Ok... So going up a mild hill, slowly, definatly not pushing it hard. Was a pop and a wosh... First thing I looked at the oil temp gague, which was normal. I pulled over right away, after 30sec or so, loads of steam from the engine.

Rolled to a near by garrage, thought it was a hose. But they have found the radiator has split at a seam. Luckily there is a local 'specialist' who has fixed it, and will be re-installed on Monday.

The garrage are also going to change the thermostat...

So is it lickley the thermostat is culprit, or is that just a garrage ruse to sell me a part?

Is is possible this is related to over rich mixture? As in previous post?

Could it be just a old / dammaged radiator? Or major overheating issue, allthough I have had a concerned eye on the temp gague, and it never goes past half way / horizontal..

Thoughts?

Thanks!!

Ps stuck in a Swiss truck stop for the weekend!

Shame you're stuck, you coudl start taking people between airports for cash :-)

Hmm, it could just be unlucky. How long have you owned the van, do you know what works been done?

A split radiator is unlikely to be related to overheating, it is "feasible", but its more likely that the radiator was rusting and full of crud, causing it to start to get hot, changing the thermostat is good practice. Again, its not obvious that any of this is linked to the smoking, which i'm sure is a lack of air flow.

I'd say that the stress on the block going up and down hills has probably just brought out the weak areas, if its overly rich it will run hotter, which could have caused the radiator to fail... all suggests a lack of servicing maybe ??

While its off the road, get the air filter out and give a good clean up, this should help?

I had a radiator go before the head gasket popped on an old bmw.Could be cause for concern.Replacing the thermostat is a cheap fix,you could also leave it out just to be sure.

Hey. I've only had the van 2 months, it's a fresh import with 50k on the clock. So I don't have much experiance with it. When I got it I had a general service done, timing belt, fuel oil n air filters, new auto fluid, break pads etc...

Anyway.. Checked the air filter now and it's like new.

I did notice quite a bit of suction from the air in vent when idiling the other day, I.e back of my shirt got sucked against it when standing against it...

All a bit worrying as I plan to be touring with her for a good fer monthes!

Not all bad, the rad gave out that is all. Not likely to have had a chance to cause major damage as you stopped quickly.

The engine will be wanting more air and therefore over fuelling, hence black smoke.

Things will be better when you get it back tomorrow.

...So the guys in Switzerland managed to fix and reinstall the rad, and on we went, all seemed well. Not had a chance to get any injection cleaner yet.

A week later now an i notice a puddle of blue coolant beneath the car, a coupple of minutes after we pulled up after a long drive. Looked inside and a small jet of fluid is coming from the side of the radiator. So it seems the repair job was not good enough, or the rad has goten worse.

Now i since the first blow, ive been looking at the temp gague more than the speedo, and probably the road. And while I have had some hills, and long morotway slogs, it hasent moved a millemeter above 'normal'. We are heavy, 2 people and lots of stuff, but probably not carying more than 250-300kgs, and I have been driving slowly to keep the fuel costs down and enjoy the views.

So im looking at a 2-3 week wait on a new rad, ill probalby get new hoses and thermo while im at it.

But im wondering if there isnt somthing wrong to make the presure in the rad too high even if the temp is ok?

Also, and this is a really odd one... the coolant leaking from the rad is blue greenish. BUT, the liquid in the coolang resiviour, is red brown..... WTF?

Finally, when I got the van, it looks like the presure cap is new, has got a bright yellow sticker saying 'to check level in resivior', in english first and then japaneese. also has 13lbs on it. Is this about right?

Clutching at straws now, but were stuck in Slovenia, till I can DHL the parts to a local garrage, this is costing me a fortune and the way things are going, probably my marrage too!!

Any ideas much appreciated...

The cooling system will run at about 90 - 120 deg, this means it runs at high pressure, which is normal, so when warm it will find a way through any weakness, this in itself isn't a problem with the system, just your rad - have you thought about rad weld, if its just a small hole, this may get you by till you get home??

As for the colour, that doesn't sound right. Old systems that aren't cleaned and changed will turn the fluid red, this is not good, but is a sign that your radiator is not good, its likely rust from the rad, could be that this is heavier and sitting low, but if you have had a fluid flush it seems weird, sure it isn't just the discolouration of the reservoir ???

The cap is fine if thats any consolation.

The guage is normal...(give very rough average/not so accurate)...it will not tell you anything is wrong until too late.

If worried about heat put the heaters on full blast for the long hills

Don't know about the leak colour...is it possible they topped up with different antifreeze without doing a full flush. Not all antifreeze are compatible with each other.

Also the autobox fluid (red... or brown if dirty) is cooled through the rad...I'd check that...

