# Help water coming out of tank that feeds radiator



## thepadster

Help you guys, need some advice, just took camper out for 23 mile spin and when I pulled up outside the house and switched the engine off I could hear a loud bubbling sound, popped the bonet and water was coming out of an overflow tube at the top of header tank where you pour the water in and leaking all over the floor. There was water in it but now there is not and what came out was brown can anyone tell me or give me an idea what to do know? cheers


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## hogan

Did the temp gauge show normal, if not poss thermostat or cooling fan sender unit.
Have you topped up the tank recently if so did you over fill it or not put back cap correctly ?
Worse case could be a blown head gasket but check the above first.

Good luck


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## JohnsCrossMotorHomes

Fill the header tank up again and leave cap off, start engine up and see if bubbles keep coming up, if they do, head gasket gone I am afraid.

If they dont, the engine was overheating for some reason, check temperature gauge when next on a run.

Peter


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## thepadster

*cheers*

I topped it last time i used it week or 2 ago , and the temp gauge sat in the middle as it always does , i have no idea what to do ,any advise is recieved with thanks , should i re fill the header tank start engineand leave it tick over to see what happens ,if it is a gasket is that a big job that will cost lots ,i work with stone and wood and engines are a thing i know nothing about ,i wish i had done a mecanic course lol maybe i still will


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## CliveMott

I am afraid Peter is right!


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## thepadster

*peter*

cheers peter will go and try that now , also if it is gasket any idea of price to sort it cheers


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## Fatalhud

I Agree with Hogan 
Check thermostat, Take it out put in bowl and pour boiling water in to, make sure it opens,
Or could be blocked rad,
If head gasket, is the water oily or is the oil in the engine milkey
Water pump also an option and fan belt

Alan H


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## hogan

*Re: cheers*



thepadster said:


> I topped it last time i used it week or 2 ago , and the temp gauge sat in the middle as it always does , i have no idea what to do ,any advise is recieved with thanks , should i re fill the header tank start engineand leave it tick over to see what happens ,if it is a gasket is that a big job that will cost lots ,i work with stone and wood and engines are a thing i know nothing about ,i wish i had done a mecanic course lol maybe i still will


As peter said fill tank start engine if you see a lot of bubbles and froth in the header tank it will be the head gasket but you can get the system pressure tested at a garage to make sure.
If no bubbles put cap back on and run engine at a fast tick over keep eye on temp gauge when it nears normal listen for cooling fan cutting in at same time feel temp of top and bottom hoses they should be more or less the same temp. If gauge rises and you do not hear cooling fan cut in it may be the sender unit,if bottom radiator hose is very hot and the top hose is a lot cooler it may be the thermostat.But after all these checks it could just be a air lock but i doubt it.


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## thepadster

*no bubbles*

Firstly i would like to thank you all for your quick replies , just filled it left it run for a few minutes no bubbles , should i leave it run for 5 or 10 mins to check it , temp gauge is still normal and no warning lights on dash would it be because it was low on water ?


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## thepadster

*fatalhud*

the water that came out was fairly brown and as for the oil it looks ok


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## hogan

*Re: no bubbles*



thepadster said:


> Firstly i would like to thank you all for your quick replies , just filled it left it run for a few minutes no bubbles , should i leave it run for 5 or 10 mins to check it , temp gauge is still normal and no warning lights on dash would it be because it was low on water ?


Poss cause could have been low on water, put cap back on and leave it running re my pre post and listen for cooling fan to cut in.


