406 Coupe Water problems!!

Try a search of the group under 'overheating' and there are other tags you could use. There have been dozens of posts on hot water problems.

If this happened soon after the radiator was replaced maybe the garage just didn't bleed the cooling system properly. They are notoriously difficult to bleed and require a special technique to get all the air out.

Keep an eye on the coolant level and see if it doesn't settle down. If it requires continual topping up over a long time period then maybe get it pressure checked or checked for a leaking head gasket. I wouldn't be so concerned about the heater but worry about potential engine damage. Engine cooling is the radiators primary function and the heater is a secondary function.

Ryan

Ok, so I will keep an eye on the levels and if it still needs filling right up every day after a couple of weeks then I will get it checked out

Thanks very much for your help!

Haynes says that a header tank has to be used to fill the system as parts of it are higher than the filler cap. They suggest making one by cutting off the top of a plastic drinks bottle and sealing it in the filler neck. Failure to do this will result in air locks.

Agreed

Well, yes; but in general a heater suddenly going cold can be a very good indication that the water has stopped circulating for one reason or another, so should be regarded as an early warning signal. Especially when you add in the fact that water temperature gauges only work properly when the sensor is surrounded by water. OK, they will tell you the temperature of the air around them, but that won't give you much of a clue as to what is going on in the hot bits of the engine until it is too late.

Ron Robinson

"Jamiemac26" wrote: > Ok, so I will keep an eye on the levels and if it still needs > filling right > up every day after a couple of weeks then I will get it > checked out > > Thanks very much for your help!

Sounds like it hasn?t been bled properly. I would strongly reccomend getting it bled fully before using it, if there is alot of air in there you risk overheating and damaging the head gasket and head.

Ron, I agree with what you're saying it can give an indication but I would hardly recommend to someone (particularly inexperienced) to check if the cars heater is working to find out if it's overheating, or out of anti-freeze, by then it may be time for new engine. On the 406 there's a bleed valve on the heater union just before it goes into the cabin, ie the high point in the system that's most likely to have an air pocket. So if the heaters not working it probably means the system hasn't been bled.

I bled my cars system (according to the Haynes manual) after I replaced the thermostat housing but I still had to top up a few times before the level remained constant.

Ryan

Well over the weekend i Bled the system and left the engine running with the hood up so i could see if any water was spewing from anywhere. It turns out that i had a faulty header cap and the water was streaming out of there and subsequently sucking air back into the system!! £6 on a new cap, job done! thank f@%k for that! thanks for all your advise, and i shall be back on when next problem occurs!