boughtoneatlast Posted October 29, 2002 Share Posted October 29, 2002 This has been an ongoing situation and is now causing a lot of head scratching....... Car 1.6kss, with various mods, big valve/ported head and throttle bodies etc......;. the car runs really well, however an ongoing coolant problem is now causing great concern and I am hoping that the knowledge on BC will help shed some light. I initially lost coolant and it was found that I had a porous head, this was replaced along with hoses, etc...... I then had to run in the engine and for this period it did not loose any water..... Having had the head reshimmed (I run solid followers), new cap etc........ it has started to loose water on each journey;.40/50 miles = about 1cm drop!! It has now been back a couple of times, (this work is beyond my tech ability) and having picked it up Saturday, having had suspect hoses replaced (they leaked on pressure testing) I have checked the car and again lost water. When this initially happened, it was obvious that there was a head problem as water/steam emanated from the exhaust – this time there are no tell tale signs, no obvious water leaks, no loss of performance and no poor running. Please any advice, I want to get the car on the track but can’t till I am happy with it!!!!! Gary - 1.6KSS = 170bhp - now- but looking for more! P335VHT Edited by - boughtoneatlast on 29 Oct 2002 18:56:51 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonP Posted October 29, 2002 Share Posted October 29, 2002 Hi Gary, I had/have a similar problem which I am living with! Try running your hand under the water rail..I found my rail was leaking and the air flow blows the water away so there doesn't appear to be a problem. However, after the engine has cooled down I find the bottom of the pipe is quite damp with antifreeze. Seems the brazing of the various components is not too good, plus the actual attachment to the engine is a bit iffy, saw a thread the other day that said Caterham had redesigned it! Another thought is that it may be a leaky coolant tank cap? Eliseless and Se7ening again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooby dooby doo Posted October 29, 2002 Share Posted October 29, 2002 i've had a few leaks from the water rail to head union as well... HOOPY Membership Number 4136 R706KGU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murph7355 Posted October 30, 2002 Share Posted October 30, 2002 Does it lose a cm every time you use it. Or does it just drop this much once you've refilled? Does the level drop to around the seam mark of your header tank? These have been known to leak, often imperceptibly (other than the drop in level). I believe the rectangular tanks are worse than the new spherical ones. I also lost coolant without any steam being noticeable due to a cracked head... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boughtoneatlast Posted October 30, 2002 Author Share Posted October 30, 2002 Andy, The head was replaced 2 months ago, so hopefully thats not faulty. The system was pressure tested last week and there was no drop in pressure and no noticable leaks which is worrying...... But each time I go out I fill to the coolant level marker, then when I return (needs to be 20 miles or more it seems) then it has dropped about 1.5 cm... Have had rails changed and all main hoses are now silicone, new cap on header, although I have to say I wonder if this is faulty but cannot see any evidence of water loss from here. It is a very strange fault!!! Gary - 1.6KSS = 170bhp - now- but looking for more! P335VHT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooby dooby doo Posted October 30, 2002 Share Posted October 30, 2002 even with a hot pressure test you can still be leaking despite the test saying you're not... HOOPY Membership Number 4136 R706KGU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Ranson Posted October 30, 2002 Share Posted October 30, 2002 I wonder if you're overfilling? Does the level go down again if you don't top it up? There is still the possibility of air in the system of course. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boughtoneatlast Posted October 30, 2002 Author Share Posted October 30, 2002 Paul I did wonder about overfilling also, but I am only filling to the indicator on the header, so should be OK........ I am just about to try out whether it continues to go down if you don't fill, should be interesting!! It certainly has me confused and frustrated at the same time as I want to get some track days booked but not with a car loosing water........ ☹️ ❗ Gary - 1.6KSS = 170bhp - now- but looking for more! P335VHT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Board Posted October 30, 2002 Share Posted October 30, 2002 Although I am a Se7en novice, I do have a good understanding of the confounded internal combustion engine, being an engineering technician. One area where you may have a problem is the block/head gasket. (My father'n'laws Range Rover had a similar problem-Head Gasket as follows).I presume when you replaced the head a new gasket was fitted? As what may be happening is that the gasket is defective or the block has an imperfection inorder to render part of the gasket seal ineffective. This may allow water to "Bleed off" from the water ways and find it's way into the pots, whereby it is burnt off and ejected as steam, so not showing up as the usual gink on the dip stick, thus giving you the slight water loss every 50 miles. A compression test should show this up. Try doing the compression test when the engine is hot, and this will also show if there are any abnormalities which are only there at running temperatures, such as a cracked block or gasket giving way under heat. Apart from that can't be of much help. That is my general engineering view, if it is a Caterham specific problem, then the guys with far more Se7en knowledge will be in the know, as I am still very much learning the ins and outs of ownership, but loving it more and more. Hope this helps Cheers Rob. Remember "If it don't make it go faster don't spend money on it!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheds Moderator Posted November 3, 2002 Share Posted November 3, 2002 Not another bloody K series duff head gasket. They should be in a service pack along with an oil filter and a set of plugs. My mate had an MGF which went through 2 in a year, he hasn't a good thing to say about them now. Pressure test should see it right. Also try running it with the filler cap off, and stop the engine and watch the levels after stoppage. if it moves, worry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boughtoneatlast Posted November 4, 2002 Author Share Posted November 4, 2002 tried loads of tests this weekend... does look like it is seeping water somewhere I suspect the replaced head, or as batteredoldsupersport says the gaskets gone, I don't have the equipment to test so its back to my mates in Barnet......... More time off the road, guess my track days will have to wait till next year Gary - 1.6KSS = 170bhp - now- but looking for more! P335VHT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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