Gargling - Losing Water - HGF????

[kaillum]

Hi Guys..

for the last week my 98 1.8 5 door has been gargling.. and my weekly check of the water and oil on Saturday showed it was down a bit on coolant... so that was topped up.. This morning. she gargled a bit as normal, got about 2 miles down the road and the temp gauge was well over the norm.. put the heater on full and it settle down a bit. Drove it back home and had to jump on the motorbike to get to work..

Will check out the fluid levels when I get home, but suspect that she'll be running low again. there was no evidence of sludge in the expansion tank or milk in the oil on Saturday.. could this be HGF? how can I check for sure?

and if it is.. Chris!!! How much and when can you fit her in! :)

[TEMPL4R]

I would check the top hose for being hot and the bottom pipe where it curves round the end of the engine for being cold. If the thermostat doesn't open it will make all sorts of noises as the boiling water back feeds up the bleed pipe.

Chris

[kaillum]

thanks for that Chris..

Checked her this afternoon and it was low on coolant again.. so flushed & bled the system as per the haynes manual and ran her up to temp.. she seemed fine.. the top hose on the rad was hot and the bottom was cold... no cream in the oil and no scum in the header tank..

will keep a close eye on the coolant and see what happens...

thanks again mate..

[tess]

I had exactly the same problem, The head gasket was replaced before xmas & from then the coolant would drop from max to min in 160 miles. Bled the air out several times & still loosing coolant, couldn't see where from. No mayo in the oil & oil in the expansion tank. then 2 weeks ago i looked underneath & saw 2 drips 1 from the timing belt end & 1 from the gearbox end. it turned out to be a leaking water pump & inlet manifold gasket.
Also lift the yellow collar around the expansion tank & look around the neck for splits

Tess

[TEMPL4R]

That is one of the main reasons for HG failures. We fit a new pump to a majority of thre K series we do, and the thermostat is always changed, that is missed by some Garages for some reason.

Chris

[GavinQ]

Yep my head gasket went back last year and the coolant levels are doing the same thing, no gargling like last though so i think i have a leak somewhere as i have said in other posts i have to get the engine protector off to see where its leaking as i dont know where the water pump is yet on it - there seems no power loss which tells me its is a possible water pump failure

[TEMPL4R]

1.8 water pump is to the bottom left of the timing cover, look for a circular raised bit. Water drips off the sump from the front edge ( it runs around the gasket groove) or by the crank pulley.

Chris

[kaillum]

After flushing, filling and bleeding the coolant on Thursday over the next 2 days and 100 mile round trip it had emptied again...:(

Checked under the collor of the expansion tank and its full of hairline cracks. Can't find any other leaks so this is the first point of replacement..
Can anyone point me in the right direction of a cheap replacement? is there a pattern part for it? or is it a main dealer part?

Hoping for a cheap fix!!

Thanks

Andy

[kaillum]

well bit the bullet... phone LandRover parts... and was shocked at the price..

£25 + vat! Is this the most reasonable priced part for the Freelander!!! absolutely amazed!

[GavinQ]

hi all bad news my hg has possibly gone again but i have noticed the hair line fractures just on the expansion tank its still not gargling though :( going to drink myself into a hole - but on a lighter note i did get the warranty

[kaillum]

think i'll be joining you in the hole GavinQ.. I've put my new expansion tank on (with a new cap) bled the system and its still overheating...

Think i'm gonna have to give up the DIY job and call in the pro's!

[GavinQ]

Kaillum, really don't know the car does over 80 miles a day now it seems to run fine if anything i'm more worried about the back axle growns like nobodies business at the mo i've bled it alot today and the aircon smells alot fresher,

if i were you bud pay £50 per month on this warranty i was on about as its like installmants for the big road ahead

i ain't getting rid of my freebiee i love her to bits as she does tell me its not right.

its no good turning up the dab radio and ignoring her

all the best

Gav