Vectra Diesel magic water leak.

Radweld + eBay?

the head gasket replacement was not done correctly and or something was missed, such as a head skim.

That's the way they're thinking...

I don't really like it, but then I've bought bangers from EBay before now, so I'm on the receiving end.

Not the latest acquisition though, got that from someone on uk.rec.cars.one_or_the_other_cant_remember and it's all good so far...

Without being checked out that is guessing, a proper leak test will prove one way or the other, but I still maintain that the real problem now is not the water loss but the fact that (it would appear( that the cooling system has a double dose of Radweld - even a single dose of that crap can terminally f*ck an engine, one might as well use cement IMO...

The problem is that it sounds as though the original problem was not correctly diagnosed, a guess was taken and a possibly faulty repair was made. Which may have compounded the fault.

I agree about the additives, especially multi doses.

I reckon the way forward is to get a real mechanic to check where the water is going, and decide from there what to do.

First thing should be a proper inspection with a pressurised system (preferably with a flourescing dye in the coolant, next would be an 'over coolant' gas test to rule out head or gasket faults.

Keeping on guessing and pouring in potions ain't gonna do it.

Mrcheerful

Funny that. Several people have expressed negative opinions about Radweld, yet when I've used it in the past (several times) I've had nothing but success.

Rob Graham

Well in over 30 years I've never seen a single success with Radweld but I've seen plenty of problems caused by the crap - even to the extent that the engine had to be replaced, OTOH there are other products that do work, Bars and Wynn's both do products that only 'solidify' were the a leak exists whilst staying in solution elsewhere, unlike Radweld that seems to go hard were ever it settles. It really does surprise me that Holts haven't had legal action against them, but then I suppose in laboratory conditions...

I must be lucky then, following my water leak as reported a couple of months ago - radweld stopped the leak (took about 2 weeks to do it properly), and it hasn't lost a drop since.

The heater still works too !

Rad cap is the usual culprit with this sort of thing..

tim.

I've suggested that, but I don't really understand what happens.. is it that it fails to release the pressure when it gets to a certain point and the overpressure allows the escape of steam/fine mist from weak joints?

Or does the cap just leak itself?

a leaking cap does not keep the pressure in the system. The system relies on pressure to prevent boiling in the system (pressurised system with anti freeze boils at about 120 plus degrees C) So, under certain circs. the system gets very hot, is unpressurised and so actually boils, the steam is hugely greater than the water it originally was and leaves the system, when everything cools down the system is found to be short of water.

Indeed but that would show up as a higher water temperature on the gauge.

Back to the OP, is there any funny, even acrid, smells present within the car when the heater is set to it's hottest setting and the heater fan on?

no, it wouldn't, the system could be at a perfectly acceptable temperature on the gauge and still boil simply because the system is unpressurised.

Try actually reading what I said, I didn't say that it would overheat, just that the temperature would be higher than *it normally is* - the problem of course is that by now the owner might not remember what the 'normal' temperature was. An un-pressurised system does run hotter, one can prove this by use of either a proper temperature gauge (calibrated in deg C rather than just the usual Blue, White/Blank, Red marks) or a workshop temperature probe.

You are on a slightly different wavelength I think. Un pressurised water boils at a lower temp than when pressurised. The 'normal' reading on a car dash temp gauge may be at 100 degrees, unpressurised this will boil, pressurised it won't. There will not be an over high temp. showing despite the system boiling .

Mrcheerful

I'll ask.. it really *is* a friend's car!

Sounds like a radiator cap might be worth a shot - they can only be a few quid, surely?

Certainly cheaper that having another head gasket fitted! :~)

I used Barrs stop leaks in an old Honda Prelude and it kept it from loosing any water 'till the car was later scrapped. You could perhaps drain and flush the coolant once the leak has fixed itself( if you are paranoid and intend to keep the car)