Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 15:46:46 +0100 From: danny <dannynopsamAMGaggia-espresso.com> Subject: Re: Leaking coolant under pressure
There's also a liquid that my local Saab repairer uses - you add it to the coolant and if it changes colour it signifies fuel in the coolant. John Davies wrote: > On Sat, 26 May 2001 13:16:52 +0100, danny > <dannynopsamAMGaggia-espresso.com> wrote: > > >I think you've answered the question yourself by saying you have a "small" > >head gasket leak. They don't stay small :). I'm not a mechanice, but > >unless the thermostat isn't opening (in which case I'd expect the > >temperature guage to rise) I can't see any other explanation, other than a > >blockage in the cooling system, which I suppose a good reverse flush would > >help with. When you take off the expansion tank cap and smell the water, > >do you smell either fuel or exhaust fumes? If so, the head gasket may be > >more gone than you thought. If the gasket has gone adjacent to an exhaust > >port, then the system will pressurise, and you will smell exhaust gases, > >if gone near an inlet port then fuel will be smelled. > > As a follow up- any decent shop can quickly diagnose the problem by > using a tailpipe emissions tester to sniff the coolant in the > radiator. If exhaust gasses are present, it is 100% sure that the head > gasket is the problem. > > John Davies > Monroe WA USA -- Regards, Danny http://www.gaggia-espresso.com Remove "nospam" from email address to reply