Car trouble

[TheChamp]

same story I got taken on,
went to auto electrician, tore all the wiring looms apart looking for the problem,
after a week, nothing.

went to another Mechanic, eish, we dont know.

ECU box, when that goes, most Mechanics simply dont know how to fix it,
so they throw parts at it, in the hopes something will work.

OP, take some advise from somebody that danced this jig before,
auto ECU, give them the ECU, get them to test it (they have the equipment)

see what they say.
if its busted, as it most probably is, get another from a junkyard.

I say don't fiddle with things that shouldn't be fiddled with based on tales told by a dishonest mechanic, you will regret it.

 

[Neuk_]

Well, I'm at a loss... I don't know how water would end up in my computer box if I haven't driven the car through flooding or sprayed the engine wet. Or driven it into the ocean, a pool, or any body of water. It hasn't even been out in heavy rain recently.

Even if you had driven through heavy rain or a large puddle, it would be a monumental task to get water in to a car's ECU, unless there was damage in specific places. I have heard of one strange issue with certain model VW MkI Tiguan's and water getting in to a part of the wiring harness and making it's way somewhere it shouldn't but it is a very extreme, rare case.

 

[Neuk_]

So, the car was returned to me yesterday afternoon after they had replaced the housing and so far so good. I managed to take it out for a few test runs and it seems to be doing better than it was even before it started acting up this week. I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best...

What housing was replaced? At least the car is working and I hope it didn't cost you too much.

 

[OnlyOneKenobi]

So, after my car trouble earlier this year, things have taken a new turn.

Now it's overheating and seemingly leaking coolant. I realise it *might* be because of a blown head gasket, though I don't see any other of the tell tale symptoms such as white smoke from my exhaust or milkiness in the oil, etc. It might just be a leaky pipe or connection.

The only symptoms are... the coolant reservoir empties out somehow and the heat warning light comes up when driving the car 5-6km. Originally I did not see any signs of where it's leaking but after the last drive, I saw a drip trail of coolant as I pulled into the garage.

I decided that since the original "service station" that worked on my car in Jan \ Feb turned out to be quite unreliable, I would get the car checked out by someone else... and got quoted R6800 for them just to "check" what the issue is. Again, I'm not a car person but that quote seems excessive...?

 

[TheChamp]

Surely even if you are not a car person you can see the general location from where the coolant is leaking? You are going to have to be a car person very fast otherwise you are going to sink all your life savings into that car and it still won't be fixed.

Check the water pipes, reservoir, radiator, and around the pulleys, there's a water pump there, as well as where it goes into the engine.

Does the car still have the usual pulling power when you drive.

 

[Neuk_]

So, after my car trouble earlier this year, things have taken a new turn.

Now it's overheating and seemingly leaking coolant. I realise it *might* be because of a blown head gasket, though I don't see any other of the tell tale symptoms such as white smoke from my exhaust or milkiness in the oil, etc. It might just be a leaky pipe or connection.

The only symptoms are... the coolant reservoir empties out somehow and the heat warning light comes up when driving the car 5-6km. Originally I did not see any signs of where it's leaking but after the last drive, I saw a drip trail of coolant as I pulled into the garage.

I decided that since the original "service station" that worked on my car in Jan \ Feb turned out to be quite unreliable, I would get the car checked out by someone else... and got quoted R6800 for them just to "check" what the issue is. Again, I'm not a car person but that quote seems excessive...?

That is a lot of coolant to lose and heat to generate in 5-6 km As @TheChamp has suggested, get in the engine bay and under the car and look for any obvious coolant leaks from piping, hoses, clamps, radiator, sensors, etc, etc. Some of the harder places are the water pump,, head gasket and if your car as an oil cooler that relies on a heat exchanger fed with engine coolant. It might seem strange, but have you checked your oil level?

 

[OnlyOneKenobi]

Surely even if you are not a car person you can see the general location from where the coolant is leaking? You are going to have to be a car person very fast otherwise you are going to sink all your life savings into that car and it still won't be fixed.

Check the water pipes, reservoir, radiator, and around the pulleys, there's a water pump there, as well as where it goes into the engine.

Does the car still have the usual pulling power when you drive.

Thanks,
Checked... I don't see any leaks inside the engine bay.. Become a car person? Okay. I don't know what else to say about it. Yes, the car still has pulling power when driving. When it had the previous issue with the ECU, it felt like it was losing power, but driving it now, the only issue is the heat and empty coolant reservoir when checking it from time to time. I don't feel a loss of power at all. Oil level was checked and is fine.

 

[Segg]

Thanks,
Checked... I don't see any leaks inside the engine bay.. Become a car person? Okay. I don't know what else to say about it. Yes, the car still has pulling power when driving. When it had the previous issue with the ECU, it felt like it was losing power, but driving it now, the only issue is the heat and empty coolant reservoir when checking it from time to time. I don't feel a loss of power at all. Oil level was checked and is fine.

Take it to Silverton Radiators if there is one near you, that's way too much to be leaking through the head in that amount of time

 

[Claymore]

Could be coolant tank; they can develop cracks, and the leak happens when hot, and the leak may not be visible underneath the tank.

 

[RonSwanson]

So, after my car trouble earlier this year, things have taken a new turn.

Now it's overheating and seemingly leaking coolant. I realise it *might* be because of a blown head gasket, though I don't see any other of the tell tale symptoms such as white smoke from my exhaust or milkiness in the oil, etc. It might just be a leaky pipe or connection.

The only symptoms are... the coolant reservoir empties out somehow and the heat warning light comes up when driving the car 5-6km. Originally I did not see any signs of where it's leaking but after the last drive, I saw a drip trail of coolant as I pulled into the garage.

I decided that since the original "service station" that worked on my car in Jan \ Feb turned out to be quite unreliable, I would get the car checked out by someone else... and got quoted R6800 for them just to "check" what the issue is. Again, I'm not a car person but that quote seems excessive...?

See post #13