24 replies to this topic

[Nathan_M]

Just checked the oil and it's clean as a whistle the level didn't go down again in the coolant and upon arriving home I can see a small red patch on the floor which looks like it's coming from the expansion area or the drivers side, might leave it a few days to see if it carries on, I also stood round the back and it didn't smell sweet so it looks like a silly little leak, water pump or reservoir are my bets now.

[FOCA]

Hi

Although it is a low milage car, it is over 8 years old

In cold weather, springs can be brittle, with the state of the roads, etc broken springs are common on 8 year old cars of all makes

All dealers charge £80 or more for a diagnostic - this is not exessive, its good practice to find out what is wrong with the car before spending un- nessesary money on it - you can buy your own code reader if you like, i have one for sale -

Again, the car is over 8 years old, it has gone through 7 british winters etc because of the low milage, it probably has most of its original (8 year old) parts on it, it is debatable whether you are better off with a higher milage example as long as it was well- maintained - often very low milage cars are neglected (why is the milage so low?)

It is important to use the correct type/ maintain the correct concentration of anti-freeze/ coolant

Overall, Fords tend to be more (or as) reliable/ cheaper to fix/ easier to obtain parts than many makes of car, in my experience

[btmaldon]

Change the expansion tank cap. They are only a few quid and should be changed fairly regularly. This will rule out any pressure issues that would cause the coolant to boil of at a lower temperature.

[Nathan_M]

Thanks for all of the help, i wouldn't have thought that it could be the cap to be honest because it only leaks at night when its been sat for a few hours and this morning there was a small wet patch again on the right hand side but i didn't need to top up the tank because it was still up, so its either dripping very slowly from the water pump or an exit pipe from the tank, its just winding me up because every morning i go and look and it doesn't seem to be damp or wet anywhere, i might un bolt the resovoir later on and see what the bottom of that is like, you wouldn't know if it will move without having to disconnect the hoses?

[Nathan_M]

It appears to be the water pump, its leaking like a trooper and is at the garage now, place your bets for the next problem.

[DanGersFord]

Fingers crossed its ok now lol

[Nathan_M]

Fingers crossed its ok now lol

Its my wallet that will need repair now. A whole month without incident will be nice, i think i might take a plank of wood to bed to be safe.

[DanGersFord]

Have you considered taking the wheels off your car and attaching them to the plank of wood? Might be a more reliable ride? Haha

[Nathan_M]

Have you considered taking the wheels off your car and attaching them to the plank of wood? Might be a more reliable ride? Haha

My luck it would get woodworm. She's alright

[Nathan_M]

She's back and has stopped bleeding, I'm back in love again, thanks for the suggestions.