Help My Ford fiesta's coolant has disappeared

pinkangelnic

Hi I'm wondering if someone could give me some advice

Driving my car home from work yesterday (ford fiesta 1.25 05 plate)the temperature warning light came on, continued to drive for the last .25 of a mile and it fluctuated between 2/4 bars ( which is normal) to 3/4 and 4/4 (when warning light comes on)

After it had cooled i checked the water/coolent levels and it has dissapeared !. The main storage part is empty but i'm not sure if anyone is familliar with fiestas but it has a shallow part that extends from main section which has got coolant in but is not in same section where the min/max levels are marked.

I only checked it before xmas and it was fine, i've only owned the car myself for a month and its only done 14K so stupidly thought it didnt need checking as often and am quite worried what this would cost me to get fixed and if i've done more damage by driving it.

What do you think it is and is there anything i can do myself to get it fixed

Many thanks

Nicola

AndysDad

Hi Nicola,I guess you may have a small leak but I would fill it up to the 'Max' level and try it on a short run to see if the level stays the same or goes down again.I don't think you would have done any damage to the engine as you stopped as soon as you noticed it was over-heating.If level goes down then its either a leak in the hoses or radiator or the worst senario is a blown head -gasket...Good Luck !

tomstickland

Keep topping it up and observe how quickly it goes down. They can have air trapped in the system which takes a while to fill up with water.
If it's a big leak then it should be reasonable easy to spot.
Drive the car and then stop and look for dampness. Radiators can leak, as can pipe connections.

sparky7

I had this a few months ago, coolant was leaking in the engine which indicated the head gasket had gone. Fill it up, check if it leaks out onto the floor, if it doesn't I'd get a friendly local garage to check if it is the head gasket. It may be time to sell the car!

[Deleted User]

When our MG started drinking coolant, it was the head gasket .. you can get gunk to fix it, but the repair is really expensive

Lorian

Top up with dilute antifreeze though, not just water.

Pssst

pink.it is imperative that you premix the right proportions of antifreeze and water in say an old 2 litre coke bottle and then use this to top up. Do not keep topping up with fresh water as there may well be expensive consequences! When topped up,check for water leaks and/or excessive steam from exhaust when engine has warmed or difficulty starting! Report back

goldspanners

sparky7 wrote: »

I had this a few months ago, coolant was leaking in the engine which indicated the head gasket had gone. Fill it up, check if it leaks out onto the floor, if it doesn't I'd get a friendly local garage to check if it is the head gasket. It may be time to sell the car!

this is a bit of an over reaction i think.
it could be something simple like a loose hose or damaged radiator.
even if the head gasket has gone i would say an 05 plate fiesta with 14k on it is worth spending £400 to repair it. but this is worst case scenario
but due to the cars age and low miles i doubt the head gasket has gone.
fill up coolant (50/50 mix of antifreeze and water) run it and watch for leaks from the radiator,hoses and engine, it wont be easy to spot on the road as our roads are constantly damp at the moment.
check the passengers footwell,is it damp? if so then it could be the heater matrix leaking.
but still think its simpler than that.
top up and watch closely.

angel00079

ringo_24601 wrote: »

When our MG started drinking coolant, it was the head gasket .. you can get gunk to fix it, but the repair is really expensive

I think that the gunk is K-Seal. I am thinking about using it for our cars. I have had a lot of good advice on the thread that I started. I am no expert, hence the reason for me starting my thread but the age of the car would make me think that it is not as serious as a head gasket. I suppose it depends how the car had been maintained. Did you get receipts etc? Did you buy it privately or from a garage?

I don't think you have done any damge as you didn't drive for miles with excess heat. As has been said I would look for leakages and I would take it to a garage that you trust (if you know one) and get them to have a look at it for piece of mind. If you post what they say I am sure that MSEers will be able to advise if they are quoting for things that are not needed if you do not know how trustworthy they are.

pinkangelnic

Thanks to everyone that has replied so far, i was weary of it being the head gasket but have checked the engine oil as i know this can be afected and this seams fine,

I'll be taking it into a garage tomorrow morning so will let you know what the response is

Nicola

pinkangelnic

Just to let you know what happened in case this happens to anyone else, is was a broken water pump, which is apparently common on newer fiestas, and focus'. Cost £280 to get fixed !!!!! £80 for pump plus vat £10 for coolant and 4 hours labor, at least I stopped driving it straight away to save head gasket being replaced