12 replies to this topic

[K4t]

Hi everyone.

I guess this may have been answered before but I'm new. So I apologise in advance.

This problem I have with my 2002, 1.3 ka is driving me insane.

I was driving a few weeks ago for around 20 miles and not once did the heater blow hot it was always cold. So my boyfriend suggested I check my coolant. Which I did and found that it was empty. I topped up and all was good again.

About a week later I was driving along to work about 4 miles and there was steam coming from under the bonnet. No temp warning light came on, but the car was very juddery, so I pulled over and the coolant cap was off with no coolant in, strange. I had to go to work so left it and refilled when I got home.

Every day since then, about two weeks now, I am loosing coolant daily. I'll top up in the morning and by night it's all gone!

I noticed today however my passenger footwell is soaking and if I press down, puddles begin to form. I removed the carpet slightly and it is really wet underneath.

I was worried it may be my head gasket but have checked oil and all seems ok.

Myself and my boyfriend are at the end of our tethers with this car atm as we can't figure out where the coolant is going and where exactly it is leaking from, if it is coolant in the footwell that is ( doesn't smell like it )

Please can someone give me an indication of where to look and what to do? Do you guys think my coolant is eventually ending up on my footwell carpet? Or is that yet another unrelated problem?

Thanks,

Kat.

[Preee]

When re-filling , if your just adding water then if may not smell , try adding Antifreeze then you can see if the water in your foot well is from the coolant.

If it is from your coolant then the heater matrix may have split leading to the water to drip inside the car.

I would fill the car up , take it for a short drive come back then leave it running ,lift the bonnet get a torch and see if you can trace any leaks.
It may just be a s plit pipe but you need to trace it , if you temp warning light is not coming on you face a serious risk of engine over heating and failing.

Sometimes the connections between the inside and bonnet area for your heater fail.

[K4t]

Thank you for your reply.

Nope I am putting anti freeze mix in so it can't be just water.

[Preee]

First thing i would do is get car up to temperature , then lift the bonnet , as the rate in which you say your losing water it must be dripping from somewhere which you need to find.

[delboy]

put some carboard under the car and get the car running temp & as said in previous post look for any obvious leaks. be careful as you mab burn or scold yourself. wear safety goggles
incase any steam should come out of a split pipe.
it mabe the gasket on the heater tem valve gone or a simple split pipe. all some colour agent to the fluid & you may be able to trace it easier that way ?
does the inside carpet smell of ant freez as you have not said.
also check the plastic protector that runs along the carpet by the door as i think there is the rear window wiper tube there and that may be the cause of you footwell leak or
blocked scuttles.
i would get a watering can & pop some water by the bulk head & see where it goes to as it should come out where the wheels are & into the engine bay from memory if it dont then you have blocked scuttles & check the same if you have a sun roof

[K4t]

Nope doesn't smell if coolant. Doesn't smell of anything to be honest.

Agh so many possibilities. My coolant is going somewhere but where!?

[K4t]

Hi again.

Just took it into a garage, well two actually as its driving me insane now.

Kwik fit couldn't see anything wrong and referrerd me down the road to a garage that would be able to help. They were too busy to help but had a quick look anyway for me. They reckon its heater matrix and not water pump as I can see where the coolant is going (passenger footwell) but may be a dash off jobby. Is this correct? My boyfriend had to fix a matrix problem not long ago and accessed it from the bonnet? The mechanic also asked if the heater matrix had been messed with, which it has, but many many months ago.

[delboy]

cant remember you saying the heater matrx has been messed with a few months ago. would have been of help if you mentioned it .

[delboy]

this is working on a 1999 ford fiest but from memory the ka is based on the fiesta.

[Preee]

What work was carried out on the heater matrix ?, maybe a pipe has come loose if your lucky

[K4t]

It was the valve which he said has nothing to do with matrix?

So confused.

We put some rad weld plus in and all seems ok at the mo.

Mechanic also thinks the wet footwell is soaked due to a broken window seal and as we know its been torrential just lately so that maybe why my footwell is flooded

[Preee]

Radweld is not a perm fix , if you forget about it thinking it's ok , the next time you may lose your engine , if it was a valve then i would get it replaced a.s.a.p.

[delboy]

a quick fix then.
what valve and where is located ?
if it's the one on the bulk head then it is to do with the heater matrix as it connects to it.
i did say in a earlier post that if there is no smell inside the car of anti freez then its got to be a leak from
somewhere other than the matrix & turns out to be a probable window seal of blocked scuttles as said in previous post's.