Coolant Loss

[Smilge]

Yep ...looks very similar to mine ..... just have a look at the rubber seal around the inner pressure bit and when you screw it back on you should feel some resistance around the last two turns as the seal meets the bottle lip.

[raymac]

Read somewhere on here about someone having overheating problems and went through a lot of processes similar to yours, in the end he found the problem was a hose collapsing in on itself at normal temp and blocking the flow of water , worth a look :16: hope all works out for you

[jkspoff]

I have checked the seal and it appears to be intact, it could well turn out to be a hose as raymac mentioned, I will also get the garage to check the temperature sending unit. Shouldn't there be some fault codes on VAG COM from the overheating relating to what part is failing ? The problem is that it never overheats at all when either driving hard or normally, only as soon as I attached the caravan and tow up hill. Edited June 11, 2007 by jkspoff

[Smilge]

I know mate ...... the thing is mine doesn't when I'm towing uphill ... in fact, the temp reading doesnt move on mine whether or not the vans attached, so yes, the engine will get hotter but the heat should still be exchanged to air via the radiator ..... mmmmmm ... reverse flushing the radiator?

[jkspoff]

The radiator has just been refilled due to the new water pump being fitted, would this not flush it and fill it and show up any blockage ?

[Smilge]

The radiator has just been refilled due to the new water pump being fitted, would this not flush it and fill it and show up any blockage ?

 

Possible, but reverse flushing ensures all the rubbish comes out.

[jkspoff]

My on-going saga with my overheating caravan pulling Galaxy is continuing.........ordered a new expansion tank pressure cap, had a VW expert and independent garage check it over, next step is to put new cap on and get the ramapped engine put back to the original Ford mapping unfortunately, just to see if it makes any difference, as it was suggested by several mechanics that the extra power through the gears may be causing the balance of engine and cooling to overcome the original design when its under full load, however it is still only a last chance before head gasket strip down or trade in..... :D Edited June 13, 2007 by jkspoff

[jkspoff]

I've bought a new expansion cap and when it screws on there is no resistance at all, it doesn't appear to be making a seal whatsoever, whereas with the original cap it gets tight and allows a secure tight fitting, I just wonder if this is allow it to breath ? Could someone with a newish Galaxy check their expansion coolant cap and see if it tightens to a secure seal please ? In the mean time I have put the old one back on.

[jkspoff]

I have sent back the expansion cap and keeping the original as its a better seal. Does anyone if it is possible to drain the coolant without having to take the undertray off, as I would like to flush the system out and make sure there are no air locks, and ensure its has the correct coolant mixture in it.

[Ivor_E_Tower]

Next step....

 

For sale, one Galaxy.......

[turk90210]

out of interest are you still getting the missfire in the mornings for a few seconds after a run the night before. I have been following this to a certain extent as to me it sounds like a head gasket still or some sort of combustion leak into the cooling system. I have seen personally a leaking head gasket where the car had a missfire for 5-10 seconds in the morning only to clear itself then for the rest of the day be totally fine and all the checks that can be done(pressure test, combustion gas leak all be ok) I eventually found the problem when i had it overnight, i removed the plugs 1st thing then cranked it over and found water in the cylinder which proved water was getting into the cylinders

I have also had a transit having similar problems, (o/heating under load)but never loosing water, powers to be over-ruled me and had me fit thermostat, radiator ect (all the usual stuff bit no -one listened to me regarding getting the head taken off ) they even got me to leave the stat out which improved it very slightly but never cured it. Alas the van got sent to the auction in the end so never did get to find the true cause but im sure taking off the head would have revealed all

[jkspoff]

I have no miss firing, just overheating under load, there is also no coolant loss apparent, I am a bit reluctant to take the head off as it will cost me a lot of money, but will do that after the next test if it is still the same. I have now got the ECU returned to original format (115bhp), (not remapped), I will try the caravan once more tomorrow, fingers crossed that it might have been overloading the engine with remap.

