The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Hello
My Sprint returned from a Triumph specialist a few weeks ago, the work completed included head re-skim / re-fitting and fitting / tuning carbs, prep for MOT etc. There was several hours work by them and somehow the work came to well in to four figures, but anyway... I noticed the water / antifreeze mix in the header tank was low after driving the 50 miles or so home, I topped this up, hoping it was just due to air being purged from the system, however it seems to have gone down considerably again after another drive. I have checked for leaks, including the water pump (recently re-built) but can find nothing. Admittedly, I have not yet drained the sump but I am suspicious the water is ending up here as I have experienced this before. Working on the assumption that the Triumph specialist has done everything correctly, why would this be happening? The head has been skimmed (photo evidence of this from Triumph specialist) and torqued to correct amount (?) so it's a bit weird. Could a problem in the cylinder head cause this? The reading I have done on forum previously I think suggested this is unlikely, but something is amiss. I'm reluctant to use the car now as I believe the antifreeze can cause problems for the bearings?

Also, since returning, the car sometimes makes a loud 'psst' noise when cranking, what is the cause of this?

Thanks for any advice guys

I hate to be a prophet of doom here, but Mad Mart had a similar problem with recurring water in the sump despite several new head gaskets and a head pressure test proving negative. It turned out to be a crack in the cylinder block.

However, you are not yet at that stage of condemnation and there could be other causes of coolant loss, ranging from a duff rad cap or poor rad cap to header tank seal up through leaking heater rad or hoses through water pump, head gasket and head cracking to the block. If you suspect coolant in the sump, you need to confirm this before going further. It may also be advantageous to do one of those exhaust gas leakage tests on the cooling system.

Steve

Oh

A cracked block did cross my mind actually, I hope it's not that, I haven't got any more spare cash to throw at the car, I'm having a new garage built, maybe I shouldn't bother!! I will drain the sump and see what happens, I'm not optimistic tbh and expect water to be in there. The coolant cap is new and all the hoses have new clips. I will get an exhaust gas tester. How easy is it to check the block? Could the crack be internal between cylinders? I'm guessing that would be the end of the engine? Maybe I need to contact MadMart for advice. I've read through a couple of other posts on the forum with the same topic, and the water pump is mentioned. The water pump has just been refitted after being rebuilt, so MAYBE it's not sealing properly...?

Chris

Pull the dipstick, what colour is the oil?

The thing to do is not to panic and get downhearted and be methodical. As Steve says, it could be anything and the last thing would probably be to suspect a problem with the block.

Plenty of advice on here so keep posting.

I would start with what Bruce has suggested, pull the dipstick, what colour's the oil?

If Ok, run it up to temp and check all of the hose connections arent leaking a bit, sometimes they need a tweak to seal against a corroded joint, Mahesh had a problem here I think.

Then I would check the water pump, with the engine up to temp is there any water dribbling out of the slit in the block?

Others may have a different approach but as I said, keep posting your findings and dont give up!

Before stripping down, it may be easier to do a compression test.

On mine, the thermostat housing to header tank had blocked up, causing massive
pressure to build up, forcing water out of the slot under the water pump, having
done the water pump over 4 times, I was glad to have found the problem, which
was simpler than it seemed.

The last water pump build has been the best, as it held the pressure, water could
have easily gone to the sump in my case as well.

Also worth looking around the inlet manifold gasket, and checking the spark plugs.

Morning

Yes you're right of course, as Clive Dunn would say: "Don't panic!" I found myself looking at replacement blocks sold by Rimmers Bros at 4am so I probably am panicking slightly! Get a grip, Chris it's only a car!

Oil looks normal on dipstick, no mayonnaise or anything weird. I will drain the oil later and see what comes out, also (with oil back in!) run to look for bubbles in the header tank, and look very closely for any water finding it's way out. Will try to get my hands on an exhaust tester too.

Will report back

Whoa...!!!

First things first here; you took the car to a Triumph Specialist who charged you a four figure sum to deliver a car back to you that now has a problem it didn't have before...?

If you start messing with it, you will absolve them of any responsibility. Do little more than checking the oil, coolant for exhaust gas and maybe a compression test. Take it back to them.


Out of interest, why did they skim the head?

If, when checking with the dipstick, the oil level is way above where it is supposed to be, then that is a good indicator that water has gotten into the sump. If you remove the sump plug briefly and only oil comes out then you should be ok. Remember, oil will not mix with water and will rise to the top.

Do the usual checks for mayonnaise and then, as suggested, do a compression test (or a leak-down test if you have the equipment).

As Alun said, I wouldn't do any more than that at this stage. Contact the garage that did the work.

In my defence, what I suggested would tell the op if its a problem that wasn't caused by the garage, something simple like a loose jubilee clip or if the water pump is shot.

Then if he does go back at least he can say that he's checked these things to rule them out.

Oil does not mix with water....hmmmm

Depends what you mean by mix I guess....

It turns to mayonaise when its all churned about with the engine running and the common cause of this is a broken water pump seal. If your dipstick oil is clean and you have no mayo on the underside of the filler cap I suspect the water is going elsewhere, like out of the tailpipe as steam.

If the garage did your water pump I would be worried about this. Its not a job for an amateur. If they bumped the pump to get it to seat after a rebuild they could well have rogered the seal.

Jonners