Coolant Loss Woes

[Laney760]

Originally Posted by cheshired5

Why? It's basically pouring money down the drain.
If you have a coolant loss and temps are above freezing, just use water.

If you're losing a fair bit of coolant thus making the engine run hotter then at least if the remaining fluid is coolant as oppose to plain water it is helping the engine keep a bit cooler?

[Laney760]

Cheers for that guys. I'd come up with either that a bit of crud had temporarily sealed the leak or that there was a massive air bubble somewhere and when it cleared my level would drop back like the start of a tsumani and so I was keeping an eye on the temperature guage. I thought maybe there was going to be a more technical answer! :-)

[cheshired5]

Originally Posted by Laney760

If you're losing a fair bit of coolant thus making the engine run hotter then at least if the remaining fluid is coolant as oppose to plain water it is helping the engine keep a bit cooler?

Plain water removes heat just fine, arguably better than coolant.
We use coolant to prevent corrosion, freezing and boiling so short term water use is fine.

[classicswede]

Using plain water kills the heads in these so bad idea

[cheshired5]

Originally Posted by classicswede

Using plain water kills the heads in these so bad idea

You're fine with just water whilst diagnosing a leak and the thread is less than 2 weeks old. You ain't gonna kill any head in 2 weeks.

Coolant is also slippy and poisonous so the less we have being unnecessarily leaked all over the road, the better.

[Laney760]

Originally Posted by cheshired5

You're fine with just water whilst diagnosing a leak and the thread is less than 2 weeks old. You ain't gonna kill any head in 2 weeks.

Coolant is also slippy and poisonous so the less we have being unnecessarily leaked all over the road, the better.

Yes, I have wondered about the cats in the garage area where I park and leak but none of my neighbours have reported sick cats to me.

[Laney760]

Well, my garage told me that what happens is that the chemicals in the coolant build up at the leak site and then form a crust and seal the hole.

Still no top ups required today after 6 journeys to work and back.

Maybe if I had forever just driven to work and back the hole would stay plugged but no doubt if I had really floored it hard it would have burst open again. I did overtake a first generation old red V70 on Monday morning funny enough that I meant to post in the 'Spotted' section but I didn't floor it hard. I'll never know because she goes in for the new hg first thing in the morning!

[Laney760]

My garage sent the head off to be skimmed on Thursday and it wasn't back Friday so no work for me on Monday. Enjoying the time off work to be honest. I was contemplating the 1.75 hr journey by public transport each way to work but mixing with so many people on public transport with Covid rates so high? No!

I am hoping to get her back by Tuesday though, fingers crossed.

[Laird Scooby]

Fingers crossed for Tuesday for you!

[Laney760]

Still no car! It went in last Wednesday night/Thursday morning, they sent the head off on Friday, they got the head back on Tuesday, they said maybe Weds and then maybe Thurs but I've heard nothing today.