hi,

my 2008 58 RRS HST 3.6 TDV8 (93k miles) is using water and the low coolant message is coming up on the dash

i have been stopping and topping up the water rather than letting it over heat

if you just left it though, it would over hear and eventually go into limp mode

before i have a specialist look at it, does anyone have any ideas to help me ascertain if the leak is internal or external?

hoping not head gasket but i bought the car with the fault so if it is the HG, i will either fix it or sell it as it is

the speed it uses the water seems dependent on how quick or slow you drive, if that helps

if i tootle around it can take 20 minutes for the coolant to drop

its a lovely example

I think the expansion bottles are known to crack and leak so I'd look there first.

hi quick update

i cannot see an obvious leak from the expansion tank.

also there is no heat from the blowers once running.

also worth mentioning that the coolant in the tank is froffing/bubbling very soon after starting the engine

thanks

chris

there is no oil in the expansion tank

and there is no sludge around the oil filler cap

can't see any white smoke from exhaust either

thanks

Headgaskets fail in different ways.

You have the compresssion into coolant failure mode by the sounds of it

^ As Andy K says.
To confirm you could always run a 'sniff' test on your coolant and that will confirm the presence of exhaust gases.

Quick update

The car is at douglass motors in rugby

First off they did a chemical test to check head gasket but it came back negative (albeit they said it’s around 70% accurate)

Following that they checked both thermostats and both were faulty so they’ve replaced them Both and I think I recall them saying they flushed the system as well

Unfortunately the car is still getting a pressurised Coolant system pretty much immediately after you start it

As it stands they’re pretty baffled by the issue and have never seen it before

Currently waiting to hear back from them and then I can decide which way to go with it

Their communication has been great so far so I’m happy with it being there but not sure they’re going to be able to help me

Cheers

Chris

Does sound like the head gasket if the system pressurises quickly

I have a 2008 TDIV8 with similar symptoms, just curious if the problem was identified and fixed??