how worried should i be....

[meek.tv]

did an oil change about 2-3months ago and i just checked and it seems a bit too low for my liking. it also took a litre of water when i thought it would just need a little :S
is this the start of something i cant afford?

[francophile1947]

You don't say how many miles you've done since the oil change

[meek.tv]

not sure really. id say about 2000 as a guess

[francophile1947]

It is reasonable to assume that it could use some oil in 2000 miles - you don't say how much was needed.
The litre of water is far more worrying cos' it sounds like a leak. Are there any signs of a leak? It's often best to check when the engine is hot because pin prick sized holes may only show a leak when the system is pressurised. Any signs of steam in the exhaust?

[meek.tv]

have noticed a bit of white smoke on startup recently bu t i was hoping that it was just cold morning startage.
oil look black, no signs of milkyness
as far as water leaking from hoses, I couldnt spot anything obvious when i had a quick check earlier (hot) but it was getting a bit dark, (and im not really sure what hoses are what)
I did notice that this hose looks like its a bit swollen at the top though

is this normal or does it look ready to blow?
could be time to invest in some silicone hose and possibly a coolant alarm
I will keep an eye on the water level but i cant actually see the level because the tank has gone orange over time. can i just fill it to the top and let the overflow pipe get rid of the excess or is this a bad idea?

[daveblueozzie]

the pipe does not look too healthy, as for the water, if you look inside the tank you will see an internal seam/join just fill to below that seam/join and that will be ok ,but keep an eye on the tank as well, Haydn's coolant loss alarm will save you a lot of worries.

[The Great Pretender]

Meek that pic of the top hose makes loads of sense to me. Any mechanically minded out there have an opinion on it?

[bigdaddycain]

Hi Meek, here is a pic of my hose, it had just been fitted (still see oily fingermarks), the coolant was actually not in the bongo when this pic was taken, and was stone cold...the swelling on that hose,taking that turn is just the nature of the beast meek.

By all means change the hoses for peace of mind,the issue of coolant loss will need to be investigated really though, not much point splashing out on lots of stuff if the water pump has a leak.

[meek.tv]

where would i find the water pump?
did the same on my mini years ago, replaced all hoses to find it was the pump........but id forgotten that untill you mentioned it

[The Great Pretender]

BDC, wasn't the swelling of the top hose thought about when Flippa made them?

Also when are you next in Standish, I want to have a nosy around your kitchen.

[dreamwarrioruk]

i must say that looks more swollen than mine and also a brand new one i fitted for blutac. would be tempted to change it before any problems rear up. white smoke could be the glow plugs. just try waiting till you hear the relay click under the bonnet before starting it to see if that helps it out. mine smokes if i start it just after glowplug light goes out but not if i leave it till the relay.

[brorabongo]

where would i find the water pump?
did the same on my mini years ago, replaced all hoses to find it was the pump........but id forgotten that untill you mentioned it

Above the crankshaft pulley and along from the alternator pulley, all sharing the same belts.

[dandywarhol]

...

[dandywarhol]

That top hose is in serious danger of bursting - and I'll bet the clip on the fuel pipe to the pump is beginning to rub through it

This is what happened to mine just before it got really bad - very little warning! I hadn't realised how bad mine was and i wrapped some tape around it to stop the clip chaffing more til igot a new hose.

The flippa hose shape has been mentioned before - A new hose from Mazda is the same size all along - no tapering, so I don't know why flippas were designed to be tapered

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/ ... nthose.jpg

[bigdaddycain]

BDC, wasn't the swelling of the top hose thought about when Flippa made them?

Also when are you next in Standish, I want to have a nosy around your kitchen.

You may be right TGP, but i don't recall seeing the bulge till the hose was fitted, i wasn't concerned at the time,i figured it was the nature of the hose there with that abrupt turn. I've certainly had no problems with it.

I'd have thought the pic of meeks was a combination of hot coolant increasing the pressure,plus the slight natura bulge that occurs there combined together?

Change the hose anyway meek for what it's worth mate...My name will be mud if it pops tomorrow!

I think that flippa is awaiting delvery of his next batch of hoses,I'll check with flippa that it's ok to pm you his number, as i believe he has internet problems at the moment.

I'm in standish tomorrow TGP, how about just before 4? Pm me your address bud...