Help water coming out of tank that feeds radiator

9622 Views 35 Replies 14 Participants Last post by chrisjrv, May 31, 2009

thepadster

Discussion Starter · May 10, 2009

Help you guys, need some advice, just took camper out for 23 mile spin and when I pulled up outside the house and switched the engine off I could hear a loud bubbling sound, popped the bonet and water was coming out of an overflow tube at the top of header tank where you pour the water in and leaking all over the floor. There was water in it but now there is not and what came out was brown can anyone tell me or give me an idea what to do know? cheers

1 - 20 of 36 Posts

hogan

· #2 · May 10, 2009

Did the temp gauge show normal, if not poss thermostat or cooling fan sender unit.
Have you topped up the tank recently if so did you over fill it or not put back cap correctly ?
Worse case could be a blown head gasket but check the above first.

Good luck

JohnsCrossMotorHomes

· #3 · May 10, 2009

Fill the header tank up again and leave cap off, start engine up and see if bubbles keep coming up, if they do, head gasket gone I am afraid.

If they dont, the engine was overheating for some reason, check temperature gauge when next on a run.

Peter

thepadster

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 10, 2009

cheers

I topped it last time i used it week or 2 ago , and the temp gauge sat in the middle as it always does , i have no idea what to do ,any advise is recieved with thanks , should i re fill the header tank start engineand leave it tick over to see what happens ,if it is a gasket is that a big job that will cost lots ,i work with stone and wood and engines are a thing i know nothing about ,i wish i had done a mecanic course lol maybe i still will

CliveMott

· #5 · May 10, 2009

I am afraid Peter is right!

thepadster

Discussion Starter · #6 · May 10, 2009

peter

cheers peter will go and try that now , also if it is gasket any idea of price to sort it cheers

Fatalhud

· #7 · May 10, 2009

I Agree with Hogan
Check thermostat, Take it out put in bowl and pour boiling water in to, make sure it opens,
Or could be blocked rad,
If head gasket, is the water oily or is the oil in the engine milkey
Water pump also an option and fan belt

Alan H

hogan

· #8 · May 10, 2009

Re: cheers

thepadster said:
I topped it last time i used it week or 2 ago , and the temp gauge sat in the middle as it always does , i have no idea what to do ,any advise is recieved with thanks , should i re fill the header tank start engineand leave it tick over to see what happens ,if it is a gasket is that a big job that will cost lots ,i work with stone and wood and engines are a thing i know nothing about ,i wish i had done a mecanic course lol maybe i still will

As peter said fill tank start engine if you see a lot of bubbles and froth in the header tank it will be the head gasket but you can get the system pressure tested at a garage to make sure.
If no bubbles put cap back on and run engine at a fast tick over keep eye on temp gauge when it nears normal listen for cooling fan cutting in at same time feel temp of top and bottom hoses they should be more or less the same temp. If gauge rises and you do not hear cooling fan cut in it may be the sender unit,if bottom radiator hose is very hot and the top hose is a lot cooler it may be the thermostat.But after all these checks it could just be a air lock but i doubt it.

thepadster

Discussion Starter · #9 · May 10, 2009

no bubbles

Firstly i would like to thank you all for your quick replies , just filled it left it run for a few minutes no bubbles , should i leave it run for 5 or 10 mins to check it , temp gauge is still normal and no warning lights on dash would it be because it was low on water ?

thepadster

Discussion Starter · #10 · May 10, 2009

fatalhud

the water that came out was fairly brown and as for the oil it looks ok

hogan

· #11 · May 10, 2009

Re: no bubbles

thepadster said:
Firstly i would like to thank you all for your quick replies , just filled it left it run for a few minutes no bubbles , should i leave it run for 5 or 10 mins to check it , temp gauge is still normal and no warning lights on dash would it be because it was low on water ?

Poss cause could have been low on water, put cap back on and leave it running re my pre post and listen for cooling fan to cut in.

thepadster

Discussion Starter · #12 · May 10, 2009

pick your brains some more

OK latest report ,no bubbles so the cap went back on , reved the engine past normal ,did not hear a fan kick in no warning lights on dash , anyone of you guys got any ideas what to do now , i suppose a trip to a garage would be a good idea

Fatalhud

· #13 · May 10, 2009

You say you topped it up last time you used it, was it low or empty
Did you replace the filler cap correctly or is the rubber seal on the cap damaged
Alan H

thepadster

Discussion Starter · #14 · May 10, 2009

?

Its possible i did not put enough water in , just reved it to past normal and did not hear a fan cut in , when does the fan normally cut in ? building things is much easier than engines lol ,maybe i need to keep an eye on it for the now and not venture to far

Fatalhud

· #15 · May 10, 2009

Normally you don't have to put any water in a cooling system as they do not normally loose it

Top it up take some spare water with you and take it for another run
Just on tick over it could take ages for the fan to kick in

Check the simple and easiest thing first before you start having the engine stripped

Alan H

ActiveCampers

· #16 · May 10, 2009

If water is brown - suggests rust. After everything is "fixed" - make sure you use correct antifreeze and not just water as this has rust inhibitor in - most essential!

A faulty/broken cap may be at fault as your water system should be pressurised - so if the pressure release bit has failed then you will have issues.

If engine is idling for 15m or so, and it gets hot, the fan should cut in. If not thermostat/cabling/fan may be faulty (check in that order) (Fan should cut in before water pi**es out of the expansion bottle in a pool of steam!)

If radiator is "cold" then water thermostat could be faulty (not likely)

If your dipstick/oil cap is covered in mayoanise type muck then likely HGF. If not then unlikely (bubbles in coolant may just be from flow, this is just another check).

Hope these tips help.

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thepadster

Discussion Starter · #17 · May 10, 2009

once again cheers

I gotta hand it to you guys , stuff like this does wanders in restoring my faith in people , its good to see that in this mad mad world there are still a few out there that are willing to help others , must be going soft in my old age lol , if any of you guys ever need advice on stone work , plastering and general building work i hope i can do the same for you cheers thanks a lot

thepadster

Discussion Starter · #18 · May 10, 2009

anti freeze

HI is there a certain type of anti freeze i should use, i think the last one was ready mixed with water from tescos

JohnsCrossMotorHomes

· #19 · May 10, 2009

Re: once again cheers

thepadster said:
I gotta hand it to you guys , stuff like this does wanders in restoring my faith in people , its good to see that in this mad mad world there are still a few out there that are willing to help others , must be going soft in my old age lol , if any of you guys ever need advice on stone work , plastering and general building work i hope i can do the same for you cheers thanks a lot

Life isnt always about making money!

Peter

thepadster

Discussion Starter · #20 · May 10, 2009

correct

Peter , i could not agree with you more mate , thank you very much for all your help

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