Carina Leak

[mikethebike]

Hi , my car is losing some water the last few weeks.

I have traced the leak to under the dizzy area, there is a blanking plug which is hidden in the pic, could this be the culprit?

Car is 1.6 leanburn with 120,000 and runs great apart from this.

[gazza1286]

Water loss in the Carina is usually linked to a worn water pump. The signs are difficult to spot unless you can get under the car. Take a look at:

http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=49437

[mikethebike]

Thanks for the reply Gazza, have looked around the pump area and it is bone dry!

I am thinking the blanking plug on the block...........????? have you heard of these leaking?

Could it be the o ring on the distributor also mixing with the leaking coolant?

No sign of oil in coolant or mayo in the oil either so I doubt its the headgasket!

Anything else i should look for?

[gazza1286]

How much are you losing?

When my Carina began losing coolant it was around a pint over a couple of hundred miles. This slowly began to increase. Throughout this period I couldn't find any leak whatsoever. There was only a faint tell-tale sign on the lower check hole on the water pump. This was dried white powder(coolant residue). This can only be seen lying on your back directly under the water pump.

Any leak from your distributor 'O' ring would only be oil. If you are losing significant amounts then it could be the head-gasket. A leak of coolant from the Distributor O-ring could only occur if the head-gasket has failed. And if it was that bad there would by many more serious symptoms. - The coolant would be running dry in less than 30 miles!! Major overheating etc...

If you think there is a leak on the blanking plug this can easily be remedied using epoxy-resin (available in two-part putty form from Halfords £2.50. Might be described as 'petrol tank repair putty').

It is possible that there could be a leak in the heater matrix inside the passenger compartment.

Your phote shows a degree of dampness but I would put that down as oil. Coolant loss there would evaporate from the heat of the engine leaving the powdery residue (assuming you have anti-freeze in the system)

Despite what you say my money is on the water pump.

Good luck

[mikethebike]

Turns out you were right Gazza, had a look from underneath and right enough there was the tell tale puddle of coolant on top of the sump.

Also the o ring on distributor i bet is gone..........will do that myself but the water pump looks a pig of a job.

One the bright side car is due timing belt change so I will kill 2 birds with one stone.

Once again many thanks for taking the time to help.