Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Ive got a HJ47 with a 2H in it. I'm loosing water out of the radiator somewhere and I fear I've got a cracked head.

I'm loosing water and I cant see any external leaks and overflow isn't full.
At operating temperature and with revs I cant see any bubbles in the radiator. I have noticed it blowing alot more black smoke now which to me would indicate water in the cylinders. I've thought of getting the cooling system pressure tested before I rip the head off.

Are there any other tests or things I should be looking for before I accept that the head is farked?

Paul

Tooheys wrote:Ive got a HJ47 with a 2H in it. I'm loosing water out of the radiator somewhere and I fear I've got a cracked head.

I'm loosing water and I cant see any external leaks and overflow isn't full.
At operating temperature and with revs I cant see any bubbles in the radiator. I have noticed it blowing alot more black smoke now which to me would indicate water in the cylinders. I've thought of getting the cooling system pressure tested before I rip the head off.

Are there any other tests or things I should be looking for before I accept that the head is farked?

Paul

Bubbles in rad sounds like Head, or the gasket

there are no bubbles from what i can see thats why im confused

Have you checked the oil...if its a milky colour then thats where the water is going which could indicate a cracked head gasket.

Lets all just take a big deep breath at the moment!!!

How fast are you loosing the water? How often are you having to top it up.

In a diesel, black smoke indicates over fuelling, not fuel getting into the cylinders. You would get poor combustion if this was the case, and get white smoke.

I had a mysterious water leak in my landcruiser, no seemingly external signs. The water leak can be a pin prickk somewhere that evaporates as it is coming out, leaving no visible water trails.

What have you checked? Is there movement in the water pump bearing? do all your hoses look top notch, including heater hoses? are there any powdery deposits around the top and bottom tanks of the radiator, or around any hose couplings.

The water pump was leaking in my 2h for a while and i couldnt work out where it was coming from. Then it finally spat the dummy and you could see the coolant spewing out.

Get a pressure test on it for a few a while, then climb all over the engine. Also check your heater core inside the dash, this may be leaking. Black smoke is deffinatley excess fuel. White smoke on a diesel is incomplete combustion, or possibly water. Though it can also be brake fluid or auto oil, so you cant just diagnose a fault by the colour of the smoke coming out.

Layto....

Ok I've taken a deep breath.......

G_loomis

I don't seem to be gaining any oil and it still seems black so i don't think the water is going into the oil.

Carts

On the drive to work and back which is about 25-30mins each way and about half highway half traffic lights I loose about 2-2.5 litres.

I did stuff around with the fuel screw awhile ago because the over inject button was stuck. I replaced it with a working second hand one I had laying around and set it to the old measurement......maybe i should wind it in a bit more.

I have brand new radiator hoses (top, bottom and bypass) all with good hose clamps. Heater hoses are old and the heater tap leaks a little bit because the heater gets hot after long drives. I have no floor mat or carpet so I would have thought i would notice water pooling on the floor. The water pump was replaced about 6 months ago with a second hand one I had laying around that had no movement in the bearing, With the radiator it is an old one of a mates that we soldered a wild bend in the bottom outlet to clear my powersteering pump. It did get a few small holes in it while soldering and they were filled up with solder until it didnt leak under a pressure test. I also cant really see any white deposits on an hoses or down the front of the motor or on the rad.

From all this I think my best plan of attack is to pull the radiator and get it pressure tested by the radiator shop. Put a new water pump on and also a new water pump and see what happens. If its a cracked head these things will have to be done anyways.

Thanks for the replies

Paul

Mine was doing the same, lost about 4 litres of water then stopped, ran ok for a while then it did it again.....radiator tanks were starting to corrode, crap would dislodge and leak then reseal(?).

New radiator fixed it.

Check the oil cooler housing for leaks aswell.

Runs down the drivers side of the block, oil filter hangs off it. Very common for these to corrode through and spring a very small pin prick leak.

Common spots are near the back of the block where water enters the housing, and towards the front of the housing where air bubbles get trapped.

carts wrote:Lets all just take a big deep breath at the moment!!!

How fast are you loosing the water? How often are you having to top it up.

In a diesel, black smoke indicates over fuelling, not fuel getting into the cylinders. You would get poor combustion if this was the case, and get white smoke.

I had a mysterious water leak in my landcruiser, no seemingly external signs. The water leak can be a pin prickk somewhere that evaporates as it is coming out, leaving no visible water trails.

What have you checked? Is there movement in the water pump bearing? do all your hoses look top notch, including heater hoses? are there any powdery deposits around the top and bottom tanks of the radiator, or around any hose couplings.

The water pump was leaking in my 2h for a while and i couldnt work out where it was coming from. Then it finally spat the dummy and you could see the coolant spewing out.

Its in my nature to think 'worst case scenario'....that way I wont be dissapointed if it is a major problem!

once had the the same prob losing water into the sump on my 60 checked rad, hoses, oil cooler, everything thought it must be head/ head gasket pulled the head off no sign of blowby,cracking etc wtf. by chance i looked down the water jackets in the block and noticed that the water level was sitting about 1/2- 2 inches down in them so i filled it back up slowly (through the water jackets) and sure enough the water level started to slowly drop wtf again so im thinking cracked block. i left it like that for about 3 weeks then one day down the shed i had a brain snap and decided to take the lifter covers off and have a look, topped her up with water to see if i find the crack and sure enough there it was pin hole in one of the welch plugs there (theres four of in there) i didnt even know they were there replaced them with copper ones (toyota uses steel ones) and then replaced all the welch plugs in the head ( about 24-26 ) and the ones on the other side under the intake manifold. if only id have taken the side covers off before pulling the head off i might of gotten out of it for about $10 instead of $160

Ive got a 2005 4.2 diesel Patrol, after about 6 months from new in would use water for no reason, approx 500ml per 400km. I took to nissan and they said it is normal

I had pressure tests done, and CO tests to coolant and all was Ok. Drove for a year and just kept topping it up. Was at Supercheap and saw Cargo, Metalic Seal-up, put the bottle in and its been perfect for last 4 months.

txhog wrote:Ive got a 2005 4.2 diesel Patrol, after about 6 months from new in would use water for no reason, approx 500ml per 400km. I took to nissan and they said it is normal

I had pressure tests done, and CO tests to coolant and all was Ok. Drove for a year and just kept topping it up. Was at Supercheap and saw Cargo, Metalic Seal-up, put the bottle in and its been perfect for last 4 months.

lol @ nissan