tracing coolant leak.

[ronhud]

I'm still getting a slow coolant leak somewhere - level in expansion tank drops just below the upper Haydn alarm screw - and I have to top up - seems tied to miles covered rather than time elapsed (i.e poss leak when stationary). Has anyone used either a fluorescent or ultra violet dye to look for leaks and if so how difficult was it? Should I be able to see all hose runs from above or do I have to get my creaky old bones underneath?

Ron

[haydn callow]

I have dye in my coolant all the time (though have not needed it yet) easy to see a leak useing a UV torch.
You would have to scrabble around to check all hoses and pipes.
First off though..is your header tank & radiator caps 100% ? these can cause a slow loss of coolant if not sealing.
Easy place to start the detective work.
Some leaks only occur when the engine is up to temp/pressure and as everything is hot the coolant evaporates/drys so quick.
If you have a hole in a metal pipe it will only show as a fine mist.
Be methodical, you should get there in the end but if it is a very small pinprick they can be a bugger to trace.

[sparkymik]

I have a small inconsistent leak on my cooling sys' somewhere, I put in blue anitfreeze and can find pools of it under the Bongo after some, but not all runs, it seems to be worse if the heating is on and the pool drips down from the engine cover underneath the vehicle, I printed off the engine drawings of the cooling system and I am in the process of tracing and ticking off all the various joints, the problem is as I pointed out it is an inconsistent leak, I have some suspects on the feed and return to the rear heating assembly/unit, there ain't much you can do till it shows itself, bit frusty but there you go, try here.
http://www.lushprojects.com/bongoparts/pages/
Print out 1500B (two off) and 6100 all down to 6180A that are to do with heating and find and check them, good luck and check the easy stuff first ie those that can be seen without the aid of a pit or jack

Sparky

[flippa]

Had a similar problem on my previous bongo....found the culprit in the end ....a very small trickle of a leak from the waterpump almost unnoticable ....worth checking and crossing of your list...... take the belly pan off for a really good look

[dandywarhol]

Pressurise the system - any garage worth their salt will have the kit - that'll usually show up the leak.

[mikeonb4c]

Pressurise the system - any garage worth their salt will have the kit - that'll usually show up the leak.

Loud bang, coolant everywhere, culprit unmasked

[mister munkey]

I get through a pint of coolant a week (2-300 miles) Ron. Have done for months, although a recent scare at Silverdale with a popped top hose made me think the ultimate cause had been laid to rest - it seems the original seep is still lurking there somewhere.

As it seems to be an established "freindly leak" & not got progressively worse over the last year, I'll put up with it for now, but will keep an eye on this with interest - just in case!

[ronhud]

Thanks for all comments - maybe this slow leak effect is more widespread. Can anyone describe what is involved in removing the belly pan before I get the axle stands out? I recently lost a screw and washer from the banjo area so I might find those also.
Ron

[bigdaddycain]

I get through a pint of coolant a week (2-300 miles) Ron. Have done for months, although a recent scare at Silverdale with a popped top hose made me think the ultimate cause had been laid to rest - it seems the original seep is still lurking there somewhere.

As it seems to be an established "freindly leak" & not got progressively worse over the last year, I'll put up with it for now, but will keep an eye on this with interest - just in case!

I take it you still have Plenty of "top up" coolant left then Mr M?

[bigdaddycain]

Ron, if you can be bothered, lag each hose at the joint with some clean bandage, then check a week later to see which (if any) have become discoloured/stained.

Some pipes are more difficult to access than others,but chances are you can rule out the unstained joints at least from your investigations.

If you lose more coolant when the heaters are on, chances are its from one of the hard to get to hoses underneath.

[haydn callow]

A pint every 2-300 miles is quite a lot. Should be able to spot that if it's a joint, A finger would come away wet.
If it's a "pinprick" in a metal pipe it's a toughie.
I'v never had it reported yet but make sure the "alarm" screws are not weeping. Although if that were the case I would expect the alarm to be intermittant. Worth checking though.
Are you confidant about the pressure cap?? If it was that you would get no loss when parked up.

[ronhud]

Thanks for the further comments, so far this looks like my action plan:-

Put some dye in coolant - problem is that after googling and ebaying the dyes only seem to be available in costly bottles meant for several uses.

Check expansion tank and radiator caps - presumably there will either be a stain or some show of moisture with engine running.
if clear then
Bandage as per BDC on the easiest accessible joints and watch for a week
if clear then
get underneath to check for stains and bandage if neccessary.

I suppose having all the hoses replaced with flippas hoses would sort the problem but that is an expense I would rather not have as Christmas approaches - 5 lovely grandchildren to spoil!

Ron

[Harry]

Ron

Do you know any cavers?

They use dyes to detect resurgences.

I mate of mine who is a keen caver has used flourecine dye to detect leaks on his engine.

cheers

H

[ronhud]

Harry - I used to know Dave Brookes (from Leeds) who was one of the leading cavers but that was a v.e.r.y long time ago. I wondered about the dye that is used for leaky drains but a bit wary of mixing something unknown with anti-freeze and putting into my alloy engine. I pm'd the shop about buying in multi packs and splitting into singles and Ian says he is looking into it. It is unlikely that I am the only one wanting to spot a leak before it becomes too serious.
Ron

[phedders]

Yea I have a leak somewhere - ended up stuck on the M25 last week with steam coming out the cap/hose and the temp having shot up to H. Tank was empty.

AA man did pressure tests - no problem, we could find no sign of leaks. He tested cap - vented at 1.1bar.

So I drove home and the expansion tank was nearly empty when I got home (30 miles ish)

What do I do now? That die sounds like a great idea.

--
Paul