CAR OVERHEATED - whose fault?

EURO · Post by **EURO** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 5:12 pm

My car overheated today.... and when opening the bonnet, one of the hoses was leaking.. on further inspection the engine was also dry of coolant as was the reserve tank!!

I filled the reserve tank, but the engine was not drinking any of the coolant (and still is not) - so i assume there is a blockage in the pipe...

anyway I refitted the hose that was leaking (there was no split) and filled the engine with water and coolant. and now the car is fine.

Anyway, is this something the mechanics should pick up on? I get my car serviced every 6 months without fail oir 10 000km, and the last service was around 3 months ago.... My mate who helped refill it, said my coolant looked pretty murky etc, e.g. it had not been replaced for a long time....

is this something that mechanics should have picked up? replaced on routine? noticed it was low????? I have used them for over three years....

Post by **vipfto** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 7:16 pm

sorry to tell you this but the hose may have just managed to pull itself off.
you cant expect mechs to be liable for something that happens in future, its like saying my cv boot split but had service 3 months ago they should of known.....
however are you sure hose hasnot split? as can be hard to tell unless they are under pressure

EURO · Post by **EURO** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 7:29 pm

the hose hadnt split.... I took it off and inspected, then tightened back on and its now not leaking...

I am not sure whether this is possible, but if the car had run out of coolant, and begun to overheat, could pressure have just built up in the hose and caused it to leak???

We re tightened the hose back on, but the thing is, its not like I had had leaks on the carport or where I park at work.... If It had slowly leaked coolant, I think i would have seen it.... this just looked like the coolant had run dry......

maybe they topped up the reserve bottle, but if thats not functioning properly - which it appears its not, then maybe the engine slowly just ran out??

Post by **vipfto** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 7:37 pm

EURO wrote:the hose hadnt split.... I took it off and inspected, then tightened back on and its now not leaking...

I am not sure whether this is possible, but if the car had run out of coolant, and begun to overheat, could pressure have just built up in the hose and caused it to leak???

We re tightened the hose back on, but the thing is, its not like I had had leaks on the carport or where I park at work.... If It had slowly leaked coolant, I think i would have seen it.... this just looked like the coolant had run dry......

maybe they topped up the reserve bottle, but if thats not functioning properly - which it appears its not, then maybe the engine slowly just ran out??

sounds to me like it may have been leaking for awhile when driving under pressure then... its possible when they did service didnt check radiator but after 3 months i doubt this is the case. im guessing its the bottom hose? which means you may have hit something on road causing it to loosen. make sure you unblock reserve bottle and hopefully no damage to engine has been done...
I would be keeping very close eye on it

EURO · Post by **EURO** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:52 pm

yeah it was bottom hose, but leaking from top (e.g. point closest to engine).
I pulled over almost immediately it hit the red... the only reason I noticed, was the aircon starting getting a little warmer, and I looked down and saw the temp guage heading rapidly upward!

yeah I will take off reserve hose tomorrow - I think everything else is fine, radiator not cracked and engine ran fine on the way home.

FknTopOne · Post by **FknTopOne** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 10:59 am

No one probably ever does it, but it's always good to check your levels once a week. Things like oil, transmission oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, tyre pressures. It's basic preventative maintenance. That way you can head off any slow leaks etc, with a quick top up.
Also might be a good idea to ask for an itemised invoice from your mechanic, and check off what they have/or maybe have not done, or get them to walk you through they have before you leave. After all you are paying for a service from them. And most people usually like talking about what they do.

payaya · Post by **payaya** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 8:51 pm

dont fill your overflow, check under the coolant cap do you see coolant in there or not?

oodLes · Post by **oodLes** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 10:17 pm

The hose thing is EXACTLY what happened to me.

EURO · Post by **EURO** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:13 pm

payaya wrote:dont fill your overflow, check under the coolant cap do you see coolant in there or not?

yeah I did that... it was empty... i know thats why my car overheated..... what i was not sure of is how it got that way...

EURO · Post by **EURO** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:08 pm

ok....time for nervousness????

Car has not overheated again.... but overflow was empty today... good because it means the engine is drinking from there again, but bad, because it seems thirsty!!!
secondly, the exhaust Fumes are really really pugent at the moment....

Mate suggested, maybe I cracked the head gasket??? signs and symptoms??

Post by **vipfto** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:49 pm

quite possible mate or maybe buggered water pump or hoses too

signs of head are:

creamy looking stuff under oil cap (its what happens when oil and water mix)
drinking water
overheating
and get pressure checked that will be sure fire way

also is exhaust blowing white smoke? thats not a good sign

EURO · Post by **EURO** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 8:11 pm

havent seen white smoke - but will have a look in morning....
isnt overheating anymore, but will see how much it drinks...
exhaust vapour smells....
will check oil..

khunjeng · Post by **khunjeng** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:47 pm

EURO wrote:havent seen white smoke - but will have a look in morning....
isnt overheating anymore, but will see how much it drinks...
exhaust vapour smells....
will check oil..

EURO

It takes ome time for the water to run through. Running the engine usually gets it through and needs a top up until its full

Usually the collant is not checked, unless its leaking its pretty hard to see. In fact most people I know who have had issues is cos the mechanic has changed it an leaves the hose clamps loose and it does come off...or not tight enough

A block in the overfill hose to the bottle is common source of issue maybe the hose just wasnt on tight enough for it to leak - been there, done that - needs to be quite tight.

When screwing with mine once, when hot and under pressure it wold start to leak as it wasnt done up enough. When cold it was fine, easy to miss this as the mechanic wont run the car long enough to get it to op. temp.

As for the head gasket the water can leak to the oil or to the water, in each case the color will be a milky type whcih wont look riight. Your oil should be dark and black...easy to spot.

EURO · Post by **EURO** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 11:31 am

yeah I when I finally re filled the first time, we completely filled it, made sure all the bubbles were gone and kept topping until it settled.....

I will check the overfill hose, but it seems to have started working again, seeing as it emptied after 2 weeks....

I will check both oil and water today to see if there are any colour changes and just keep an eye on how much water the engine is drinking today

thanks everyone

EURO · Post by **EURO** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 1:14 pm

If I replace the hose - whats my best bet, just take off and take down to repco or autobarn for a replacement type?

Post by **vipfto** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:52 pm

EURO wrote:If I replace the hose - whats my best bet, just take off and take down to repco or autobarn for a replacement type?

yip they always bugger it up without the part in front of them

EURO · Post by **EURO** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:04 pm

ok - for a conclusion (hopefully ) took car to mech today to find out exactly what was happening. Had it pressured tested and they replaced radiator cap (which was a bit stuffed) and two clamps holding one hose. They also suggested the hose needed replacement at next service. Was re pressure tested and and given a coolant flush. And now all seems ok! no more leaking and hopefully no more over heating! better result then a blown head gasket!!