mike may Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Sorry for jumping straight in with a question, but........ The coolant expansion tank on my van has just gone bang. A bit of background. Over the past few weeks the battery hasn't been holding charge, i didn't have access to a charger so i've been leaving the van idling and bumping it each morning, that finally got the battery charged so the van would start on the key Over the past few days i've noticed the temperature has been high, never in the red though, but i thought that was due to the excessive idling, over an hour one day. Tonight the expansion tank went boom, dropping all the water, which i admit was mainly water and not coolant, this was after around 15 minutes idling. Well i'm not sure if all this idling over the past few days will have seen the expansion tank short of water, maybe causing the problem ?, there's no gunk or white smoke to suggest it's a head gasket problem, so could it just have been due to low water in the expansion tank. ? Could it have been due to low water, then the thermostat finally opening, causing a boil and excessive pressure. ? The van has been fine till the battery problem, never overheated, no white smoke, temps fine etc. Any opinions. ? (other than pointing out i've been a twerp, for not using the correct coolant, and watching the level in the expansion tank. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike may Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 Forgot to mention, 1.8 escort diesel, 97 R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1960boy Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Battery problems won't cause this....plastic expansion tanks do fail, suspect the pressure releif cap first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike may Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 Battery problems won't cause this....plastic expansion tanks do fail, suspect the pressure releif cap first. Yeah, i know it's not down to the battery, but i'm wondering if all the idling i've been doing to recharge it could have caused the level in the expansion tank to drop so low, causing the tank to go boom. ? when you say "pressure relief cap", do you mean the cap on the expansion tank, the rad has no cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirleyF Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 "my radiator has no cap". Is this a song by Lony Donigan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumkin Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Either a problem with the thermostat, pressure cap or pump. Check thermostat opens in a cup of near boiling water, if not, replace. Check for leaks around cap, if found replace cap and check tank fitting. (also check you have put the cap back on properly) Check pump is working and inspect drive belt for tension. Check flexi pipes are not kinked or blocked Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choogling Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Sorry for jumping straight in with a question, but........ The coolant expansion tank on my van has just gone bang. A bit of background. Over the past few weeks the battery hasn't been holding charge, i didn't have access to a charger so i've been leaving the van idling and bumping it each morning, that finally got the battery charged so the van would start on the key Over the past few days i've noticed the temperature has been high, never in the red though, but i thought that was due to the excessive idling, over an hour one day. Tonight the expansion tank went boom, dropping all the water, which i admit was mainly water and not coolant, this was after around 15 minutes idling. Well i'm not sure if all this idling over the past few days will have seen the expansion tank short of water, maybe causing the problem ?, there's no gunk or white smoke to suggest it's a head gasket problem, so could it just have been due to low water in the expansion tank. ? Could it have been due to low water, then the thermostat finally opening, causing a boil and excessive pressure. ? The van has been fine till the battery problem, never overheated, no white smoke, temps fine etc. Any opinions. ? (other than pointing out i've been a twerp, for not using the correct coolant, and watching the level in the expansion tank. ) Easy fault to diagnose. The cylinder head or gasket has a fault - the battery fault is water entering the cylinders and causing a hydraulic lock and if you have bumped it there is a chance you have bent a con rod. water cannot be compressed .So to sum up take head off then down to sheffield engine services get steve to pressure test and skim it .Just hope you have not caused any more faults.Moral of the story get things checked out as soon as a fault shows.Best of luck, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shand1 Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumkin Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 No need for thanks Mike! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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