Car talk (Full Version)

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Pimientito -> Car talk (Nov. 25 2011 16:38:02)

I really like the car radio show on public radio where two very good humoured mechanics talk through callers car problems. I have been having a bit of a tricky one that I hope someone mechanically minded can explain.

I have been driving a Skoda felicia 1.4 for the last 4 years and its been one of the most reliable cars I have ever had. Basically Skoda and Seat are now owned by Volkswagen group and they have turned the once Czech comedy car into a really nice machine. I drive about 30,000 km per year. About a month ago I noticed the oil pressure was dropping at traffic lights and sometimes the engine was cutting out. I took the car to be serviced and they found the oil cap on the top of the motor (El tapon) had gone. This explained the drop in oil pressure. The engine block was also covered in oil. They replaced the cap, changed the oil and filters and pressure cleaned the engine.

All was well until a week ago when the temp guage went into the red while driving on the motorway. I pulled the car over, checked the coolant fluid level and found it was nearly empty. I filled it up with coolant and continued my journey as normal. The temp went down and the car seemed OK. A couple days later I was driving again and the temp guage went into the red. I stopped the car and found to my dismay the coolant level had dropped so I filled it again and took the car to the workshop. On the way back I put on the heater. The air came into the car super hot and this did cool down the engine.

The workshop could not find anything wrong with the cooling system. The pump works, the fan comes on and there are no visible leaks. They tightened all the tube fixings, filled up the system and ran the engine hot....not a drop of fluid leaking anywhere!!!!!

What is going on? Why is the engine overheating? where is the fluid going? Could anything else be responsible in the engine for these symptoms? Is the head gasket likely to blow? Do I need a new car?

Thanks, Pim



xirdneH_imiJ -> RE: Car talk (Nov. 25 2011 16:53:19)

Pim, i drive a Skoda Fabia and im having a similar problem, although i havent taken it to a professional yet...after the engine running in idle for about 30 seconds i get the check engine light, then when i push the gas pedal it's fine again...also the overheat lamp tends to sometimes warn me, but sometimes it does it right after i start the engine so i figure it's probably a problem with the control panel that gives the input to the warning lights...so far the car has never had any serious problems, it's 7 years old, the most trustworthy machine i've ever had...
i'm curious what others with some knowledge will say about this!



El Kiko -> RE: Car talk (Nov. 25 2011 17:37:09)

fluid can sometimes get out of the exhaust , if the cylinder head gasket is going , gone a bit. The water/coolant leaks through into the cylinder when running and is expelled as vapour through the exhaust , .
if there is definately no leak its the only other place it can get out invisibly..
I think some kind of compression tester would show up this fault.
Make sure there is no water in the oil as it can get in there as well, (crankcase) . when water and oil mix you will see it as a kind of whiteish cream...


on a different note I knew a guy once that kept having his temp gauge go into the red but the car did not seem extra hot or have any problem at all so in the end he took the guage out and bent the needle so it went to the normal position , !!! some people eh..



at_leo_87 -> RE: Car talk (Nov. 25 2011 17:39:30)

did you have the coolant flushed recently? this introduces a lot of air into the system and you'll need to fill it back up often.

when flushing the system, you need to fill up the coolant, run the engine for about 5 minutes at 2-3k rpms, then let it cool, top it off again, rev engine, repeat, etc.

as you can see, it takes some time to get done properly, and some shops will just send you on your way after filling it up once.

if you didn't have it flushed, i dont know what explains the the first time you found it empty but it might explain the second time.

i've had this happen to my old car.



keith -> RE: Car talk (Nov. 25 2011 19:17:34)

several years ago i had the joy of being on car talk. interestingly, the show is on at 11 a.m. on saturday here in boston but i was taped at noon on a wednesday. now to come out of the inky shadows and offer something that is not BOGUS. my guess would be the coolant is leaking into the engine--this being a result of the low oil pressure problem previously occurring with the car. rico was on the right track--at least in my humble and not an auto mechanic point of view.

it could be this question will stump the chumps.



Escribano -> RE: Car talk (Nov. 25 2011 20:29:01)

The fluid is steaming out of somewhere (maybe a head gasket) because you are running hot, maybe? Is the thermostat stuck? Give it a gentle thump with a mallet, or take it out and see what happens. [:D] Did they overfill the oil? That would do it.



El Kiko -> RE: Car talk (Nov. 25 2011 20:54:32)

Yep this is the place to write to when you have mechanical car troubles ....FlamencoForum.....where else .....[sm=tongue.gif]

I also have a question about Quantum field therory photons and why the EM field makes them antibunch.....I know just the place to ask that question ........ForoFlamenco......[8D][:D]



estebanana -> RE: Car talk (Nov. 25 2011 21:24:39)

I was on Car Talk three years ago. I told them I had a problem with the ball joints on my truck and then asked them for advice about how to date flamenco dancer I had a crush on. They advised me to move to Fresno, which is like the armpit of California.



Pimientito -> RE: Car talk (Nov. 26 2011 9:45:26)

Jimi- Had had dashboard light problems too. Sometimes the bumpy roads make a bad electrical connection, thats all.

Rico- yeah I guess a compression test is next....but I do believe my temp guage is correct!! I also think its likely to be the coolant leaking into the engine. It would also explain why the original motor cap was forced off in the first place.

Leo- I would understand the level going down a bit the first time after filling it but this is losing more than a litre per week.

quote:

I also have a question about Quantum field therory photons and why the EM field makes them antibunch.....I know just the place to ask that question ........ForoFlamenco......

Thats true actually....we have several theoretical physicists here![;)]



Graham_B -> RE: Car talk (Nov. 26 2011 12:04:12)

Loss of coolant but no leak - sounds like a potential head gasket problem to me.



aarongreen -> RE: Car talk (Nov. 26 2011 13:57:22)

Click and Clack are the best. They did a segment once where people sent in made up words, or words that should exist but don't, similar to sniglets I guess. Two favorites of mine are Sarchasm, which is the gulf between you and the person who didn't get it, and Ignoranus which is someone who is both stupid and an as$hole.

When I saw this thread I thought the same as Graham, which is head gasket. I hope not for your sake as that is a big job and most expensive. Usually not worth it too. I had a Dodge Intrepid that overheated once when the water pump went out on me. It was on a Sunday, in the Bronx, in Janurary, with a car full of guitars. Not a happy scene. Thankfully I found a garage and a hotel in a part of town that wasn't the hood before the guitars cracked....or I got jacked.

800 dollars and 7 months later, on a sweltering hot July day..the head gasket goes in traffic. That was all she wrote for that car. That car was cursed from the get go so I guess I should be thankful that I didn't get killed in it.



Pimientito -> RE: Car talk (Nov. 26 2011 15:46:15)

quote:

I guess I should be thankful that I didn't get killed in it.


It never occurs to me as a European that someone is going to kill me if my car breaks down. It reminds me of playing golf in kenya where you cant play the ball if in goes near a water hazzard.....in case you are eaten by a crocodile!!

I had a head gasket blow on another car 10 years ago (I think it must be more common in hot countries). New gasket is very difficult to fix...usually means new engine which for practical purposes means new car[:@][:@]



Kate -> RE: Car talk (Nov. 26 2011 15:52:27)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Pimientito

It never occurs to me as a European that someone is going to kill me if my car breaks down.


Nah here you are much more likely to get killed driving round a roundabout. Went to pick H up from bus station yesterday, the first roundabout had cars double parked all the way round it. Second roundabout they were triple parked. The third roundabout I met someone coming the other way !!!



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