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Wedge TR7 Spraying coolant

Kermit78

Freshman Member
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Hi Everyone,
I'm new here... I own a 1978 TR7 ands its having some problems.... as my dad's working at the moment, I thought I'd do some research to see what it could be... and being a 20 year old female, car manuals are somewhat of a foreign language to me.... then i found this forum, and people seem so helpful.. i just wondered if anyone could help a poor damsel in distress?
Ok, so the car was initially overheating, and we took the thermostat out, which seemed to help, and i've only been driving short distances (no more than ten minutes) making sure the coolant and water are topped up.
But the water bottle keeps pressurising... and recently while driving my car it was jerking alot, having trouble going up hills etc, and finally it stalled turning a corner, and kept stalling... finally managed to get it going after much encouragement, and got it home to find coolant sprayed all over the engine bay...
Please tell me its not a head gasket.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 

Geo Hahn

Yoda
Country flag
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Well it might not be a head gasket, but that is unfortunately a real possibility. The clue, as perhaps you already suspect, is that the coolant reservoir is pressurizing.

Certainly cleaning everything up enough to identify exactly what the source of the coolant spray is will help.

As for whether it is the head gsaket... some crude tests are possible. On some cars you can rev the engine with the radiator cap open and look for bubbles in the coolant... just remove the cap from a cold engine and observe carefully.

Another test can be fashioned with the fitting from a compression tester and used with a compressor to pump air into each cylinder at a point when the valves are closed. This can have the advantage of narrowing the problem down to a specific cylinder.

It is even possible for some radiator shops to sniff the air in the coolant reservoir to check for the presence of exhaust gases.
 

philman

Jedi Knight
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try squeezing the upper radiator hose and looking for leaks. i located a leaking 'o' ring that way. i was getting coolant spraying in the engine bay and onto the windscreen while driving.
 

Adrio

Jedi Knight
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Kermit,

One simple thing you did not mention is the woter pump. Is it working. I am way out on a limb here but could the following be what is going on: Your water pump is not pumping well (or at all), the engine is heating the coolant,but the system is not cooling it resulting in the high temperatures and hig pressures in the coolant circuit. Then the high pressure is forcing the coolant out of what ever weak seals/openings there are. The expelled coolant is hitting poor ignition wires which in turn result in the poor running or missing engine, and your having to limp home.

Like I say this is a long shot, but if you hear trotting think horses not zebras. Seriously I had a water pump fail on an S10 puck up once (I had Triumph parts in the back) and when I pulled over and opened the bonnet there was coolant all over the engine bay. A new water pump and I was all set to go.
 

gjh2007

Jedi Warrior
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All most ceetainly a head gasket,not knowing the build of the TR7 motor, are the pistons sleeved? My '88 Range Rover V8 was alum block with steel liners & the liners tended to slip down & allow the cooling system to be pressurized. New motor time if that's the case.

Hopefully that is not your issue.

Good luck!! :smile:
 
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