Thread: My P38a eats coolant ...

Originally Posted by PhilipA

This thread is from the 27/07/2010.
I would think it has been fixed long ago and the original poster has not bothered to tell the forum what the outcome was.

Regards Philip A

Philip,

I was the original poster ... and it's still not fixed. I fixed the heater O rings. That stopped the leaking in the car. didn't stop the coolant loss though. So I have been slowly working thru the issues as I have had time. As my post today indicates I have isolated everything that could be an issue and that is why my question now. I've run out of options ...

It seems tho that the comments here are leading me to the same conclusion that I was coming to ... the valley cover/ inlet manifold connection.

As soon as I have resolved it I'll let you know.

Thanks

Willem

did you change your radator overflow cap in your p38a , on my holden it was leaking water (with added steam) from radiator (not overflow as different set up ) than i got a $10 new rad cap and fixed the water loss and ran cooler again instantly / in my p38a i change the overflow bottle cap every 100,000 km automatically so can not say had that prob in that , but in holden did that and that fixed / worked .
can only try if you havent done that option yet on yours .

I was the original poster ... and it's still not fixed. I fixed the heater O rings.

Wow, I apologise.
Have you tried just tightening the rear bolts to see if it made a difference?
IFAIR you can reach them without removing the plenum, if it is not a Thor.

BTW although I understand there is a risk of delamination, to me the valley gaskets with the black stuff on them are far superior at sealing than the tin ones. I have fitted a black one to mine.
Regards Philip A

Hmmm. This has got me perplexed. From all the drawings and pics I have been able to see there is no coolant passage from the heads to the inlet manifold. As far as I can see there are not coolant passages in the inlet manifold at all. So it follows that the leak cannot come from the valley cover gasket at all. Please correct me if I am wrong with this.

But it is still coming from the back of the engine - running down both sides of the outside of the bell housing, coming from on top of the bell housing. Remember that the heater and the gas system have been bypassed so the leak is not coming from them.

This is not a small leak - it is a steady drip drip drip and will leak half a litre every day or so.

Any ideas and suggestions welcome.

Willem

Originally Posted by willem

As far as I can see there are not coolant passages in the inlet manifold at all. So it follows that the leak cannot come from the valley cover gasket at all. Please correct me if I am wrong with this.

I'll correct you.

Does your top radiator hose not go to the inlet manifold?

Originally Posted by Scouse

I'll correct you.

Does your top radiator hose not go to the inlet manifold?

Fair comment Scouse. Thanks.

But does that invalidate my point about there being no connection at the valley cover interface?

Willem

Originally Posted by willem

Fair comment Scouse. Thanks.

But does that invalidate my point about there being no connection at the valley cover interface?

Willem

There are water ports through both ends of the inlet manifold gasket, both sides. Generally only the front 2 are used, the other two allow the fitting of each head to the other bank by rotating the head lengthwise. Then the front ports become the back ports.



And yes, they do leak, sometimes copiously.

I had coolant leaking from my gearbox a year ago!!

Turned out it was the valley gasket at the rear of the engine. A new gasket and it was all fixed.

When I removed the inlet manifold a couple of the rear bolts were not as tight as the others. That might have been all I needed to do, but by then I was deep enough in to continue with the valley gasket replacement.