coolant loss

[Christ]

Ok basically i have a long journey to make tomorrow (400miles) will be taking a few breaks on the way. I checked tires and oil and that today and was away to check coolant, there is none in the expansion tank! there was last week. I havent noticed the temperature going up high but to be fair I havent really been looking. I have filled with coolant up to the KALT mark just now. When i squeese the hoses there is a skooshing noise. the car seems to run just fine.

what can I do to check everything is ok/find the problem?

would it be ok to use tomorrow for the journey if I keep an eye on the temperature and coolant, maybe take some water and coolant to top up if I have to?

the engine is a c20xe and I am pretty clueless about mechanics!

[Adam]

Have you noticed any leaks?

If theres no leaks then your headgasket may be going, and i certainly wouldn't drive 400miles with it like that.

[Christ]

well there seems to be a slight puddle near the drivers side where the car was parked, but i cant see where its coming from.

[Adam]

Top rad hose?
Thermostat housing?
Waterpump?

[Will F]

I would go with waterpump, if iy were a hose etc it would pretty much dump all the coolent in one go...

[Matt2107]

Jack it up... run the engine and trace the dripping... as above more than likely to be the water pump.

[Stoo]

My SR is doing the Same and its dripping from the water pump

I have to stop every 30 miles or so on the motorway to top it up!!

This is only a temporary measure tho

[Welsh Dan]

Keep the heater on on your long journey at all times, if it blows cold then its time to pull over and top up the coolant.

[Christ]

Hi, thanks for all of your replies.

I just got back from being on holiday tonight so I havent had a chance to look, im going to later on.

with the coolant level at 'kalt' and the engine cold how much should it go down when the engine is warm? I am worried about starting the car incase there is water in the combustion chamber and it does damage.

[Adam]

The level shouldn't go down at all, ever.
If the system is leak free...

[Christ]

ah ok, i got told it should go down when hot and thats why you always fill it when the engine is cold.

[Adam]

Nah, you fill it up when its cold so that the pressure doesn't burn your face off when you attempt to remove the tank cap, lol

[Christ]

right just went out and had a look. the coolant was still down, (tank wasnt empty but it was low) so i filled it up to kalt and drove the car down the street and back to my house and up the drive, popped the bonnet and let it idle. The coolant level isnt going down anymore, once it had warmed the needle stayed below half and no smoke came from the exhaust.

when I was checking for leaks I found a black wire hanging loose. I will try and describe where it is coming from. Between the head and the injectors there is a black box with a plug on the end, the plug goes to another plug underneath the coil. a wire also comes off and goes to the distributer. the loose wire i found is behind the rad fan and underneath the distributer. its not a long wire - about 4 inches long. any ideas where that would be from?