Ford Galaxy Overheating

[tara]

Hi all and first thank you for this great site.

We have just purchased a Ford galaxy 1.9 tdi from a Garage. Anyways when driving it home last night it overheated whilst we was on motorway,we got the AA to recover us home and this morning had a look at the car. The coolant bottle was almost empty, we checked before our journy and it was full? I ran the car up to temp and the coolant was like foamy soap but no oil in the coolant. It seams fine on tick over but when under load temp increases up to 130. I am really scared that the head gasket has gone. We have contacted the garage we purchased it from and they said it is probably the water pump and they will pay for me to get the pump replaced could this be the case? as i have checked the return pipe to the bottle and it seems to be trickling out of there into the coolant bottle should this be a steady flow of just trickling foamy coolant? Sorry for all the questions but being a girl i have hardly any clue other that what mechanic says to me and like i said earlier i dont want to be ripped off. Thanks all for any help. Regards Tara

[RADIOTWO]

Hi all and first thank you for this great site.

We have just purchased a Ford galaxy 1.9 tdi from a Garage. Anyways when driving it home last night it overheated whilst we was on motorway,we got the AA to recover us home and this morning had a look at the car. The coolant bottle was almost empty, we checked before our journy and it was full? I ran the car up to temp and the coolant was like foamy soap but no oil in the coolant. It seams fine on tick over but when under load temp increases up to 130. I am really scared that the head gasket has gone. We have contacted the garage we purchased it from and they said it is probably the water pump and they will pay for me to get the pump replaced could this be the case? as i have checked the return pipe to the bottle and it seems to be trickling out of there into the coolant bottle should this be a steady flow of just trickling foamy coolant? Sorry for all the questions but being a girl i have hardly any clue other that what mechanic says to me and like i said earlier i dont want to be ripped off. Thanks all for any help. Regards Tara

 

Hi and welcome to the group

 

What I would do is just get the garage to do the job, as it sounds to me as if they are trying to get out of it !

 

Radiotwo

[gregers]

hi welcome to the forum,as radio2 says,get the garage to deal with it.

 

under the 28 days rule of the sale of goods act,the supplying dealer has to make sure the item he has sold is working correctly.

 

also check that everything else is working as it should be.

if not get them to fix it.

DO not be fobbed off by them,

 

 

oooo that was my 5000th post.;) been here to long.

Edited May 14, 2011 by gregers

[cyborg]

hello,I think there are some issues here to be wary of.

 

It could be a genuine faulty waterpump it's good that the garage have offered to pay for work .But.. the head failure on a diesel also replicats waterpump once apart it may prove that the fault is the head ,Which is a tad more expensive to have done.However once the car has been interfered with the dealer could protest innocence and say he was unaware of said offer and you will be left with repair bill...your ok get car tested by a pressure test or sniff test but don't go ahead until your sure that garage is able to cover costs..Dependent on gut feeling ; get them to confirm by email / writing that there willing to stand for repair and be clear of costs as they may prefer to refund you.

 

Be realistic if car 10 years old 100,000 + miles then the offer of repair is very reasonable I can't see anything wrong however If the car is under 3 years old and bought from big dealer then reject the car claim refund use aa report as independant assessment .Don't faff around getting repaired as once you accept repair all your rights disappear .

 

Its all very well us getting sales of goods act out and paraphrasing it ,but its you who will be without wheels not us armchair lawyers ;) so good luck shit happens :o

[gregers]

Its all very well us getting sales of goods act out and paraphrasing it ,but its you who will be without wheels not us armchair lawyers ;) so good luck shit happens :o

 

 

i would rather offer advice like this then see an innocent party get the pants taken down and given a good slapping.

i had to do this when i bought my galaxy,the dealer thought(wrongly)they were in the right and could basically push the problems onto the warrenty people.which as it turns out a lot of delears do.ended up costing then LOADSA MONEY :o

saying that it may be something that is a simple fix.but if it turns out to be something that is very costly then the op could end up paying out there hard earned on something they couldve got fixed for free as long as its within the set time limits.

[seatkid]

Just phone the garage and tell them to take it back and demand your money backin full plus compensation.

