Mr2 Using Water

[clio-nutta]

Hello guys, im just new to the forum!Like to say a big hello to y'all!

I have a problem with my MR2 and was wondering if anyone could help! When i bought the MR2, on my way home it started overheating!I stopped, allowed it to cool and managed to get it home!The temp guage was behavin erratic, goin very high, then back to normal in a split second!So the first thing was to change the thermostat, which i did, for a low temp item! It runs a lot beter now, but still smells hot like its cooking itself! I have also noticed that it is using water, although i cannot find any leaks, so where is the water going?!Also when i start the car, even for a few seconds, the header cap becomes very pressurized(i dont know if this is normal, or part of the problem). Any help with this matter would be much appreciated as its my first MR2!

Cheers-dave

[T600]

Welcome.

Sorry to say it, but that sounds very much like a head gasket failure or even worse perhaps a cracked block. The water's probably being sucked into the engine.

I think you need to get it checked by a garage if you don't know how to diagnose it yourself. They'll probably do a compression check to test the gasket.

Any mayo in the oil filler cap?

Which model is it? Which engine?

[Bizarra]

Sorry to say , I agree with the blown gasket theory. happened to me on my Renault Kangaroo

Wasn't cheap to fix , but she's been going like a sewing machine since.

Check your oil filler cap for horrible gunk & if the water/coolant in the reservoir is black, you have trouble :(

[gazza1286]

If the temperature gauge is reading normal (half-way) and you have coolant being forced out either through the cap or expansion bottle then I would say it's the head gasket.

If you have overheating (by the gauge reading) and water being force out within a few minutes of starting up you have either a failed water pump or a blocked radiator.

A head gasket failure is confirmed by getting the garage to do a 'siffer' test. This detects hydrocarbons in the coolant. They use a liquid which changes colour and can diagnose this problem in seconds.

If you are getting water into the engine cylinders you should see white smoke (steam) from the exhaust.

If it's none of these you will be loosing coolant from the heater 'pipes from hell' - a common problem. There is a cheap fix for this.

Google and forum searches will be helpful.

[daz364]

before you go assuming the worst when was the coolent last changed is there air in the system i made that mistake and it blew off a hose so one thing to check. Like ppl have said does it have mayo in the oil cap is it down on power?