Ye olde faithful ZX TD 1993.
Noticed that when I'm working the old girl hard I'm getting the smaell of hot coolant inside the car. There are no obvious leaks from the matrix, certainly no coolant leaking into the footwells.
Today I pressure tested the system, and it held a constant 10 even with the (hot) engine running. There was evidence of weeping from the thermostat housing (barely nothing, even under pressure) so I replaced this (again, this is the third one).
What I did notice though was that the coolant in the rad was a black colour.
The car is losing no water between 6000 mile services. Fans cut in fine time after time in trafic, but to me it looks like there is a small ingress of oil into the water to contaminate it in this manner.
When I got the car at 61k the head gasket was leaking oil down the back of the block, so I "whipped" the head off, had it flat tested, and fitted new gasket, bolts etc etc. The car has now done 102k.
As theres not loss of water, i'm a bit perplexed, especially by the coolant small that I get.
Anyone got any ideas, other than "off with its head" ? <img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle>
Or am I being over worried?
Jon Wood
IT Supervisor
GSF t/as Andyspares
Jon's Zx develops problems?
Moderator: RichardW
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Dave Burns
- Posts: 1915
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- Location: United Kingdom
- My Cars:
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A pressure test done with no water in the system would be more conclusive, a tiny hole in the matrix wont let water out very fast so the pressure wont drop much and may not even be noticable, but it will let air out at a much higher rate.
Where else would the smell of coolant come from, a leak in the matrix isn't going to start as a raging torrent, probably so small that any escaping coolant will evaporate, I'd keep an eye on that one Jon.
I did a ZX matrix a while back, the matrix its self was perfect, the leak was from hardened "o" rings in the plastic pipe connector.
I put a new one in because it had already been purchased, this one failed a couple of weeks ago, lasted between 3-4 years, this time it was the actual matrix that failed.
Dave
Where else would the smell of coolant come from, a leak in the matrix isn't going to start as a raging torrent, probably so small that any escaping coolant will evaporate, I'd keep an eye on that one Jon.
I did a ZX matrix a while back, the matrix its self was perfect, the leak was from hardened "o" rings in the plastic pipe connector.
I put a new one in because it had already been purchased, this one failed a couple of weeks ago, lasted between 3-4 years, this time it was the actual matrix that failed.
Dave
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Jon
Dave,
I will certainly keep an eagle eye on the coolant level, and any developing leak from the matrix.
This car is a weird 'un. It doesn't lose water, you can run it with the rad cap off even with the fans running and it doesn't pressurise.
Which is excellent. <img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>
But the coolant (changed about 6 months ago) is now black. Also, at motorway speeds (um, quite fast) the temp guage nudges well over the 90. Which is weird.
By the way the rad was replaced when I did the head gasket, and the coolant is 60% Cit antigel the rest water. If that makes any difference to things.
Maybe I am just paranoid.
Overworried, Swindon.
Jon Wood
IT Supervisor
GSF t/as Andyspares
I will certainly keep an eagle eye on the coolant level, and any developing leak from the matrix.
This car is a weird 'un. It doesn't lose water, you can run it with the rad cap off even with the fans running and it doesn't pressurise.
Which is excellent. <img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>
But the coolant (changed about 6 months ago) is now black. Also, at motorway speeds (um, quite fast) the temp guage nudges well over the 90. Which is weird.
By the way the rad was replaced when I did the head gasket, and the coolant is 60% Cit antigel the rest water. If that makes any difference to things.
Maybe I am just paranoid.
Overworried, Swindon.
Jon Wood
IT Supervisor
GSF t/as Andyspares
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russellfowden
- Posts: 25
- Joined: 28 Aug 2002, 23:09
- Location: United Kingdom
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What do you reckon to Radweld? It bailed me out a few years ago with my dirty F**d Es***t, if you deployed a bit of that and you still got the smell you could be reasonably sure it wasn't coolant leakage and you were looking in the wrong place? Or am I being simplistic?
However, if the temp increases with revs despite having coolant then that doesn't sound too likely. Surely this would be unrelated to oil getting into the coolant? Hmmm, out of my depth now.
However, if the temp increases with revs despite having coolant then that doesn't sound too likely. Surely this would be unrelated to oil getting into the coolant? Hmmm, out of my depth now.
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Jon
Hm I think that I shall just keep an eye on it and hope that it does not blow up.
Joined AA Relay to be on the safe side!!!
I'm having a big workshop session next weekend so will examine said vehicle in more detail and see if I can find cause of black coolant. I don't like the sound of exhaust gasses into coolant.
Never had this trouble with the 2cv or GSa, for some reason <img src=icon_smile_clown.gif border=0 align=middle>
<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>
Jon Wood
IT Supervisor
GSF t/as Andyspares
Joined AA Relay to be on the safe side!!!
I'm having a big workshop session next weekend so will examine said vehicle in more detail and see if I can find cause of black coolant. I don't like the sound of exhaust gasses into coolant.
Never had this trouble with the 2cv or GSa, for some reason <img src=icon_smile_clown.gif border=0 align=middle>
<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>
Jon Wood
IT Supervisor
GSF t/as Andyspares
Hi all
i was woundering if anyone could help me, i have a 1993 (k) citroen zx 1.9 TD. At 109.000 miles the head gasket went and the head got warped, the head was skimed and replaced, along with a rad. The car has now done 137.000 miles and i have a few problems. I had a smoking problem and a hard start problem, i was told the tappets may need shimming, so i got them done and now it starts straight away when cold but when warm/hot it takes a bit longer thats one problem. The other is that it has an oil leak from behind the fuel pump, when the tappets were done the rocker cover gasket and the cam seal was done, from what i can see the oil is coming from the head gasket. But there is no water or oil mixing at all and it uses no water only a bit of oil (because of the leak), the car will do 120 mph on a good day so i dont think there is any power loss, but now and again it seems to have flat spots when accelerating hard, i was told injectors would cause this but im not sure. My final problem is the cooling fans, they stay on all of the time even when ignition is off.
i was woundering if anyone could help me, i have a 1993 (k) citroen zx 1.9 TD. At 109.000 miles the head gasket went and the head got warped, the head was skimed and replaced, along with a rad. The car has now done 137.000 miles and i have a few problems. I had a smoking problem and a hard start problem, i was told the tappets may need shimming, so i got them done and now it starts straight away when cold but when warm/hot it takes a bit longer thats one problem. The other is that it has an oil leak from behind the fuel pump, when the tappets were done the rocker cover gasket and the cam seal was done, from what i can see the oil is coming from the head gasket. But there is no water or oil mixing at all and it uses no water only a bit of oil (because of the leak), the car will do 120 mph on a good day so i dont think there is any power loss, but now and again it seems to have flat spots when accelerating hard, i was told injectors would cause this but im not sure. My final problem is the cooling fans, they stay on all of the time even when ignition is off.