left in the tray will be from the period the coolant's pressurised and hot, but not hot enough to evaporate.

[hardwired]

Ok, well will have to check that out, thanks. Any ideas (ball park figure) what a new radiator for mine would be and how long it takes? (I guess it'll beat £750 for head gasket, lol)

[pugsport]

My SRI has clocked 160,000, my head gasket blew about 18 month ago. A pressure test should determine if head gaskets on its way out.

[mjb]

Ok, well will have to check that out, thanks. Any ideas (ball park figure) what a new radiator for mine would be and how long it takes? (I guess it'll beat £750 for head gasket, lol)

about £80 on ebay. you can look up the price of a genuine one at http://public.servicebox.peugeot.com

[niz406]

Check your thermostat cover, they have a tendancy to crack and leak coolant on top of the gearbox... you won't see it unless you move your air box.

Front of the RAD, that goes too when the correct mixture isn't used and it rusts from the inside out!

Turbo water feed / return pipes leaking... you wouldn't see any water, because of the heat there so it is turned straight to steam... if you turn your fan on inside the car and drive around you may get the smell of coolant in the car from the air intake meeting steam.

Heater matrix, same as rad... and could be leaking under the carpet / dash...

Worse case Headgasket, not that hard to fix for the DIY mechanic !!

[teamster1975]

Worse case Headgasket, not that hard to fix for the DIY mechanic !!

Is that really the case? The head doesn't need skimming as a rule then?

[niz406]

Is that really the case? The head doesn't need skimming as a rule then?

If It is the first time the gasket has gone, chances are that it will not need skimming... depending on where the failure occurred on the gasket that is. This will become clear when checking the heads mating face for distortion and flatness.. any pitting etc.. if the head measures flat, then all that is needed is an O.E gasket and a new set of head bolts.. as a matter of course, you might as well replace the water pump, pre tensioner and obviously the belt.

If it needs skimming... which most people and garages will say to do... as a matter of course... NOT! ! ! More as a matter of money making ! ! Then an oversized gasket will be needed.

The XU10J2TE is an easy headgasket job!

To be honest you want to check everything else first before you even consider taking the head off !