A310 issue with waterworks!!

This is not what you want to see on the pavement when you get back from a short Saturday afternoon drive!

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Fortunately it must have started leaking fairly close to home as the temperature gauge was still OK. After removing the gearbox cover there was coolant from the chassis tunnel where I have had leaks before from the nearside pipe. I have now drained the coolant so that I can slide the pipes out a bit and see if there is more corrosion. Once I get about 200mm along the nearside pipe (top one in photo) it doesn't look too bad, but I have yet to check the other one.

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Last time I just fitted longer hoses to cover the holes in the pipe so hopefully I will do the same again. I will resume investigations tomorrow.

On another point can anyone advise how to drain the coolant from the block as it was a brown rusty colour and needs draining before I put new in?

Rob

Take the stat out then flush through from the rad hoses .

[johnb]

On another point can anyone advise how to drain the coolant from the block as it was a brown rusty colour and needs draining before I put new in?

Rob

On my engine there's a plug in the nearside block as in the first photo. It's the one to the left, just below the no. 6 exhaust connection.
The one on the offside is where the temperature switch (possibly transmitter, can't remember) is fitted. In the second photo it's connected to the brown wire with the red terminal shroud.
They both might be difficult to access and there could always be a problem with the threads. When I removed and refitted them on my engine the engine was out of the car which made it easier. I didn't, however, have any problems with the threads.

If you want to do the best possible flush ..... whilst the two hoses are removed from the rad to back flush as Lee suggested, and if you are not going to remove the rad for flushing, you could try removing the rad switch, and with a trigger nozzle on the end of a hose connected to mains water pressure, with the nozzle adjusted to a jet of water, direct the jet downwards through the rad switch port, and keep flushing until the water runs clear through the two hose ports. It also might be worth wrapping some rag around the nozzle to act as a sort of seal to stop the water coming back through the rad port. Its not the best way ..... rad removal is, of course .... but I think you will find it will remove most ... if not all ... the sludge from the bottom of the rad.
Worth a try.

The pipes look a bit crusty but after I have cleaned them up where I can get to them there are no obvious leaks. Out of interest has anyone ever fitted silicon hoses as a temporary fix as I did look at this a few years ago when I had leaks before?

Working again now. Had two leaks, one in the nearside water tube again where it had two holes in it, one covered by the hose clip, one which wasn't.

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Pipes cut out and replaced with silicon hoses - so we will see how they perform.

The second leak was a split heater feed hose where it goes under the battery which has rubbed on the battery tray. Now replaced.

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