Water leak bellow front end - Coolant questions

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Water leak bellow front end - Coolant questions

Post by Xantia 1.9TD Owner »

I was just checking my Xantia with the engine running and bonnet up. Actually checking the LHM levels with it on full height.

All of a sudden i noticed it leaking water under the front end - I suspect it was the coolant but couldnt see where it was actually coming from, it was running down the plastic guard which is under the radiator.

It left quite a big puddle but not the full 9L stated capacity.

I thought the radiator has sprung a leak and by this point it had stropped, so tried topping it up with water to see if it would leak out again. But it didnt do it again.

So im wondering if this is normal behaviour?
Will the Xantia spit out some coolant every so often? Like from some kind of pressure release valve?
Pretty warm day but ive only driven it a couple of miles, had it running standing still on the drive though.

Just thought i would post here as im a little concerned, no doubt someone with more knowledge of Xantias than me will be able to help.
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Post by CitroJim »

The expansion tank overflow pipe is open and if you'rve recently overfilled it a tad when topping up or the rad cap is a bit weak then a drop of coolant can escape via that route. Check the rubber washer on the rad cap is intact. Also, it's a "feature" of a 1.9TD that they will never hold a a water level at the top of the measuring sleeve; they always seem to find a level at the bottom of the tube and will blow out any excess through the overflow.

So long as the cold coolant level stays at the bottom of the sleeve and does not drop appreciably from there you have no worries.

Another area the leak may stem from is the water pump if it is on its way out. Water from here will collect at the lowest point of the engine and drip from there.

Otherwise either the rad has a small hole or the bottom hose connector is leaking.
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Post by falling-out-with-my-car »

sorry to contradict you there Jim but my coolant levels have always remained nearly at the top of the level indicator, ever since I had a new alluminium rad fitted about five years ago. the thermostat spring in the coolant cap could be getting weak or as you say the rubber seal could be on its way out.

it doesnt look quite as posh but halfrauds do a rad cap replacement cheaper than the citroen one that seems to work pretty well.

it might be worth having a look at the bottom of the rad with a torch to see if there is a chalky white and green formation along the bottom edge of the radiator which could signify the rad starting to go home, this was more evident on the passenger side of mine but as you say on the bottom edge like yours. I had a engine bay plastic guard orriginally so it must have been just plain old corrosion over the years.

maybe your parked facing downhill on your driveway and had the air-con running which spits out some water every now and then if you were on a steep enough incline it could trickle along the chassis to the front of the car. maybe!!!
when it was idling for a long time did you hear the cooling fans kicking in and out?
Last edited by falling-out-with-my-car on 09 Aug 2010, 18:32, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by CitroJim »

falling-out-with-my-car wrote:sorry to contradict you there Jim but my coolant levels have always remained nearly at the top of the level indicator, ever since I had a new alluminium rad fitted about five years ago.
No worries at all Nigel, always happy to be contradicted :D It's just my experience in all Xantias I've owned... It's good to hear it's just me!

Good point about the aircon condensate. My eldest Daughter rang me in a panic just after she'd got a newish Honda Civic worried there was a problem because there was a puddle underneath it; it was just aircon condensate which I proved by tasting a drop...
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Post by falling-out-with-my-car »

Be careful Jim, I know you can get leigonares disease from just having dirty unchanged air con filters so god knows what bacteria the water carries.

yes even I panicked recently whilst topping up the air-con with a do it yourself kit for some reason I completely forgot the air-con was running and it has to be to do the topping up. and boy oh boy isnt it noisey being under an xantia when the air-con is running, its like standing at the end of heathrow runway with concord flying over the top of your head. LOUD.
anyway this rather large puddle appeared and for some stupid reason I panicked.

Id make sure the car was on a nice level surface first if it wasnt before and run the engine till piping hot for about 45 mins air-con switched off and listen for the cooling fans at about 90 degrees C on the dashboard guage, if the fans dont kick in, the problem is over heating, which will make the expansion bottle realease some fluid through the cap as it raises to relieve the pressure out of the overflow hose.

although I suspect like you Jim it is probably the rubber seal on the expansion bottle cap, this is really easy to miss sometimes. if the cap is easy to put on then its probably on its way out you should need to push against the spring under the cap to catch it on the expansion bottle lip and it should be fairly tight to turn as it locks on to the bottle, if it feels loose or isnt tight to turn then suspect a worn rubber washer and replace the cap. I bought a cheapy one from Halfrauds and then got a good looking one from a scrapyard later on, the replacement one sits in stand by in the glovey box, just in case.
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Post by Xaccers »

You're not alone Jim, all of my Xantias have sat with their coolant at the bottom of the cut out.
I'm sure I've read in one of the manuals that is actually the level marker and I've never noticed a marker above it.
Would be interesting to run a survey about these things!
Of course just because we've seen several Xantias keep their coolant at that level doesn't automatically make it correct :)
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Post by Peter.N. »

My XMs too, I have only had one out of seven that stayed full, even after I fitted a new head gasket to one it blew the water out until it was at the lowest point and then stayed there.

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Post by addo »

Mine loses a tiny bit through the heater core and my matrix pipe repairs. They've lasted over a year, so maybe it's time to treat her to some proper hose fittings again.
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Post by Xantia 1.9TD Owner »

CitroJim wrote:The expansion tank overflow pipe is open and if you'rve recently overfilled it a tad when topping up or the rad cap is a bit weak then a drop of coolant can escape via that route. Check the rubber washer on the rad cap is intact. Also, it's a "feature" of a 1.9TD that they will never hold a a water level at the top of the measuring sleeve; they always seem to find a level at the bottom of the tube and will blow out any excess through the overflow.
Thanks for all the replies - I feel much relieved reading this.
I did top it up recently (above the bottom of the tube as i thought that was minimum)
So i think the Xantia just spat out the excess.

I'll check the matrix, washer and pipes just to be sure. And of course keep a very close eye on the levels.

I actually topped up with tap water when looking for leaks. Not ideal i know!
So i think perhaps its time to drain the whole lot and start with a fresh mix of coolant and distilled water.

Thanks again :D

- oh and i should add just for future reference and other members who may read this. One of you guys mentioned Air Con. Well i have the SX model so no A/C
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Post by Xaccers »

What year is your sx?
all mine from '97 on have aircon
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Post by falling-out-with-my-car »

yep Xac,

my 98 estate is SX and has air-con. my mate up the road has a 96 lx estate with no air-con but he does have a sunroof.

a further note on water levels, my old citroen specialist always told me that the water level was supposed to be half way up the slot in the level indicator/insert in the neck of the expansion bottle, I have always topped it up to that level if need be (once a year) and it keepss itself at that level.

regards Nigel.
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Post by Xantia 1.9TD Owner »

Its a 1995 SX.
Electric windows and sunroof (now broken :() but no air con.
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Post by falling-out-with-my-car »

well there you are once again just because we have seen so many SX's
with air con doesnt mean it is a standard set by Citroen.

I wonder if you have a compressor on the end of your crankshaft and someone has possibly removed the air con system in the past.

it could be that a shorter auxilary belt has been fitted to bypass a seized compressor. I wonder.

regards Nigel.
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Post by Xaccers »

Xantia 1.9TD Owner wrote:Its a 1995 SX.
Electric windows and sunroof (now broken :() but no air con.
Yup way back in '95 I think a/c was only an option on SX models, my first Xantia was a '95 SX and it had sunroof and no aircon.

Near the end of the S1 they even started upgrading the models so a very late S1 LX can have better equipment than an early S2 LX
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