Coolant/Air Lock Problem?

[tommeh93]

Hi guys,
having a problem with my coolant atm,
basically it seems to have an air lock, heaters arnt heating up unless driving/revving

so i try to burp the car myself, taking the cap of the coolant reservoir and let the air come out, bubbles seem to come out and the coolant level will drop, so i top it back up and put the cap on.

i will then leave the car for a couple of hours and the level of coolant has risen, and the same seems to keep happening. Looks like i just cant seem to get all the air out?

ive checked oil to see if its getting in there, thank god it isnt haha.


thanks for any help

 

[.-Sam6J-.]

How long are you burping the car for? Sometimes it can take a while for the airlock to come out.

Im not sure but I think the vents in the boot also have something to do with air locks, you have vents in your boot to let the pressure out they will be just under the latch and if they are blocked I believe it can lead to an air block.

Apart from that I can only say drain the coolant system and refill, burp the car again and see if it reoccur. Something may be a bit blocked.

 

[tommeh93]

when burping the car the coolant level will rise, then eventually air bubbles will come out, the coolant level will drop below minimum so i then top it up and put the cap back on, and then after leaving it, itll fill back above the max

 

[RUM4MO]

Why has this happened, have you opened up the cooling system, if not that should not be happening. Which engine does that car have?

 

[tommeh93]

Why has this happened, have you opened up the cooling system, if not that should not be happening. Which engine does that car have?

After topping the coolant up I got the air lock, and it's a 1.4

 

[RUM4MO]

After topping the coolant up I got the air lock, and it's a 1.4

Okay, so I'm guessing that you mean the 1.4 16V 85PS petrol engine. That engine, as I discovered when I replaced the engine coolant sensor, is a bit difficult to refill or clear air locks.

How low had the coolant level dropped to before you topped it up and why do you think that it had lost coolant?

I think that the method of refilling a 1.4 cooling system is:- remove the engine coolant sensor > fill the system with coolant until the coolant discharges from the engine coolant sensor opening > refit the engine coolant sensor while coolant is still coming out of it > complete refilling the system to the correct level > run engine etc > stop > check/correct coolant level.

My daughter's Ibiza with that 1.4 engine took a couple of days driving to completely clear the remaining air locks after I had removed the coolant sensor again to let some air out.

 

[tommeh93]

Okay, so I'm guessing that you mean the 1.4 16V 85PS petrol engine. That engine, as I discovered when I replaced the engine coolant sensor, is a bit difficult to refill or clear air locks.

How low had the coolant level dropped to before you topped it up and why do you think that it had lost coolant?

I think that the method of refilling a 1.4 cooling system is:- remove the engine coolant sensor > fill the system with coolant until the coolant discharges from the engine coolant sensor opening > refit the engine coolant sensor while coolant is still coming out of it > complete refilling the system to the correct level > run engine etc > stop > check/correct coolant level.

My daughter's Ibiza with that 1.4 engine took a couple of days driving to completely clear the remaining air locks after I had removed the coolant sensor again to let some air out.

the coolant never dropped too low, i think it may be a dodgy coolant cap that may be the slight leak, and have ordered a new one.

i noticed the air lock when i got to work and checked, and the coolant was really low, so i left it for a bit and when i went back to it, the level had risen again to above the max

 

[RUM4MO]

As long as the level had not dropped too low in the reservoir, I would never ever think that you should/could have ended up with an air lock - in my case I caused it by replacing the engine coolant sensor, ie opening up the system below the coolant top level.

 

[tommeh93]

As long as the level had not dropped too low in the reservoir, I would never ever think that you should/could have ended up with an air lock - in my case I caused it by replacing the engine coolant sensor, ie opening up the system below the coolant top level.

ok so come out to my car this morning, big puddle of water under my car, and coolant tank is empty..
FFS

 

[RUM4MO]

Ah, that makes more sense, so you have a coolant system leak - now to try to locate it and fix it!

 

[tommeh93]

Ah, that makes more sense, so you have a coolant system leak - now to try to locate it and fix it!

Yeh!
got it booked into a garage at lunch time, think it may be the water pump

 

[tommeh93]

ok so it is the waterpump, but getting the cambelt done too
£170

not as bad as i thought haha

 

[RUM4MO]

Good, how old is the car, sounds like if its secondhand, the previous owner either did not replace the cambelt etc of was too tight to replace the water pump at the same time - might be a waste of money sometimes, but most garages suggest replacing the pump while replacing the cambelt as the extra cost is mainly just an exchange water pump.

 

[tommeh93]

Good, how old is the car, sounds like if its secondhand, the previous owner either did not replace the cambelt etc of was too tight to replace the water pump at the same time - might be a waste of money sometimes, but most garages suggest replacing the pump while replacing the cambelt as the extra cost is mainly just an exchange water pump.

its a 2010 car, yeah i think it was a woman owner before.. so that'd explain that... Hahahha

 

[RUM4MO]

its a 2010 car, yeah i think it was a woman owner before.. so that'd explain that... Hahahha

This leaking pump could be the best thing that could have happened to that car, if that pump was original along with the cambelt and bits, then maybe the first thing that could have happened could have been a collapsed idler pulley and severe engine damage.

I'm guessing that you did not know that these engines should get a cambelt changed every 4 or 5 years to avoid the possibility of nasty failures?