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## thepadster

*pick your brains some more*

OK latest report ,no bubbles so the cap went back on , reved the engine past normal ,did not hear a fan kick in no warning lights on dash , anyone of you guys got any ideas what to do now , i suppose a trip to a garage would be a good idea


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## Fatalhud

You say you topped it up last time you used it, was it low or empty
Did you replace the filler cap correctly or is the rubber seal on the cap damaged
Alan H


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## thepadster

*?*

Its possible i did not put enough water in , just reved it to past normal and did not hear a fan cut in , when does the fan normally cut in ? building things is much easier than engines lol ,maybe i need to keep an eye on it for the now and not venture to far


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## Fatalhud

Normally you don't have to put any water in a cooling system as they do not normally loose it 

Top it up take some spare water with you and take it for another run
Just on tick over it could take ages for the fan to kick in

Check the simple and easiest thing first before you start having the engine stripped

Alan H


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## ActiveCampers

If water is brown - suggests rust. After everything is "fixed" - make sure you use correct antifreeze and not just water as this has rust inhibitor in - most essential!

A faulty/broken cap may be at fault as your water system should be pressurised - so if the pressure release bit has failed then you will have issues.

If engine is idling for 15m or so, and it gets hot, the fan should cut in. If not thermostat/cabling/fan may be faulty (check in that order) (Fan should cut in before water pi**es out of the expansion bottle in a pool of steam!)

If radiator is "cold" then water thermostat could be faulty (not likely)

If your dipstick/oil cap is covered in mayoanise type muck then likely HGF. If not then unlikely (bubbles in coolant may just be from flow, this is just another check).

Hope these tips help.


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## thepadster

*once again cheers*

I gotta hand it to you guys , stuff like this does wanders in restoring my faith in people , its good to see that in this mad mad world there are still a few out there that are willing to help others , must be going soft in my old age lol , if any of you guys ever need advice on stone work , plastering and general building work i hope i can do the same for you cheers thanks a lot


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## thepadster

*anti freeze*

HI is there a certain type of anti freeze i should use, i think the last one was ready mixed with water from tescos


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## JohnsCrossMotorHomes

*Re: once again cheers*



thepadster said:


> I gotta hand it to you guys , stuff like this does wanders in restoring my faith in people , its good to see that in this mad mad world there are still a few out there that are willing to help others , must be going soft in my old age lol , if any of you guys ever need advice on stone work , plastering and general building work i hope i can do the same for you cheers thanks a lot


Life isnt always about making money!

Peter


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## thepadster

*correct*

Peter , i could not agree with you more mate , thank you very much for all your help


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## thepadster

*no fan kick in*

OK latest news , just left van tick over for 20 min temp went close to red no fan kick in , both hoses top and bottom coming out of radiator are hot


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## loddy

All good advise but the very first thing to check is the pressure cap, it should seal and hold a pressure each vehicle is different but between 9 and 14 lbs,

for each 1lb applied you can raise water temp 2.5 degrees above boiling.## DO NOT remove a cap when engine is hot (scaldy scaldy )

Loddy


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## ActiveCampers

Few points.

TRUST NO ONE on the internet. Most advice you get is bo**ocks. You need to filter what the "experts" say and research it yourself. So whilst people may be friendly - a lot of it can be crap. That includes me 

Right - as for antifreeze - depends on engine - some engines need particular coolants (I know our car is *very* fussy due to the block type and the wrong one can do harm). So I'd suggest googling or looking in your manual or posting the type up.

If fan hasn't come on - sounds like either:- 
- thermostat failed
- wireing knackered 
- fan knackered

I'd suggest testing in that order.

Personally I'd connect a battery direct to the fan to see if it goes - but be careful as it can chop your bits off - and if you aren't brave/competent with electrics be careful.

Trace the wires back to teh engine and make sure it is correctly connected.

Where it plugs into the engine will be your thermostat. Easy to check with a multimeter but again depends on you.

I'd say its likely to be the thermostat - these do fail - only a few quid.


(That said - unless you were stuck in traffic a few times or it was REALLY a hot day - no reason why it should've boiled up....)

PS - from your results you've ruled out air lock; water thermostat, and *possibly* hgf...


