massive coolant leak

[PyRo]

As much as it seems that the car has been neglected, i can assure that it hasnt.  The muffler is the original on the car. Although i was in need of one when i first purchased the car, i had other repairs to do and this seemed like the least important. Timing belt and water pump were done at time of purchase. A "new" rack was actually put in but as you can see from my post it was faulty and now needs to be replaced. The car has a new clutch, throwout bearing, new ps hoses and resoivoir, new tires and brakes and oil is changed every 3. That being said, even though times are tough and my mind is saying yes while my wallet is saying no, i am going to fix it.
 Danny



--- On Mon, 9/22/08, Ben Swann <benswann at verizon.net> wrote:

> From: Ben Swann <benswann at verizon.net>
> Subject: massive coolant leak
> To: 200q20v at audifans.com, pyro_10314 at yahoo.com
> Cc: "'Ben Swann'" <benswann at verizon.net>
> Date: Monday, September 22, 2008, 11:47 AM
> I can see someone wanting to throw in the towel if deferred
> maintenance was deferred
> until many major systems were broken and needing repairs of
> $thousands all at once.
> This should not be allowed to happen on these or any older
> vehicles.  If kept up with,
> maintenance on these cars can be kept at a reasonable cost
> from both time and money
> standpoint.  
> 
> Several of the items you mentioned are services that only
> need to be done rarely - 60K
> miles on timing belt and water pump where a good mechanic
> will clean up a lot of other
> stuff while he is in there.  Exhaust - how long did that
> first system last?  Steering
> rack can be a PITA, but like exhaust if rack was properly
> rebuilt and system flushed
> then you are likely good for another 200k miles.  Brakes -
> routine maintanence on any
> car.  Yeah - if the car needs all this at once then it may
> be overwhelming - these are
> the cars that are being sold for next to nothing and
> generally drive the book value down
> on a car that could conceivably last forever or at least go
> the million miles.
> 
> That said, I have dealt with cooling issues many times on
> the several Type 44 that I
> have had or serviced for self or friends.  Things that tend
> to go wrong and difficulty
> of repair:
> 
> Overflow tank - cracks, leaks - easy straighforward 
> repair.
> 
> Hose leak - upper radiator hose - not too difficult - keep
> one on hand because they can
> be hard to source, especially when you need one Saturday
> eve. before needing to use the
> car Sun. and Mon.  Other hose leaks similar.
> 
> Heater Valve - this is a bad one if it fails
> catastrophically when underway, as it can
> result in rapid meltdown - head warp due to rapid loss of
> coolant.  If any signs of
> leaking or impending death, replace now.  They tend to spit
> right down the case middle.
> At very least carry some sort of bypass or blocker plugs
> and hose clamps should
> emergency repair be needed.  Due to location, difficult to
> repair when engine hot - wait
> 'til cooldown or burned hands and arms.  Other coolant
> system problems may hasten
> failure - so make sure fan, thermostat, warning system,
> etc. all working.
> 
> Radiator - plastic tandk nipples tend to crack - can be
> repaired.  I had one recently
> that actually leaked around the end cap seal - slow leak
> was a little difficult to find.
> Replacement straight-forward, but time consuming.  Metal
> end tank units are a good
> investment if keeping the car.
> 
> You need to keep up with the MTFS (Multi-function temp
> switch/sender) and radiator fan
> switch and wiring - verify operation of these so you have
> warning when there is a
> problem creeping in - such as low coolant level.  This is
> to prevent other more
> catostrophic failures.
> 
> Thermostat - can be pain to replace, but sometimes they
> fail.
> 
> Water Pump - they do give warning when in need of
> replacement and leak can be hard to
> locate.  Replace with timing belt and should never be a
> problem.
> 
> HTH and good luck!
> 
> Ben
> 
> [Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:46:43 -0700 (PDT)
> From: PyRo <pyro_10314 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: massive coolant leak
> To: 200q20v at audifans.com
> Message-ID: <839213.76830.qm at web54407.mail.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> 
> Whats up all. seems like my car might be getting closer to
> collect that social security
> check. I walked out of my house today to a huge puddle on
> the floor. after checking my
> hydraulic fluid cause that leaks too, i opened up the
> coolant resoivoir and it was like
> i opened up the flood gate. i think i narrowed the leak
> down to the turbo coolant host.
> Does this come out from the coolant manifold, because that
> is where i felt the fluid. Is
> this a pita to replace? Im assuming that you have to remove
> the intake manifold to reach
> it. Now the main question, when do you throw in the towel?
> With my rack needing to be
> changed, along with a new muffler and now this, even though
> i still want to fix it, im
> feeling that it might be that time. The car has about
> 214,000 miles.
>  Danny]