Topic

Howdy helpers! And a Merry Christmas if you're just passing by.

I was driving yesterday evening when all of a sudden i had a whole lot of white smoke/steam coming from the engine bay. I pulled up to inspect what I could, but with the heat of the engine and darkness of these winter nights there wasn't too much I could see or do. There was no loss of power in the engine or no rough idleing or bumpy rides to suggest any issues with performance until the smoke magically appeared. Upon inspecting the engine, the smoke was white and odourless. It could of been steam (the engine was probably quite hot after the 1 hour of rush-hour-traffic-journey home and it was coming from around the coolant tank. Which was empty.

I returned today to assess what I could with my limited knowledge. The coolant tank was empty (still!!? would you believe it!!?), there was no gunk or residue either in the coolant tank nor the oil cap. I re-filled with coolant (couldn't do it last night with all the steam etc) and swiftly found the tank empty and a puddle on the floor kinda directly below the tank. I removed the tank and the leakage wasn't here, so it could well be some pipes below. I had a feel around but couldn't find the source of the wetness.

The car had a new/upgraded HG in the past 10,000 miles and stainless steel coolant pipes fitted also. Without lifting the car up I cant see where the damage is, but would you suggest if is probably just a leak? Could it affect the head gasket at all? Was the smoke likely to be just steam?

I called the RAC who asked for £25 as i'd need to update details of my car as its been changed without their knowledge. I politely declined, changed my details and said I would call again to resolve the issue Monday morning. Now i'm on the hunt for a local-ish (SW London) MG Specialist to make sure the issue is solved and i'm not just directed to the nearest person who can replace a HG - any suggestions of good MG mechanics for SW London/Surrey??

Sidenote for your amusement: the car broke down after leaving a McDonalds drive-thru (thank god not in the drive thru queue!), so I then had a 2 mile walk home to the family to enjoy my cold, soggy chips. Super!

Hopefully this is sorted in the next few days, Ive got presents I need to deliver!

Thanks!
Santa x. (Not Santa)

Sounds like your cooling system has spung a leak, a ruptured hose, split header tank or a knackered coolant pressure cap (very common problem)
If your a very lucky bugger, you'll have shut it down in time, before any real harm could be done to the head gasket.
you should do a coolant pressure test, and probably a compession test or even a cylinder leakdown test, to determine the level of damage.

Once you've got the car back on the road you need to fit a low coolant alarm.....no ifs...no buts....do it.... it's a bloody side cheaper than a rooted engine!

Fingers crossed just a leak! What is a coolant pressure cap? I had read this, assumed it was the black cap that you take off to fill, but this seems ok (and not what you're talking about).

So by your reckoning there is only a very short time scale between smoke and HGF? Sounds like I need a Christmas miracle.

Also, is there a handy guide anywhere for local MG specialists? Cant find an up-to-date one on from my phone.

Sounds like a split coolant pipe to me. The guy to call is Russell Walsh. He covers most of England, and is based in Kent. His number is 07515 539894. I wouldn't trust my MG with anyone else!

Try www.mgroversolutions.co.uk Russell Walsh
or www.roughluckracing.com Jon Norris
or www.mjsautoandmarine.co.uk Mike Stafford
They will all come to you.

Mines got a slight leak I tend to have to top up the tank around every 3 - 4 weeks not sure if its worth me changing the tank cap or not ?? Ive put it on a dry smooth floor over night and not a drop of water and also had it runnimg for an hour or so on the same floor and still no water dripping or leaking?? Head gasket ,water pump and cam belt replaced 6 months ago and the cars running as sweet as a nut so its an interesting issue ..ive also bled the system and no air was present at any bleed points

Yes the cap I speak of, is indeed the cap on the header tank. htis is an item that can't be just visually inspected as you can't always see it it's buggered, it can be tested with a coolant presuure tester kit (if it has the right fittings) or just replaced with a new one (they're relativly cheap in fact get another and carry it as a spare)

Get a good quality cap, not a cheap ebay one. Sussex classic car parts about £8 (i carry one as a spare) Russell or Mike are your contacts, Jon Norris is a bit far away, but will still come.

AND as Cobber has said '''Get a low coolant alarm fitted''' I have the B&G one on mine, nice piece of kit based on the original MGR design fitted as standard on 2004 TFs onwards. £135 for kit, cheap compared to a ''cooked'' engine.

Sounds more like a split hose if the coolant you poured in just poured back out again. I would pop the engine inspection rear cover ( the grille by the boot) off, assuming you have one, get a strong torch so you can see down the back of the engine, and slowly fill the header tank. If it's a pipe you may be able to see which one easily. You may even be able to temporarily fix the split with some jubilee clips and a bit of copper pipe for example.
However as so much coolant has been lost you will need to bleed the system properly now. Which is done at three bleed points, one being on to of the engine area, two under the bonnet.

adamelphick wrote: wrote:

Sounds more like a split hose if the coolant you poured in just poured back out again. I would pop the engine inspection rear cover ( the grille by the boot) off, assuming you have one, get a strong torch so you can see down the back of the engine, and slowly fill the header tank. If it's a pipe you may be able to see which one easily. You may even be able to temporarily fix the split with some jubilee clips and a bit of copper pipe for example.
However as so much coolant has been lost you will need to bleed the system properly now. Which is done at three bleed points, one being on to of the engine area, two under the bonnet.

Thanks Adam. I did remove the tank best I could but you're right I could do with a better torch a full bleed of the system.

Thanks everybody who contributed, I'll update you when I get it sorted.

Brief update.

Had the RAC come and tow me the two miles to my house.

It appears the problem may be with the thermostat. Possibly. The RAC guy filled the coolant tank with water and there was no drips under the car besides the small spills occurred when filling the tank. A few hours later the water is still In the tank. Perhaps the drips I saw yday were, again, over spill and the wet patch was remaining from the condensation caused the day before. The liquid that did go in the tank may be stuck in an air lock. He tells me that the engine may have got hot and a dodgy thermostat has forced the coolant to bubble up and force its way out the pressure release valve. This all seems to make sense as what I saw was wetness and steam all around the coolant tank.

The first mobile MG guy is booked up til January 12th, so I've gone for the MJ Marine Auto dude, both were ace on the phone so thanks a lot for the contacts.

Mike Stafford (MJS) will sort you out, the reason these guys are busy, is because they are the best! I know all three and their work is first rate with very reasonable prices too.