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## rayc

I'm a bit loathe to come into this discussion so late but as you describe it with both hoses hot and temperature gauge close to red the fan should have cut in by now. Any chance of you removing the connector from the rad switch and connecting the terminals together on the flying end - this should cause the fan to run continually and hopefully lower the temperature.


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## thepadster

*me again*

ran it to red no fan kick in and the water started to come out the over flow ahain from header tank , so is it the thermostat , fan or the dreaded head gasket i think garage may be the way to go what do you guys think


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## thepadster

*rad switch*

where is the rad switch


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## ActiveCampers

Follow the wire from the fan (as per my comment above) - rad-switch/thermostat - same thing.

Check cable is correctly fitted to all connectors all the way along.

Its unlikely to be HGF (or "just" HGF!) as the fan would be cutting in anyway even if the gasket had failed (and its full of water).

rad-switch/thermostat cheap as chips as is the header tank cap - so don't worry yet.

(don't forget spin fan manually with pencil) 

And be carreful around fan


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## hogan

ActiveCampers said:


> Few points.
> 
> TRUST NO ONE on the internet. Most advice you get is bo**ocks. You need to filter what the "experts" say and research it yourself. So whilst people may be friendly - a lot of it can be crap. That includes me
> 
> totally agree with the above
> I am a ex mechanic from the old school ,no chips or engine management systems,it is very hard to diagnose even a simple problem over the internet ,
> just go through the advice step by step.If you are not sure take it to a workshop.Judging by your symptoms i am almost 99% sure it is a cheap and easy fix.


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## 101578

Try turning the cab heaters on full to draw hot air from the engine to help keep it cool in the meantime carry a large bottle of water and get it to a garage to be checked out,sounds nowt to worry about.Hope this helps.


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## thepadster

*me again*

all that was said by you guys today it sounds like it could be , thermostat ,sender unit, wiring or conectors all of which dont sound to much to repair , so i am gonna see the mecanic round the corner when i get a chance and see what he says , hes a nice bloke and reasonable as i always bring him a bottle of rum when he is done , i will keep you all posted and let you know the outcome ,a few year ago it would have been cool as my friend and motorbike lover minty <r.i.p> who was a great mecanic would have sorted it buy alas he is with us no more , in spirit only ,so i will get someone else to do it anyway guys cheers , before i forget as far as the anti freeze goes its a 1991 talbot autoquest 2 litre petrol any ideas what i should use cheers , the padster


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## rugbyken

*fan*

just had my van out for a shakedown w/e, first use for 5 months had a lot of 
work problem's but going france next month so went symond's yat to test everything about 90 miles from me on the way had exactly the same problem blow off pipe goes into wheel arch had brown streak's all down side of van , left van to cool down & topped up , after two attempts i realised that the cooling fan wasn't cutting in ,normally on my 1.9 td if it see's a hill coming up fan cut's in ,continued on using heater fan to keep temp down and got home no problem's have had head tested no pressure increase seem's to be fan only will get it fixed and take it for a blast


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## thepadster

*fixed*

Thans to all for the help the van is now sorted it was a thermostat switch it cost 20 quid 
cheers to all


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## moblee

Only just seen your post thepadster interesting read & help/advice,
thermostat switch it cost 20 quid certainly cheaper than a Head casket,
Did you sought out some good antifreeze?


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## TandH

*Re: anti freeze*



thepadster said:


> HI is there a certain type of anti freeze i should use, i think the last one was ready mixed with water from tescos


Hi, I am not a mechanic but this sounds more like screen-wash to me...
Tom


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## autostratus

*Re: fixed*



thepadster said:


> Thans to all for the help the van is now sorted it was a thermostat switch it cost 20 quid
> cheers to all


Hi

Glad to hear you've got your problem sorted out.
Thank you for coming back to let us know the outcome. I'm sure the guys who offered advice will appreciate that.


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## chrisjrv

Hi,
I'm still wondering about Moblee's head casket :lol: :lol: meant for a dead engine perhaps? :big6: 
Regards,
Chris


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