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MG MGF Technical - Leaking Coolant

I have a VVC MGF on a P plate. I have a problem that no one else including 3 garages has been able to diagnose!. When my engine is cold and I top up my coolant the coolant goes straight through the car and leaves a puddle on the drive more or less directly under the engine. I drove 500 miles from macc to ipswich and back and did'nt lose a single drop. one garage has told me that it is the head gasket and it will cost £1000 which I refuse to believe as it does qualify for any of the symptoms. Does anyone have any ideas?? could it be the water pump housing?? pressure test proved that everything was ok.........
Andrew Robinson

Take the engine cover off and look on the top of the alternator.

The head gasket doesn't reach full clamping untill the engine is hot, this could be your reason :-(

Look at the underside of the engine - where is the coolant?

A good garage should cost max £600 to fix a HG.
Will Munns

Will, I don't mean to sound a bit thick, but what should I be looking for when I'm looking at the alternator?? is there anything specific that will definitely tell me that it is a HGF??

Chhers, Andy
Andrew Robinson

Will, It is impossible to see where the coolant is leaking from but it is dripping inbetween the two rear tyres about 10/12 inches nearer the drivers side.

Andy
Andrew Robinson

Basicly the weak spot for K-gaskets water to world is on top of the alternator, so green water droplets there are a sure sign, the alternator is tight on the end of the engine behind the driver.

>10/12 inches nearer the drivers side

This is borderline, the other place it might be comming from is the coolant hoses, they exit the head at the other end, which is about centre of the engine bay. If these then it is a 'cheap' fix in the ££ region.

Again, taking the engine bay cover off you should be able to see clearly where the water is comming from.
Will Munns

I agree with Will, wip off the inspection cover and carefully inspect the whole engine looking for evidence of water leakage - both with the engine cold, when its warm, whilst switched off and when the motor is running.

If the coolant loss is as great as you describe when the engine is cold, it should be pretty easy to identify where the water is exiting from!
Rob Bell

Chhers for the input, Rob, but if I find that coolant is leaking from the top of the engine. What else could it be?? water pump? dodgy pipes? you just cant see where its comming from.........

cheers, andy
AR Robinson

Choices are many:

Rubber hoses, but I would expect it to be worse when hot
Under body pipes
Hose clips
HGF
Inlet manifold - but this would be the back of the engine, and usually into the engine rather than out to the outside world
Leaking sensors (never heard of, but it must happen!)
Will Munns

This thread was discussed between 14/04/2004 and 15/04/2004

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