Hi all, I seem to have developed a coolant leak. Only noticed it once parked up this morning and saw steam coming from left side at the bottom of the windscreen. Only seems like a very slow leak, I can hear it dripping onto something hot, I guess onto the turbo. Car hasn't overheated or anything.

 

I've had a good poke around and I cant really see where its coming from. From under the car I can just about see the end of a ropey and damp rubber hose on the passenger side as it goes into a hard line which looks like its part of the turbo. I cant see a thing from above. The hose is just above the passenger side turbo, almost between the turbo and the gearbox bell housing.

 

Question is how on earth can I replace it? Looks like it'd need the turbo off, or gearbox out to get to it? Has anyone got a good picture showing coolant lines in that area? I'm hoping its just a rubber hose, but had to replace one of the metal pipes just behind the plenum a couple of years ago as it had corroded - that was a pig of a job.

 

I had heard that you could possibly bypass the turbo coolant hoses?

 

Typical it happens the day before MOT!

Hi do you still have the water pipes under the plenum.

Could be one of three things:-

 

Water pipes under Plenum

 

Heater Matrix Pipes

 

Turbo water cooler

 

Hope this helps

 

Tony

Edited June 13, 20196 yr by TonyB

I feel your pain and had exactly the same leak, just after I had fitted the new clutch and put the transmission back on :hammer:

 

Its the rear rubber water pipe about 6" Long that runs from the Turbo hard metal pipe up the rear of the engine and connects to another hard metal pipe that continues up the rear of the engine to another rubber pipe at the top.

 

Firstly, what a pain in the backside it was to change. My first advice would be if you have a pressure tester or someone who does, then remove the battery and it's tray and pressurise the system. Put your hand in between the air con pipes and the block where the battery was and you will feel the rubber hose I am talking about and it's probably wet. I was able to get some very small pliers behind there and get the pipe off and replaced but it was hours of fiddling. If you can get the gearbox off easily then it's a piece of cake to change, but it can be done without dropping the trans.

Yeah, sounds like we’re talking about the same hose. I can only just see the bottom of it, and can get my finger tips to it but that’s about it. Does seem to be the wettest bit around it so guess that’s the offending part. AC connections and wiring harness are in the way to get to it though - especially with my ham fists! Can’t imagine how you changed it with everything still there!

 

Hmm, how easy is it to move the harness out the way? Guess just disconnect the blocks under the dash and feed it out the firewall? That might give me enough room. Or I might just have to bite the bullet and pull the plenum off.