Coolant leak

[SUSIT]

Ok guys bit of help needed

Having replaced the cam chain and slippers on my "new" S2 (well prevention better than cure they say) found a small coolant leak, drip coming from bottom of the thermostat housing, just where a plastic adaptor bolts on, removed this and the O ring had a wee nick, turned it round and smeared some hylomar round the flange. bolted back together and seemed OK at first but drip has returned, worse some times than others, I have ordered a new flange and O ring but wonder if the coolant is coming from the pump! has anyone had an issue like this?


thanks in advance for help

 

[zcacogp]

Steve, Could be a leaking elbow pipe (black plastic 90-degree thing) which is easy and cheap to fix, or could be a leaking waterpump which is expensive and tedious to fix. How old is the waterpump and can you get a better idea of where the coolant is coming from? The fact that your fix worked for a while could bode well for you having found the problem but not solved it permanently enough! (I'd use silicone rather than hylomar blue.) Oli.

 

[robdimond]

Do you have a pressure tester or other means of pressurising the system to about 1bar? Then you can look for leaks without having to poke around a hot and noisy engine.

 

[GlennS]

Yes. I had that problem. New flange and o-ring fixed it. I seem to remember spending about £11 or so.

 

[robwright]

Last time this happened to me a new O ring from work sorted it out. If the flange has never been done then could be worth doing. They literally are pounds as has been said. While you are doing that may as well do the thermostat. They are reasonably inexpensive also but a bit of a PITA to change in situ.

 

[SUSIT]

thanks for all the suggestions guys, I have ordered a new flange and O ring from Porsche Aberdeen but will be early next week before i get them. Easy to do and very cheap so will start there I think. My white car has a new water pump but don't want to immobilise it just yet. Fingers crossed the o ring and new flange will sort it. Oli will try silicone this time

 

[sulzeruk]

You won't need silicone, the plastic becomes brittle with the heat cycles and starts to bow. This is where the leak is from. If you clean the face up with a bit of wet and dry and put the new one on, you won't have nay problems. I have the O rings here as well as the elbows Steve. Alasdair

 

[SUSIT]

ORIGINAL: sulzeruk You won't need silicone, the plastic becomes brittle with the heat cycles and starts to bow. This is where the leak is from. If you clean the face up with a bit of wet and dry and put the new one on, you won't have nay problems. I have the O rings here as well as the elbows Steve. Alasdair

Hi Alasdair thanks for that, should have called you first.

 

[SUSIT]

I think normal service resumed, well impressed with Porsche Aberdeen, ordered parts they don't carry in stock Tuesday about 3pm arrived this morning by post.

 

[graham.webb]

I see you're sorted now, but FWIW I agree with Alasdair. I've had a problem with this several times, a new one sometimes sorts it but otherwise it's just another example of over optimistic use of plastics. If you put a straightedge across it you might see that the plastic face is bowed in the centre, drastically reducing sealing pressure on the "o" ring. It's almost a dead cert to leak! I flatted one off (after removing the "O" ring) with wet and dry on a wooden block and that sorted it!