 

First trip - it must have been faulty when they sold it to you.

 

DO NOT DO ANY REPAIRS - IT IS THE SELLERS PROBLEM.

Edited May 14, 2011 by seatkid

[Sher]

Must be the head gasket.

 

When I inspected my replaced head gasket, I could make out where the combustion gases had made their way out when hot. Though my coolant did not foam as it was a new/smaller leak.

 

When the water pump fails it is not able to force the coolant back into the heater circuits after the system has been refilled.

 

seatkid is spot on in his advice.

[tara]

Must be the head gasket.

 

When I inspected my replaced head gasket, I could make out where the combustion gases had made their way out when hot. Though my coolant did not foam as it was a new/smaller leak.

 

When the water pump fails it is not able to force the coolant back into the heater circuits after the system has been refilled.

 

seatkid is spot on in his advice.

Thanks all for your advice,

First the galaxy is a 2001 1.9 tdi we paid

[chrispb123456]

Hi there I'm not going to advise one way or the other on the legal side, with what you have said about new water pump being fitted only a short time ago then the previous owner has obviously traded the car in with this overheating problem, and most likely the dealer will be unaware of this up till now.

 

Yes the water pump may have been to blame for the initial overheating, but like the many instances on this forum alone where cars have been suffering coolant loss and/or boiling up for months even years because it only happens occasionally when on a motorway journey or towing a caravan, when the engine is under more load.

 

Also at 94.000mls the electric run on pump also tends to pack up, it's primary purpose is to keep the coolant circulating and prevent hot spots after engine is turned off, the pump will normally be heard (slight humming) for a few minutes after switch off.

You can test this easily for operation without starting engine, just turn ignition on, then off then listen in the engine bay if you cant hear it then it's not working, it's other purpose is to assist with circulation through the rear compartment heater and also the correct operation of the booster heater fitted under the car.

 

It's a certainty the least you have is head gasket failure as you have the evidence of combustion gas in the bottle what you can't tell is whether the head is still serviceable until it's removed.

[tara]

I am going to have words with the dealer tomorrow and see where we go from there,I hope i have not flushed nearly

[seatkid]

I am going to have words with the dealer tomorrow and see where we go from there,I hope i have not flushed nearly £3000 down the toilet. Thanks again for all your advice.

 

Read this

 

They sold you a pup that broke down seriously on its first trip, incurring you large extra costs just to have it recovered. As it is most likely a head problem, (water pumps dont break after 1200 miles and the foamy soap look implies exhaust gas has entered the cooling system), it is potentially a £1500+ job.

Therefore you are entitled to a full refund and claim extra compensation. If they dont agree, either seek legal advice or bang in a "small claim" through the county court.

Edited May 15, 2011 by seatkid

[tara]

Just got of telephone with the dealer and they coming to collect the car tomorrow take it to there own service garage and put all the problems right and including new cylinder head gasket and head if its needed also fix aircon and give me warranty an all jobs done. Does this sound fair? I have to say its not a back street garage it sells mostly

[seatkid]

Just got of telephone with the dealer and they coming to collect the car tomorrow take it to there own service garage and put all the problems right and including new cylinder head gasket and head if its needed also fix aircon and give me warranty an all jobs done. Does this sound fair? I have to say its not a back street garage it sells mostly £5000-£30000 cars Should i put my trust and faith in them to sort it? Or am i losing rights if i accept a repair? Thanks again

You have to, in law, give them a chance to repair it if thats what they want to do. There is a time limit and a limit to how many attempts they can have.

 

If they are going to collect and fix everthing with a decent warranty (minimum of 3 months - demand a 12 month warranty on the the repairs) - then should be OK.

 

Keep reminding them of your recovery costs - I don't think its unreasonable for them to cover them in some way (a free service in the future perhaps)

 

If the head is cracked (it requires a new head) or the head gasket is blown, then in all probability a previous owner has had the car remapped or fitted a tuning box. The problem was probably there when they traded in and they fleeced the garage.

