Renault Traffic 125 DCI coolant loss?

[difflock]

The daughters van, the DPF light was on and she was driving it at elevated engine revs to attempt to clear the blockage, per internet advice, when there was a "ting" and another light/warning measage came on, and when the bonnet was lifted no coolant to be seen in the header tank.

Only 40,000 miles showing on a 2016 damaged repairable, imported and fixed local by a trusted acquaintence.

Starts and runs fine, but "check stop start" message and another message something about "pollution device  .  .  .",

that I cannot get to come up again, it now  just says "check stop start"

So I put a battery charger on just in case the battery was getting low.

But that aside no coolant, so any obvious or know weak points in hoses or owt else?

Cheers

Mth

[Paddy1000111]

there's no leaks anywhere onto the ground? You sure it hasn't been dropping over time and your daughter hasn't been regularly checking so didn't notice? For a start, check the oil level, make sure coolant hasn't got in. I'm 99% sure that the oil cooler is cooled by the coolant on these. They take 6.5L of coolant so it has to have gone somewhere. The old italian tune up can point out weak links in a system. Bit like people who slate holts radiator flush because it gave them a headgasket leak, if your head gasket was in good nick it wouldn't have been broken by some radiator flush! 

Edited February 21, 2021 by Paddy1000111

[AHPP]

Could the radiator have been leaking slowly but the drips have been caught by the under engine tray? I’ve got a driveshaft leak (I think) on my van but the oil sits and congeals on the tray rather than showing itself on the driveway.

 

 

[difflock]

Paddy and AHPP,

I used to drive a Citroen with the hydropneumatic suspension, and other older cars, so larned to look for drips and leaks, but NO, no drips seen.

The van is mostly parked on clean concrete at the back of our house, so I should have noticed.

The daughter WILL NOT CHECK, for fluid levels/leaks, despite my frequent and direct instructions, so I have no idea.

I pulled the dipstick and the oil looks clean and oily and at the correct level.

I did suspect some long term slow loss associated with  some unnoticed damage due to the frontal collision.

Anyway she is taking it back to the bloke she bought it off, since he also services her car, and seems decent and reliable.

Thanks again

mth

[Paddy1000111]

only way to test that sort of thing is to fill the system up, bleed as required, top the reservoir up to overflowing and then do a coolant system pressure check with a pump gauge. Be interested to know how he gets on. It's the M9R engines in those iirc, same as nissan xtrails and they have a habbit of sipping coolant 

[difflock]

Well some progress today, after charging the battery for 24 hours due to probably? unassociated electrical gremlins, started the engine and ran it at about 3000 rpm, and she dumped the contents of the header tank into the undertray. In a very few minutes.

So presumably a tiny split in a hose opening under the extra pressure created by the higher RPMS?

I had searched and found a comment about a poorly routed coolant hose that could chafe  through in a very few thou miles

More to follow.

Edited February 22, 2021 by difflock

[difflock]

Well ah plucked up me courage and pulled the undertray off, refilled the header tank(with water!) and voila,  dripping out the bottom. 

The hose running down to the electric coolant pump is routed so that it can do nothing BUT vibrate against a very sharp protruding plastic edge.

WTF imagined anything else could happen I cannot imagine.

And Lord God but the fank of shite, gubbins an hoses sandwiched in the non existent room between the front of the engine and the back of the radiator leaves me in despair!

It being quite impossible to either see, or get a hand, nay even finger tip in to establish where or how the upper end of the punctured hose terminates.

Marcus

Edited February 24, 2021 by difflock