Question Re: Radiator Leaking...

[cstwig]

Hi All,

So my wife drives a '56 plate fiesta which she bought with less than 20k on the clock, and it has been absolutely flawless until this weekend.

We were driving home and I noticed the engine temperature had gone up to near the red - we were basically home so I did the last few hundred yards and checked it out. Previous experience pointed me straight to the radiator (long story) so I had a look, and sure enough the radiator was all but empty.

Assuming a hose was leaking (thought the radiator itself was unlikely given the age/condition/lack of collision) I filled it back up and gave a few hoses a squeeze to try and identify the culprit - nothing. So I left it for a while and went back out to check the road/bottom of the engine to see if I could find any signs of a leak, but again I found nothing.

Since then, we have noticed that the car leaving water on the drive (drive is dry up until we get in and move the car, the water is dropped when pulling out), but not from directly underneath - it's coming off the wheels in both wheel arches. It doesn't happen every time, but it's always both sides - which to me suggests a hose/the radiator isn't the problem as that would be a leak in one location. It varies depending on the direction it's parked on the drive (the drive is quite significantly downhill, and the leak appears not to present itself when the car is reversed into the drive(front upwards)).

I thought maybe it was leaking on one place, but then collecting when left for long periods of time (overnight, for example) in a place that drained into the wheel arches when moved, but it doesn't even happen every time - on Saturday there was almost a stream forming from the water dropped in both wheel arches after being left overnight, but today after being left for the same time frame, it was bone dry.

We're going to take it to a garage and get them to do some investigation, but before I throw lots of money at someone who is potentially not going to be able to find anything either, I thought i'd check in with you guys and ask - What the hell is going on?

[Guest]

Might not be any help atol but it could be you heater matrix thats leaking . The hoses usual run up under the engine and thats maybe why your seeing a leak near your wheel arches just by off chance . Another way to check is check your footwells arnt soaking with water if they are thats another sign of your heater matrix . I could be wrong but just by off chance i would still het it checked . If your in doubt you could try a bottle of k seal which is a temp sealant for radiators if there is small patches . If there is a cracked hose then k seal will not do the job

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