Edited May 15, 2011 by seatkid

[tara]

OMG We just went through all the receipts and invoices and there is a receipt for 2 bottles of KSEAL dated 02 feb 2011 i have done my research and k seal is for headgasket or radiator failure. Looks to me now 100% head gasket failure just on the evidence of KSEAL being used in the last 3 months.

[gregers]

doesnt sound good does it?

 

do some research on the internet,on buying goods and consumer rights.

that way you are armed with the correct information when you have your discussions with the supplying dealer.

and when they try and say there not obliged to do this/that,you can hit them with what is stated in law.

 

good luck with whatever you decide to do,plz keep us informed of the outcome.

 

just seen your post about the aircon having a problem too,

personally the aircon can be a bottomless pit aswell,i cant see the dealer spending VAST ammounts on the car which by the sound of it is what he may have to do?.

Edited May 15, 2011 by gregers

[seatkid]

OMG We just went through all the receipts and invoices and there is a receipt for 2 bottles of KSEAL dated 02 feb 2011 i have done my research and k seal is for headgasket or radiator failure. Looks to me now 100% head gasket failure just on the evidence of KSEAL being used in the last 3 months.

As you have hard evidence of a pre existing serious problem that was not brought to your attention at the time of sale then you have the right to reject the vehicle out of hand and demand a full refund plus compensation.

 

You could accept the garages offer to repair, but I think they need to compensate you fully and give you alternative vehicle during the period it is being repaired. I would only be happy if this was a main dealer repair. Head repairs are not always successful long term and may have other consequences.

 

If the car had been chipped (95% certain) then a lot of components have been stressed to beyond their normal limits including engine blocks, clutches, gearboxes and transmissions.

 

I personally think anyone who chips their car is a w*nker, and those who hide it from their insurance and any purchaser ought to be had for fraud.

 

From the end of 2011, it will be illegal to chip cars (EU directive) and it remains to be seen if the MOT will pick these things up as they will be obliged to do.

[gregers]

as seatkid has said about having a loan vechile while yours is being repaired is the least they could do,

i ended up having a loaner for 12 days,whilst they repaired mine.

 

but only you can decide the route you wish to go down.

[tara]

Ok garage coming to pick up car at 4.30 bring with them a 59 plate vauxhall astra which i can use till repair is done. They are going to fix all problems listed on the AA report and give me 6 months warranty on repairs. I think this is fair so are going ahead with it, Thanks all for your advice i will update when done.

[chrispb123456]

Ok garage coming to pick up car at 4.30 bring with them a 59 plate vauxhall astra which i can use till repair is done. They are going to fix all problems listed on the AA report and give me 6 months warranty on repairs. I think this is fair so are going ahead with it, Thanks all for your advice i will update when done.

Hi Tara

Well done lets hope it's all done properly, when you collect car make sure they itemise exactly what they have done on the paperwork for future reference, what was the outcome of the AA report?

[tara]

AA report states possible head gasket failure due to gases in the header tank pressure build up when under load,no heat from the heaters whilst engine hot. Further investigation needed, Aircon inop and green dye on the compressor.

[gregers]

well if your happy,then thats a result.:D

[cyborg]

Good for you thats a step up from being told to take it to local garage, TOTAL RESULT well done .:D

[Amarok]

OMG We just went through all the receipts and invoices and there is a receipt for 2 bottles of KSEAL dated 02 feb 2011 i have done my research and k seal is for headgasket or radiator failure. Looks to me now 100% head gasket failure just on the evidence of KSEAL being used in the last 3 months.

Edited May 16, 2011 by Amarok

[tara]

Quick update on this, I picked car up from dealers today its had a recon head put on with new valve guides and seals new head gasket comes with 6 months warranty parts and labour. New aircon pipe and seal plus regas seems to be working at the moment. Drove it 90 miles from Bradford and all seems good no losing water no pressure in the header tank and temp stays at 90 all the way i get hot air from the vents now also. So i hope this is it and all will be ok. Thanks all for your advice.

1 thing however i plugged the laptop into the car using VCDS lite and code comes up as fuel temp sensor open, i cleared the codes and took it on a drive and checked when i got back and no codes found. Has anyone had any problems with this fuel temp sensor? And is it a big problem if it comes back? Thanks again