My Yr 2000 S type V6 SE 3.o Ltr petrol auto has deleveloped the following problem.
Randomly after driving 4-5 miles when I stop the car it dumps about 1.5Ltrs of water. It appears to be dumped through the expansion bottle.
On one occasion this caused the engine to over heat quite rapidly. topping up the water level cures this for about a week to 10 days during which no problems are experienced whatsoever. I have had a new thermostat fitted.
Any advice please.
Cooling System
Moderators:GJS-typeR, Montana5
The first thing to check is the notorious header tank itself.
These are well known failure items due to heat age and pressure. The tank is a blown poly propolyene plastic which is prone to spliting at mileages as low as 44k. The first signs of failure can be noticed by a puddle of coolant on the ground behind the off side front wheel.
Replacement requires the wiper arms and black plastic scuttle panel to be taken off the car. Then the fun begins. The black metal tubular brace bar across car must be unbolted to gain access to the tank. The bolts securing it to the car are prone to severe corrosion where the bolts potrude into the wheel archs. Best to remove the wheel arch splash guards, clean up the threads and apply loads of copper grease before removing the bolts. Ease the bolts in and out and take your time doing this part of the job. You cannot use enough grease whilst helping these bolts out of the car. If this precaution is ignored, the bolts will almost certainly shear off. That problem is well known again. Then it is a drill and tap out job. Not nice or funny.
It is almost impossible to see cracks in the tank with it still in the car even with a flash light and mirror on a stick. The strip down detailed above is realy the only way of finding out if the tank is a gonner.
In my experience, having run two S-types, this is the most likely cause of your water leaks. However, in the light of having had the thermostat replaced, did the engine become overheated and perhaps damage a head gasket?
If so, then it could well be that a damaged head gasket between a water way and a piston, would cause the system to pressurize from combustion gas and pressure. This would definately cause coolant to be ejected via the heated tank pressure cap or via another "weak link" in the coolant system.
Please let us all know how you get on. Let me know if you need further assistance.
Kind regards,
Mike Kennedy. JEC S-type Co-ordinator.
These are well known failure items due to heat age and pressure. The tank is a blown poly propolyene plastic which is prone to spliting at mileages as low as 44k. The first signs of failure can be noticed by a puddle of coolant on the ground behind the off side front wheel.
Replacement requires the wiper arms and black plastic scuttle panel to be taken off the car. Then the fun begins. The black metal tubular brace bar across car must be unbolted to gain access to the tank. The bolts securing it to the car are prone to severe corrosion where the bolts potrude into the wheel archs. Best to remove the wheel arch splash guards, clean up the threads and apply loads of copper grease before removing the bolts. Ease the bolts in and out and take your time doing this part of the job. You cannot use enough grease whilst helping these bolts out of the car. If this precaution is ignored, the bolts will almost certainly shear off. That problem is well known again. Then it is a drill and tap out job. Not nice or funny.
It is almost impossible to see cracks in the tank with it still in the car even with a flash light and mirror on a stick. The strip down detailed above is realy the only way of finding out if the tank is a gonner.
In my experience, having run two S-types, this is the most likely cause of your water leaks. However, in the light of having had the thermostat replaced, did the engine become overheated and perhaps damage a head gasket?
If so, then it could well be that a damaged head gasket between a water way and a piston, would cause the system to pressurize from combustion gas and pressure. This would definately cause coolant to be ejected via the heated tank pressure cap or via another "weak link" in the coolant system.
Please let us all know how you get on. Let me know if you need further assistance.
Kind regards,
Mike Kennedy. JEC S-type Co-ordinator.
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