Banana Diesel engine using coolant

[mark5intransit]

My 1997 LWB Mk5 Transit with the 'banana' - engined non -turbo engine with 57k on it uses some coolant. It doesn't appear to be leaking from anywhere, and the engine runs and ticks over fine with no sign of engine oil contamination either. It is using around half a litre of coolant to 500 miles. Is it likely to be the head gasket, and is it much of a job on these engines.

[Jas278]

Easy enough job to do a Head gasket , try a steel seal or K seal in first if its only minor ..

[gotgcoalman]

Google "vehicle sniff test" before doing the headgasket.

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[mark5intransit]

Thanks for those replies. I will get the 'sniff test' done and take it from there.

[dumper]

Also try a pressure tester on it had a leak on the radiator it was so small that when the engine was hot it evaporated you couldn’t see a leak had to put a high pressure on it to show up with the engine cold n the end .also check the rad cap is holding pressure.

[marcrbarker]

Here's some tips. I'm repeating some of what's been previously suggested too.

1. Visually find leaks much easier with an overnight-cold engine. Take off one of the small rubber pipes off the expansion tank, plug up where you took if from, and pressure the system via the small pipe with a gas (air, nitrogen, butane if you're crazy enough) to put one bar of pressure into the system and maintain it. Then just look around for drips. Easy peasy. An easy way to put pressure is use a electric tyre pump because it includes a pressure gauge. The great thing about a pressure gauge is if it's dropping and how fast is related to the water loss. Bicycle pump via schrader valve also works. So does an airline if you are lazy but careful enough. If you overpressure the radiator cap will blow water out.
2. If there's combustion gases getting into the cooling system the hoses will swell up and pressure (just like the pressure test above), usually as soon as you start. Sometimes it's a cracked head instead of failing head gasket. Sometimes with failing head gasket especially gasoline, just re-torquing the head down fixes it.
3. Some people with that head gasket problem and even small head cracks get away with just adding that red gunge radiator block welding sealer and leaving a temporarily and deliberately-overheated engine and pressurised up cooling system to soak it in while cooling down. It opens the cracks wider and the cooling down traps the red gunge.
4. Over-using that gunge tends to partly block the rad.

[V184]

Here's some tips. I'm repeating some of what's been previously suggested too.

1. Visually find leaks much easier with an overnight-cold engine. Take off one of the small rubber pipes off the expansion tank, plug up where you took if from, and pressure the system via the small pipe with a gas (air, nitrogen, butane if you're crazy enough) to put one bar of pressure into the system and maintain it. Then just look around for drips. Easy peasy. An easy way to put pressure is use a electric tyre pump because it includes a pressure gauge. The great thing about a pressure gauge is if it's dropping and how fast is related to the water loss. Bicycle pump via schrader valve also works. So does an airline if you are lazy but careful enough. If you overpressure the radiator cap will blow water out.
2. If there's combustion gases getting into the cooling system the hoses will swell up and pressure (just like the pressure test above), usually as soon as you start. Sometimes it's a cracked head instead of failing head gasket. Sometimes with failing head gasket especially gasoline, just re-torquing the head down fixes it.
3. Some people with that head gasket problem and even small head cracks get away with just adding that red gunge radiator block welding sealer and leaving a temporarily and deliberately-overheated engine and pressurised up cooling system to soak it in while cooling down. It opens the cracks wider and the cooling down traps the red gunge.
4. Over-using that gunge tends to partly block the rad.

cracked head, good shout never known a head gasket to fail on a di

[Chug]

Have a good look around the bottom of the front cam/crank timing plastic cover, the water pump behind it may have very minor/slow drip, you may see brownish water staining around the bottom of the cover.

[marcrbarker]

Have a good look around the bottom of the front cam/crank timing plastic cover, the water pump behind it may have very minor/slow drip, you may see brownish water staining around the bottom of the cover.

It's well worth getting some added gas pressure inside to push the water out fast enough so you can see it. An electric tyre pump with pressure gauge is great. Otherwise you're peering for minutes at a time looking for a drip coming from below and around these brown stains.

[gotgcoalman]

Here's some tips. I'm repeating some of what's been previously suggested too.

1. Visually find leaks much easier with an overnight-cold engine. Take off one of the small rubber pipes off the expansion tank, plug up where you took if from, and pressure the system via the small pipe with a gas (air, nitrogen, butane if you're crazy enough) to put one bar of pressure into the system and maintain it. Then just look around for drips. Easy peasy. An easy way to put pressure is use a electric tyre pump because it includes a pressure gauge. The great thing about a pressure gauge is if it's dropping and how fast is related to the water loss. Bicycle pump via schrader valve also works. So does an airline if you are lazy but careful enough. If you overpressure the radiator cap will blow water out.
2. If there's combustion gases getting into the cooling system the hoses will swell up and pressure (just like the pressure test above), usually as soon as you start. Sometimes it's a cracked head instead of failing head gasket. Sometimes with failing head gasket especially gasoline, just re-torquing the head down fixes it.
3. Some people with that head gasket problem and even small head cracks get away with just adding that red gunge radiator block welding sealer and leaving a temporarily and deliberately-overheated engine and pressurised up cooling system to soak it in while cooling down. It opens the cracks wider and the cooling down traps the red gunge.
4. Over-using that gunge tends to partly block the rad.

cracked head, good shout never known a head gasket to fail on a di

Mine did. 1996 di. Only had 400,000 on the clock

IMG_20211001_214446.jpg

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