Hi everybody, a newbie to passionford here. I recently had a bizarre issue which has stumped me and was wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem. My wife and son share an 07 plate ka zetec climate, my mrs came home from work and told me the heater was only blowing cold air, upon investigation the coolant catch tank was completely empty. I filled the tank with water and coolant and ran the car for about 20 mins before checking the level finding it to be fine. The next day I took my car to a garage who pressure tested the cooling system to twice its normal pressure with no signs of a leak. The problem has not resurfaced since. The question is, where did the water go and is it likely to happen again.
Thanks in advance for any ideas.

 

Firstly check the cap on the water header tank, the rubber seal twist, crimp, or perrish meaning it doesnt seal.

This happened to us and a quick straighten out of the rubber 'o' ring and it solved the issue. Would never have believed it but apparently common. Also check that the fan is kicking in when it gets hot as they can pack up over time.

If the oil is all fine and not mayonaisy, and there are no water leaks from pipes int he bay, or inside the car - check the carpets for damp - could be a heater matrix?

If all of this is fine, then it may well have just been the cap letting the water evaporate.

 

Does the heater now work ok? How much coolant did it take to fill it back up?

 

The carpets are nice and dry and the pipes in the engine bay are all fine.
The coolant tank took about 3/4 quarters of a litre to refill.
Thanks

 

For now I'd just watch the coolant level every day to see if it starts dropping again. If it does I'd be tempted to sling a bottle of rad-weld in it!

 

Will do, thanks.