300tdi water leak - how bad is it?

[mike123]

Well after I thought everything was going well I noticed today that the there was radiator fluid on the ground under the engine. I didn't drive the car today so I checked under the bonnet. It appears to be coming from a gasket behind the water pump. I may be wrong about that - not the first time. If I lean over the nearside front guard and look at the engine then this is what I see (red arrow points to where I think the leak is coming from). It does appear to be fairly high up the engine so I doubt it will drain all the coolant.

I've checked the hoses around there for leaks and can't find any (most are new hoses as I replaced them recently). Interestingly is that I hadn't driven the car today but it was still leaking - it is as if there is some residual pressure in the system aiding the drips (and we are talking drips not gushing).

The engine temperature is normal - hasn't changed and is normally a little under 1/2 way through the gauge. I checked the expansion tank and it was low - about 3/4 of an inch lower than where it is suppose to be. The radiator is new (a couple of months old) and no leaks there.

So the question is how bad is it? I need to get from Sydney to Canberra on Tuesday. Once I'm there I can drop it into Canberra Motor Works to get fixed.

Should I open up the brass plug at the top of the radiator and check what the level is - I suspect that I won't see any coolant as it will be below the first row of fins?

Appreciate the collective wisdom.

[Blknight.aus]

thats the P gasket,

if the coolant was still above the hose orifices in the tank then theres still coolant in the radiator.

as a temp fix you can use egg whites or a leak sealer but they dont usually last all that long once the gasket thats in there lets go.

if you drive it gently you can get away with filling it up and leaving the expansion cap loose but you have to keep checking the coolant level.

Its not that hard to fix as a DIY.

[mike123]

Thanks Dave, I'll look at it in daylight tomorrow and see if I can't get some time to fix it.

[justinc]

mike, these are an important item,

Low Water Alarm Sensor (http://www.enginesaver.com.au/)


cheap insurance

jc

[mike123]

Thanks Justin for the tip, these sound great. I'll check them out further.

[mike123]

An update - replaced the P gasket and found the welch plug there had a hole as well. So replaced that. Problem solved.

Ordered one of the Engine Savers as Justin suggested. I'll fit it in a couple of weeks for peace of mind.

[DieselDan]

I knew a quick trawl through the threads would eventually find what I was looking for.....:D

This has saved me posting up a new thread asking the same question, but this is what I found on mine yesterday:

http://www.aulro.com/app/data/500/medium/IMG_20121031_195229.jpg

http://www.aulro.com/app/data/500/medium/IMG_20121031_195203-1.jpg

It was the faint whiff of coolant that made me start looking, but I've got the low coolant alarm fitted (and a separate cyl head thermocouple), so I'm hoping things would have started buzzing and flashing at me before it got too bad!

I know I'm answering my own question here, but I'm better getting this sorted before I head into the Vic high country tomorrow aren't I....??:angel:

Cheers,

Dan