Coolant Loss expansion tank 406 HDi Help

[pug406col]

Hi

New to this site

Just bought a 406 Estate 90 HDi Rapier Y reg 2001.

on 180000 miles.

My god it drives like it has done less than half that mileage!

Straight, true, no wheel wobble, no suspension clonks or bangs. Everything runs good.

Just the one problem..... After 60 to 70 miles driving the top up water resevior red light comes on the dash. The car takes a litre of water, to refill, the indicator on the dash is then reset and I can set off again with a full expansion tank.

The previous owner HAS DONE A COMPRESSION TEST. IT IS NOT THE HEAD GASKET...GOOD!

I have looked under the car. On the slam panel under the white expansion tank on the left of the car as you look from the front of the engine, there is a collection of drips on the side slam panel green coolant colour. And the slam panel looks predominantly soaked.

I suspect the expansion tank is cracked or damaged or a pipe leading to or from the expansion tank is in poor condition. The next indication is for me to take off the slam panel and have a better look at the area.

IT IS NOT leaking from the expansion tank cap, this area is bone dry, it is not leaking from the radiator bleed nipple.

It is all below the expansion tank.

Any ideas on common faults there please>?

[mbell666]

Welcome, Ive never heard of a similar fault with the head tank.

I'd take for drive to get it warm and pressurized, then carefully dry the wet areas. fire it up and see if you can see where its coming from.

I'd also take a careful look at the rad if you haven't already, at 7 years old it possibly its leaking.

[teamster1975]

I'd also take a careful look at the rad if you haven't already, at 7 years old it possibly its leaking.

I'll second that, I've got a leak where the bottom hose goes into the rad.

[mjb]

could always try a bottle of rad-weld...

[teamster1975]

could always try a bottle of rad-weld...

Good stuff, or this one that James recommended

http://www.ksealit.com/index.asp?functi ... oductid=98

[pug406col]

Just done a lot of reading.

From advice given, just bought some K seal from http://www.k-seal.co.uk

Well see, Ta.

[pug406col]

Had the garage put in some UV ligtable fluid in the expansion tank last week.

They took it back in yesterday, flashed the UV light around the whole engine bay.

Proving leaks under UV were working, there was evidence of an old fluid leak from the aircon pipe..

BUT..We can not get to the bottom of where the leak is making 1 litre of coolant dissapear every 100 miles.

There is NO sign of a leak from above or under the engine bay at any part of the engine, pipes or radiator, or filler cap etc. etc.

So gonna have to keep driving it and topping it up. No white smoke from the exhaust, no loss of performance.

It is a mystery.

IS RAD WELD AND K-SEAL OK IN THESE ENGINES? I HAVE HEARD SCAREMONGERING STORIES ABOUT THESE FLUIDS IN PEUGEOT SYSTEMS

[mjb]

You could have a situation like mine where the holes in the radiator are currently small enough to only let steam out. When the engine's hot, I can see steam escaping from the front when braking to a halt. It's easy to confuse this with the exhaust from the car in front.

Radweld hasn't broken my car, but it is only a temporary fix.

[Jimmy]

Radweld killed my 1.9 405 engine, it solidified in the engine block. killed 2 gaskets and heads before i figured it out.

[jameslxdt]

it does sound like the headgasket, my HDi used to use coolant like it was going out of fashion, and also the rad hoses use to bulge up after about 15 mins of driving which eventually caused the water pump to fail, i had no loss of compression or power too

[pug406col]

Got this email reply today from K Seal lot..

Dear Colin,

Thank you for your enquiry. K-Seal is safe to use with all water cooled
engines. It has been available in the UK since 2003 and to date well
over 300,000 bottles have been sold to the trade and public without any
problems. In 2006 The AA introduced K-Seal to all patrols for roadside
head and block repairs.

K-Seal uses a unique ceramic microfibre formula which is able to flow
freely around the cooling system. It will only seal cracks or holes up
to a maximum of 1mm diameter where it can leak out of the cooling system.

I hope this helps.

Best regards,

Mike Schlup
Kalimex Ltd

[teamster1975]

Have you tried the k-seal yet Colin?

[pug406col]

Yes I went for it.

No results as yet.

Heres a comparison of interest.

http://www.kseal.co.uk

"K Seal or Seal up" (Seal up is like another version of Radweld-will gunk up)


What is the difference between Seal-Up and K-Seal?

Seal-Up is the original cooling system formula and is based on Sodium Silicate technology. This is very effective at sealing leaks throughout the cooling system but it has one drawback. If Seal-Up mixes with antifreeze and is heated then a reaction can occur leading to coagulation of the compounds in the cooling system and potentially causing blockages. As a result it is essential that the system is drained before and after treatment (as per the instructions on the product). It is not necessary to use any special flushing products but some users like to run water through the system after draining it.

K-Seal is a newer formula which has proved to be as effective as Seal-Up but has the added advantage of being compatible with all known types of antifreeze. As a result the product can be added directly to the cooling system without any special preparation. It can even be used as a preventative additive where no problems are present.

We continue to stock both products because Seal-Up still has an excellent reputation and loyal customer base with the trade. K-Seal is now by far our most successful product and has become popular with the general public, trade and many enthusiasts clubs.

[pug406col]

Right

Changed expansion tank cap too. Still losing water

I have noticed air bubbles and a leak over some steel piping on the right hand side of the engine.

The leak has run out all over the air filter air pipe that runs from the front of the car to channel air into the airbox.

This is aircon related, these pipes, as it runs from a cetain part of the radiator, will this also affect my coolant leak?

I ask this as I know the air con system runs different fluid. IS this also my coolant leak?

Colin

[puggy]

hi there pug , are these the pipes ??



if they are then yes they are a/c pipes and any loss of coolant from these will not affect
your engine/radiator levels.Think its time to have it tested to see if the head is the problem .