So erm, first breakdown

snowdog

snowdog

snowdog

Soldato
Joined
27 Oct 2005
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13,804
Location
Netherlands
You'll all probably laugh but meh just wanted to share the Galant let me down today, one of the coolant hoses somehow got a leak in it ( as if something metal came against it) and the car overheated, obviously I shut the engine down immediately and pushed it to a safe location, hopefully the engine is fine. I identified the leak and will come there tomorrow to try to mend it, put coolant in it and try to drive home. If all goes well It'll be on the road again tomorrow if I'm unlucky I damaged my engine :(. The coolant was dripping out of the bottom...

My first breakdown experience where I couldn't drive on, so much for japanese reliability ( I'm actually a bit stumped as to how the hose got punctured, it looks like it has been cut by something), all I can hope for is that the engine is fine tomorrow. Luckily I still have the Volvo to go from a to b and luckily I broke down in a place not far from here and actually in front of a place where one of my mates lives ( he drove me home). Checked the oil immediately and that looks normal so hopefully the HG is fine.

Just wanted to share I guess:o.
 
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Coolant hoses by their nature wear out, crack and leak (constant heat/cool/vibration cycles).

Should be fine as long as you didn't run it for long with no coolant in it.
 
I hope so. I was coming off the motorway and noticed various lights on my dash light up, immediately turned the engine off, I hope it didn't run for too long while overheated.
The problem is I don't know when it exactly happened, I noticed it from the moment the ''low coolant level'' light went up, only moments before I was still happily cruising at 80mph...
Pushed it a good 200 yards to a residential area where I now left it, then I was brought home by someone as luckily it was a minute away.
 
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iaind said:
Yup - a cheaper than average tatty car will have no other problems other than the obvious.
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No this never happens...oh...

kae2 said:
Coolant hoses by their nature wear out, crack and leak (constant heat/cool/vibration cycles).

Should be fine as long as you didn't run it for long with no coolant in it.
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Yup, splits can occur that look like a cut. Saying that...if it's been as well looked after as snowdog originally claimed then the pipes should all be in full working order and not be close to perishing...
 
Quick trip to Poland for a botched HG repair and a "new" hose I think and it should be about as good as it was when you bought it!
 
InvaderGIR said:
No this never happens...oh...



Yup, splits can occur that look like a cut. Saying that...if it's been as well looked after as snowdog originally claimed then the pipes should all be in full working order and not be close to perishing...
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It has all the service stamps and the last 2 bills, it looked like it was maintained fine...
 
I had a similar issue on my mk4 Golf recently. The lower radiator hose split and looked like it had been cut. Luckily I'd already stopped and spotted the water gushing out before I restarted the car. In my case I don't think it perished but I think the hose had come into contact with the radiator fan very briefly (long story, think I know how that happened). Could that have happened on yours?
 
Stamps and 2 bills mean it was looked after?

I'd say a working clutch, in tact interior and no rust would indicate it was looked after
 
Hades said:
I had a similar issue on my mk4 Golf recently. The lower radiator hose split and looked like it had been cut. Luckily I'd already stopped and spotted the water gushing out before I restarted the car. In my case I don't think it perished but I think the hose had come into contact with the radiator fan very briefly (long story, think I know how that happened). Could that have happened on yours?
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Yeah thats exactly what it looks like only the water was ''just'' dripping out by the moment I was taking a first look. Ah well all I can do now is wait for tomorrow, try to mend the hole temporarily, add coolant, and see how the engine is. If I'm lucky a new hose pipe is all it needs.
 
snowdog said:
Yeah thats exactly what it looks like only the water was ''just'' dripping out by the moment I was taking a first look. Ah well all I can do now is wait for tomorrow, try to mend the hole temporarily, add coolant, and see how the engine is. If I'm lucky a new hose pipe is all it needs.
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The RAC guy taped mine up as a temporary repair (I believe Halfords sell special repair tape so this could do). It lasted several weeks as I had the car booked in for a service and saw no need to get it repaired immediately. I did indeed get a new hose fitted while it was being serviced (I'm fussy abut my cars and always get things fixed properly) but the temporary fix should last a while if you get the right kind of fixing tape.
 
A word of warning when headgaskets start to fail it over pressurises the coolant system and splits hoses. Hopefully though it is just a perished or otherwise defective hose.
 
Scubascorpion said:
A word of warning when headgaskets start to fail it over pressurises the coolant system and splits hoses. Hopefully though it is just a perished or otherwise defective hose.
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Wouldn't a failed HG mean a mayo like goo on the oil dipstick and excessive steam from the exhaust ? The car has neither of those and I checked the oil specifically for that when it happened today.

However, as a result of today, I got some breakdown cover for if something happens in the future, always handy to have and meh for 30€ per year it's a bargain imo even if nothing happens it's only a small price.

Still very happy I still have my trusty Volvo, after 20k km/1 year of ragging it about around town it's never let me down :).
 
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To be honest, it just sounds like a dead pipe, should be fine. Shutting off the engine as soon as you saw it was hot should prevent damage. Out of interest, do you just have a light, or light and temp gauge?
If it has a temp gauge, does it normally sit at a certain temp, or vary lots? If the former, any idea as to when the light comes on (ie, no water or just at x temp)?
 
InvaderGIR said:
To be honest, it just sounds like a dead pipe, should be fine. Shutting off the engine as soon as you saw it was hot should prevent damage. Out of interest, do you just have a light, or light and temp gauge?
If it has a temp gauge, does it normally sit at a certain temp, or vary lots? If the former, any idea as to when the light comes on (ie, no water or just at x temp)?
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It always looked fine, gauge was always in the center after just about 2 minutes, I've never seen it that high like it was today. I've driven about 700km since I had it and driven it daily and never noticed anything odd with it, temps were always fine and it heated up in no time.

It has a temp gauge, and a low coolant light.
 
Did you notice the needle move then, or just the light come on? Hopefully it'll be fine...but I learnt the hard way with the 328i that the light often means death. How bad it can be depends on the engine though. Some cars you can just skim and put in a new HG, others (like the 328) you have to bin the engine.
 
InvaderGIR said:
Did you notice the needle move then, or just the light come on? Hopefully it'll be fine...but I learnt the hard way with the 328i that the light often means death. How bad it can be depends on the engine though. Some cars you can just skim and put in a new HG, others (like the 328) you have to bin the engine.
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I never noticed the needle move up so high, I only noticed it being so high up when the other light on the dash lighted up.

After about 30 minutes of cooling down the needle was about halfway down again.

It's the 2.5 v6 24v engine, the same one as used in the VR4 I think, but without the 2 turbo's.
 
I don't know anything about the engines so can't really help on that front, but for getting it home (I read this as you've left it on the side of the road for the moment) try getting hold of something like this as Hades mentioned. But use it as an emergency get you home solution, not a perm until you can be bothered fix. Once home, flush the coolant system, replace the broken pipe, check the state of the others and depending on how much of a pig it is, change the thermostat (although it sounds like it is just a split pipe). :)
 
Yeah I will I don't want the cooling to fail again if the engine is fine after this, I've left it VERY close practically in front of a house where my mates lives and told him to take a look once per day at it, it can stay there for a couple of days if needed but it's not the best street and car burglary/broken windows often happen there, I'd rather not leave it there longer than a couple of days. Did my best to make it not look attractive all the compartments like glove box and in the center are open so hopefully nobody smashes the window there :(.
 
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