Strange cooling system problem

May 22, 2007 7 Replies

After a track session at an airfield day on Monday, I was shocked to find that my 75 had dumped a load of coolant on the floor under the car.



A quick check showed that the radiator fan switch had failed, so I topped up the coolant, bridged the switch connectors so it ran continuously on the ignition and largely ignored it for the rest of the day (although I did get into the habit of cutting the engine and letting the fan run for a while before killing the ignition from then onwards)



However, later in the day, I pulled into the Severn View services to grab a coffee and came back out to find it had done it again. When I parked up this time, I didn't give the car a couple of minutes to cool with the fan on.



The temp. gauge is reading normally - never climbed above 85-ish degrees. I know the guage is working, 'cos I've seen it climb as far as



110 degrees in traffic.

The water is coming out under pressure from one of the hose connectors on the expansion tank.



Any ideas? - I suspect the expansion tank cap may be allowing pressure to build in the system rather than letting it bleed away. Is this a possibility?


In news:1hyjbio.ra9b8z1tp1wueN% snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk, SteveH wittered on forthwith;

More likely to be a head gasket about to give in...

On an 8v 75? - that's almost unheard of.

Almost but not totally.

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I think my local, friendly mechanic should have a look.....

I'll book it in for the brake upgrades and ask him to check it out.

I'd reverse the order of the above mind you.

snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH) wrote in news:1hyjbio.ra9b8z1tp1wueN% snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk:

You should have kept the revs down like you said you would. Sounds like a warped head or gasket gone 'tween gas and water.

If its been thraped round a track with no cooling fan, it's a distinct possibility. A head gasket giving in might have been unheard of on a car with working fan on normal road driving but you were doing neither.

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