Xantia Coolant Leak

[Sam KS]

also it used to run at 90c now it is sitting at 60c according to the gauge on the dash so need to fix it quick as at 60c it's probably to cold.

[Mandrake]

Bypassing the heater matrix won't cause the engine to run cooler, if anything it should heat up slightly quicker as its not losing heat into the cabin.

Also if that clear plastic pipe is just normal thin wall PVC I'd be very dubious of its ability to stand up to 90 degree coolant temperatures for any length of time without going soft and rupturing, especially in a tropical climate You could have a failure just waiting to happen there. If at all possible see if you can replace it with a length of black thick walled hose rated for radiator use...

[Sam KS]

Thanks, yep if I cant (and i dont thing i will) get it sorted with in a week it'll be getting replaced. but this is better than it was. we only replaced the last car because of a blown radiator hose (and it was crap) and in turn cracked head. this time i'm not taking any chances.

[Clogzz]

Very neat little bodgie, I’m impressed.
I always leave the coolant cap loose at the first notch to prevent pressurisation.

[Old-Guy]

In any climate, but especially in the tropics, I'd replace that unreinforced polythene/PVC pool pipe with some proper reinforced hose ASAP - I can't see it lasting long under pressure even at 'only' 80/85° and if the engine gets a bit overhot...

[addo]

If you haven't bled it at the thermostat housing, this is why your temperature reading is off - head is full of air.

[Sam KS]

Thanks for the feed back, after Mandrake bringing my hose into question it had me thinking last night and 1st thing this morning i changed the hose (robbed from the dead Mazda 626 in the yard waiting to be towed away). the last thing i want to do is kill a good motor for the sake of a piece of hose, especially when it's free.


after that i have flushed the system, re flushed, filled with AF/AB and bled the air in the head. all running good again and sitting on 85c-90c.

thanks all, also after having a read about changing the heater matrix i think we'll be leaving it like this. i don't think i want to spend a weekend changing it when i don't think we'll ever use it..... unless i can change the plastic connector on it's own.

[Mandrake]

Nice job, that looks like it should be a permanent repair now.

Thanks to addo for picking up on the air lock as well, I should have thought of that as I've had the same issue myself!

[Sam KS]

I jsut found this on you tube " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I don't think i'll be bothering to replace the heater core any time soon.

[Chris570]

they've made it look harder than it is to be fair.

you don't need to take the windscreen wiper motor assembly out. It's not a hard job, just a long job.

Boobs*

*added to comply with the minimum FCF smut level

[addo]

You missed out the innuendo.