[KUEFC09]

Hi, I have been having to top the coolant up every 3 weeks on my corsa c 1.2 design 53 plate, I have had to do this since I bought the car a year ago, so I finally got fed up and asked the college's MV department where I work to do a pressure test for me, but that is coming back all clear and no sign of a leak.

Does anyone have any ideas? Car runs great but temp goes right to 0 when I turn heaters on full.

And they done the pressure test when engine was cold.

Thanks in advance guys and hope you can help

 

[taurus]

Does it warm up quickly? Only that drop in the gauge reading suggests someone's whipped the 'stat out?

How is the oil looking - any excess signs of mayo (they all do it a bit)? A favourite trick of these is to leak behind the water pump and then coolant gets into the oil.

But often a small external leak will only open when hot and then only emit steam so you never see a leak. Pressure testing often misses that kind of leak. I had a Jag to look at recently and it passed umpteen pressure tests - turned out a jubilee clip was loose, so they aren't definitive.

 

[KUEFC09]

Only mayo on the filler cap and none whatsoever on the dipstick, could a thermostat not being there cause there to be no coolant in the reservoir?, but no it doesn't heat up that quickly to be honest

Also would a cracked head only show during running temp? But then surely I would have oil in coolant or coolant in the oil?

Thanks for the reply anyway

P.s I know you didn't mention HG just me being paranoid

 

[ix will]

Only mayo on the filler cap and none whatsoever on the dipstick, could a thermostat not being there cause there to be no coolant in the reservoir?, but no it doesn't heat up that quickly to be honest

Also would a cracked head only show during running temp? But then surely I would have oil in coolant or coolant in the oil?

Thanks for the reply anyway

P.s I know you didn't mention HG just me being paranoid

i know it sounds stupid but when do you check the coolent level? hot or cold when its hot coolent will be in the system still

 

[taurus]

If it's not heating up quickly and the gauge is dropping to cold when you turn the heaters on I'd check the thermostat - it may be jammed open or even been removed (which is not good for these engines).

I would not get paranoid re. HG issues or head problems yet - the signs aren't there from what you say. It sounds more like a leak that you haven't been able to spot - which ties in with something small that's only opening when hot and under pressure.

Check all hose connections first - look for any signs of deposits around them.

You can try additives which show up under UV inspection lamps, but to be honest I'd try one dose of Radweld (or similar) and see if it does the trick. Don't repeat the treatment as the stories you hear of Radweld blocking things is down to people adding too much repeatedly.

 

[KUEFC09]

Thanks