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hey all
spot of car trouble today. going along the motorway and both the 'engine' light and the 'multifunction' warning light came on. the oil temperature gauge was into the red. i pulled over straight away, which fortunately was next to a service station.
checking under the bonnet the coolant level was right down, so i topped it up with water just to get me home. fortunately i made it back home driving very carefully, warning lights still on, but temperature back down to normal
i checked the coolant level again when i got home (about 30 mins later) and it was nearly all gone. while the engine was still hot, i noticed fluid seeping out (not gushing) from the side of the engine block.
these photos show where it was coming out. it was not, as far as i could see, coming from underneath the cylinder head. i hope this rules out the head gasket!
s185.photobucket.com/albums/x229/pete_from_earth/
car anatomy is not my strong point but is this the water pump? this is the only place i noticed any liquid coming out, and now the engine has cooled, it seems to have stopped. i've topped it up again since parking the car, and there is no dripping or puddle underneath the car
i'm now wondering whether my car is safe to drive a reasonable distance, or if i might do more damage. my preferred garage is close to my work, which is 30 miles away so probably risky
any advice would be really appreciated. i need to get this fixed quick
cheers
Pete
a bit about the car
focus 2003
1.8 petrol
92k miles
Take a look here. It looks like the leak is from the [url= http://www.focushacks.com/?modid=59&ht=Replacing%20the%20thermostat%20and/or%20thermostat%20housing ] thermostat housing[/url]
What he said, nice and cheap too
my advice is 30 miles is too far-cook your engine too often and you will cause serious/terminal damage.
as for the leak i aint looked at the pics yet
As gary said. Check your oil for signs of coolant mixing incase the over heat killed head gasket or headgasket failing could have popped the thermostat housing.
cheers gary. looks likely looking at that link. do you think the car is ok to drive to the garage?
it sounds quite simple but i tend to just take it to a mechanic. also the engine warning light is still lit, and my manual says it needs an authorised dude to switch it off.
suggsey, if i am careful that the temperature gauge on the dash doesnt get too high, will i avoid damage to the head gasket? (assuming that it isn't already blown)
i can hopefully drive to work and if necessary keep the coolant topped up. is this a bad idea?
The temperature gauge on the dash will not read correctly if the water level is low the sensor needs to be in the coolant which it won't be if the water level drops
If it was my car, i'd avoid driving it until it was fixed.
I wouldn't be driving the car much more than a mile or so untill it is fixed.
Do you have RAC or AA cover? possibly through a bank account or car insurance?
If not buy some tonight. Then when you get the confirmation email through call them in the morning. Make sure you take the one where you will be toed to a garage of your choice.
This should avoid totally knackering the car trying to drive it 30 miles without knowing the coolant level or real temperature.
Remember you will most likely have to push the car a couple of miles from your house to make a claim possible.
If your car turns out to be totally shot then atleast in future you will have someone professional to call out when these things occur.