It's till confusing me and mechanics as to why the expansion tank is below the MIN mark every time I check it when it is cold, but returns to normal when warm (MAX mark).

[mumof4]

ooo..my coolant tank on the gal would be under min when cold..but max when warm...poss because it expands when warm??..its what i thought it was anyway.

[gregers]

i thought as its a pressurized system it wouldnt be that much difference between cold and warm??????????.

[mumof4]

Ooops..i forgot to add that it went above max when i took the cap off when it was warm...gawd im a dingbat sometimes.

[Scorpiorefugee]

Solids and liquids do not change volume much with temperature but gas does. Could it be an air lock somewhere? Of course, if the water is reaching boiling point then superheated steam can force the water level up or, ultimately, out.

 

I had this problem with a BMW once. - didn't know there was an air drain screw n the top of the radiator. I know that your problem history does not support this but if your situation with the water level is as described, it sounds like gas forming or expanding.

 

What happens if you fill it up cold and check it when it's hot or overheated?

[jkspoff]

When its is filled up cold, then run hot on a journey, it overheats and the coolant flows out of the expansion bottle from the expansion bottle overflow outlet.

[seatkid]

Ford Galaxy 150+ bhp (remapped, was 115) Tdi Ghia, 2001 mk2, state blue, 6 speed manual, 70k miles, warped head, likes to drink water

a great advert for chipping.....

[Willie Krashitt]

Have to disagree with you Scorpiorefugee - if liquid doesn't expand much, why have an expansion tank? MO4 is right with her observations. Also feel I totally agree with Seatkid regarding chipped engines - just asking for trouble, especially with towing as it is under sustained load for so much longer. If 150+bhp was possible without changing turbo and injectors, as well as PCM maps, don't you think VW would have done it? As to the heat - with the chipping, the engine is producing an extra 27kW of power with the remap - With at best 40% thermal efficiency, thats an extra 15kW (=5 electric kettles!) of heat that you are asking the cooling system to cope with. The cynic in me wonders if this is why the 130 and 150PS engines get a different water pumps and radiators to the 90 and 115PS lumps as well?

George.

[jkspoff]

Well, I am wondering whether to agree, but the proof is in the pudding, I am going to test the theory today, if the Gal is no longer overheating when towing then it was down to the remap, if it still overheats then the remap was not causing the overheating and therefore I would not hesitate to have it put back on. I agree that the engine does have to work harder with the remap and that other modifications should be done too to ensure proper cooling........well lets see, taking Gal and van for a run..............fingers crossed.......... :)

[gregers]

dont mean to burst your bubble JK but do you not think that the damage has been done???i hope not for your sake and pocket just the cynic in me.

[jkspoff]

The head gasket etc has all been tested and there are no faults. I am still toying with the idea that there is something wrong with the coolant circulation, be it an air lock or something, the engine is in tip top condition, never uses any oil and returns excellent fuel economy. I do however agree that a remapped engine can cause premature damage if used to its limit for a long period of time, but mine hasn't.

[Scorpiorefugee]

Wilie Krashit - Just to prove a piont....

 

Fill up your kettle with cold water. Set it to boil and measure how much it expands. I could look it up but it is probably in the order of 1%..

 

If you could do the same with air it would be nearer 33%

 

The expansion tank is to cater for normal expansion and increases in pressure but the water level shouldn't change much unless there is trapped gas. Perhaps Seatkid could clear this up.

 

Ron.

[seatkid]

The thermal coefficient of expansion of water is 0.00021 per 1

[jkspoff]

IT WORKS ! Remap removed and returned to the original Ford ECU setup. Tested the Gal with caravan on a long journey up and down hills, motorway and A roads , no over heating at all. I will have to put it down to the remapped engine, its now back to the 115bhp, oh well, at least this means I won't have to trade it in. :lol: After all that, it was something I'd done to it, so heres to hopefully many more years motoring in the Gal.