Yep, the thing all us drivers dread. The day we check our coolant and see it has went from the maximum mark to below the minimum mark in less than a week...
However I don't think it is the Head Gasket as there is no smoke, no noticeable loss of compression, and no oil in the coolant/coolant in the oil. I've looked through the history and in all its 148,000 miles it has never had a new Inlet Manifold Gasket. So I'm guessing a mixture of high millage and old age has perished the gasket.
Is there anything that could have caused the gasket to go ?
P.S. I got the wheel bearing changed
Burning Coolant...
Moderator: RichardW
Burning Coolant...
1998 Citroen Xantia 2.0 16V I4 with 148,200 miles on the clock. Bought it with 123,000.
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Congrats on wheel bearing.
Its not leaking out is it ? , radiator probably prime suspect.
Some leaks (tiny pinholes) will only leak when warm and under normal pressure, making the difficult to spot (tell tale antifreeze staining is a good clue)
Probably take it to a nearby garage and get the coolant system pressure tested (they fit a special cap and pressurise the cooling system, leave it a short time and check to see that the pressure has not dropped) , that's certainly the 'easy' method.
Caution: if you have a component that is just 'starting' to fail, it can be made worse by this test.
I thought about using the exhaust analyser to sniff the coolant vapour but not too sure if this will work on a diesel actually. EDIT... Just noticed yours is petrol. Basically if there's any HC present in the vapour (do NOT let the probe have a drink!) then the h/g is probably failing.
Alternative is to have a block tester (fits in coolant bottle and fluid inside tester changes colour if gasses are present) although I've never really found these terribly reliable.
Personally, I would pressure test the coolant system first.
At least on a petrol the hoses around the back are (relatively) easy to get at, I remember on the XUD9 there was a loop at the lower end and it was horrible to fix due to no space (a bit like where the early XUD's had the fuel heater, but worse)
Its not leaking out is it ? , radiator probably prime suspect.
Some leaks (tiny pinholes) will only leak when warm and under normal pressure, making the difficult to spot (tell tale antifreeze staining is a good clue)
Probably take it to a nearby garage and get the coolant system pressure tested (they fit a special cap and pressurise the cooling system, leave it a short time and check to see that the pressure has not dropped) , that's certainly the 'easy' method.
Caution: if you have a component that is just 'starting' to fail, it can be made worse by this test.
I thought about using the exhaust analyser to sniff the coolant vapour but not too sure if this will work on a diesel actually. EDIT... Just noticed yours is petrol. Basically if there's any HC present in the vapour (do NOT let the probe have a drink!) then the h/g is probably failing.
Alternative is to have a block tester (fits in coolant bottle and fluid inside tester changes colour if gasses are present) although I've never really found these terribly reliable.
Personally, I would pressure test the coolant system first.
At least on a petrol the hoses around the back are (relatively) easy to get at, I remember on the XUD9 there was a loop at the lower end and it was horrible to fix due to no space (a bit like where the early XUD's had the fuel heater, but worse)
Andy.
91 205D-Turbo, gone but still missed
02 106D, TUD5B, gone but not really missed apart from the MPG
91 205D-Turbo, gone but still missed
02 106D, TUD5B, gone but not really missed apart from the MPG
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Check under the front foot well carpets for wet patches.
1.9TD+ SX Xantia Estate (Cassy) running on 100% veg
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1.9TD SX Xantia Hatchback (Jenny) running on 100% veg for sale
Laguna II 2.0dCi Privilege (Monty)
DIY sphere tool