Hey,

Yeah its definatly a different colour in the resiviour than in the radiator. I guess they garrage put in a difffent fluid after the breakdown.

Recon i should siphon it out and fill it with water?

But wouldnt the two mix? Is it possible that the feed between the cooling system and the resiviour is blocked? Would this in turn cause too much presure? or is that rubbish?

Coolant additives in Aus, eg antifreeze, are green, or at least all the ones I have seen are. Should be the same colour thru the system tho as Chris has said. If the 2.8 is the same as 3ltr then it has 2 radiators and when topping up it pays to have both heaters on till after the thermostat opens so the whole system gets the same water.

Damn shame it happens when you are away tho.

On the plus side tho, you go camping for an adventure and your having it

Gee Toby, you're havin some rough luck there. If its any consolation, when I picked my Hiace up a couple of months ago, there was a loose hose off the thermostat housing and I lost water on my first day where I drove 400km. When I hit rush hour traffic in Auckland, the guage when all the way up to the top bar (digital) and started flashing. I fair crapped myself but managed to get the situation under control. I took the wagon to the workshop next day, and sorted it. They checked the head for cracks and blown head gasket and it was OK. I'd say hopefully you've avoided it.

There will be two tell tale signs you've got a major on your hands. When the motors cold, you should be able to remove the radiator cap and check for a foamy white scum on the top of the water. If it has it, don't drive it, it should be a coloured fluid, but not creamy in any way. Also, check your engine oil as well, remove the filler cap and inspect it for foamy scum too. Check the dipstick also. The oil should be black, without any bubbles or contaminates I reckon.

As also mentioned above, check your trans oil by the dipstick, and it should be red, or darkish red, again, make sure its not creamy though.

Creamy is when you take a fat soaked barbeque grill plate and soapy it up with water and dishwash detergent, oil and water hate to mix!

I've other colours than green in coolant, I boat I work on has used purple stuff before, perhaps you have some sort of mongrel mix in there. I think the red you see in the reservoir is staining on the reservoir itself. If you want to check consistency between the two, try to get a sample out of each in clear containers to get a real idea.

One last thing, if you are worried about pressurizing in your cooling system, you could leave the cap off and start it, it might bubble a bit for a start, but then settle down. If you get a lot continued bubbling, be worth a check again I think. Remember though, if you do this from cold, the coolant will expand until the operating temp is reached. By far the better way is to call into a garage and ask to have the cooling system pressure tested for leaks. That will highlight any leaks in your radiator, hoses etc, or more sinister things like a cracked head or blown head gasket. I'm surprised the Slovenians didn't do this for you though!

Radiator weld is not bad for a quick fix, but if you've got a new radiator on its way, you'll have peace of mind in your cooling system which is important, for you AND the missus!

Good luck! Battle on.

Yours is an auto yes?

The nearside of the rad is the gearbox oil cooler.
Is the leak where this joins the matrix, if so then it was not fixed back correctly.

The red in the expansion bottle is likely to be your old superheated coolant complete with rust and sludge. You can take the bottle out and clean it refit with clean coolant.

The UK army issue a bottle of Kalimax K-Seal to all units - works on all sorts of leaks even upto a bullet through the rad! Working on my Hiace suspected cracked head right now!

Hey,

Thanks for all the input and advice.

Well hoping the engine is ok as there is no foam, scumm, bubbles or any kind of inprities in the tranz or engine oil.

Clive, yeah it is an Auto. I thought the auto cooler was the second radiator, that is horosontal, infront and beneath the main Rad? The leak is in the vertical main rad. And looks to be where the black bracket bit meats the rusty(!) grey inner cooling fins bit. I can only describt it as a Jet of fluid that squirts across the rad and fan. (the garrage who did the repairs are trying to tell me its AC water or that the rad is over filled and its an overflow).

Anyway the wheels are truning but it looks like 2 weeks minimum to get a new Rad so now debating how far we may be able to drive with the leak so salvage some of our trip...

Hi Ref the Radiator,

I replaced my one last year as it got a leak in the side tank.

I had a major problem getting a replacement as it was quite rare (managed to get a used one and had it tested before buying it), as it has 7 connections, 2 of which are for the integral oil cooler for the Autobox. The 2 forward connections go to the front Horizontal radiator that I guess is for additional cooling, Fitting it is also a mission, as you need to take out the drivers seat, remove the AC pump and other items ( see other posts on this site) I had trouble in finding a garage that wanted to do it here in Auckland, so I did it myself.

Best of luck, and hopefully all will be fixed soon.

Martin.

Hmm. Just got word it's going to be another 4weeks minimum in the rad. Looks like i've no option bit to keep driving it and hope... Any tips?