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MG MGF Technical - Leaking cooling fluid

I just had my car serviced after its winter sleep.
The oil & filter are changed in october.
After the service I asked if I could have a look at the
bottom to check for rust. No rust, but another problem
caught my eye. Under the front of the engine two hoses
tie up with pipes feeding the cooling liquid through the radiator in the front. One of the hoses showed traces of fresh (green) leaking fluid. I asked the mechanic to replace the clamp by a new one. He said it
would be a lot of work and involve draining all fluid
from the car. Knowing of the possibilities of airlocks
while filling, I choose a different option. I asked him
to slide the clamp a bit further down the hose and fix a new (old type & screw) in its place.
Hope it will stop the leaking.
Daniel

Hi Daniel,

>Hope it will stop the leaking.

Be sure it doesn't ;-)

IMO the hoses and connections rust (or aluminum corrodes). See too Brunos experiance.

Mine has still soem tears of green stuff under the car and on the garage floor.
http://www.fortunecity.de/hockenheim/senna/253/defects/coolleak.jpg
http://www.fortunecity.de/hockenheim/avus/91/kuehlfluessigkeit.jpg
http://www.fortunecity.de/hockenheim/senna/253/defects/index.htm

HTH
Dieter
http://mgf.tech.here.de
PS thanks for your last years fuel tank hints... I got it .. now...:))


Dieter

My '96 F was also leaking for the first driving year. One passed year such a long time the mechanical of Rover and me couldn't find out the reason. Finially the chink around the heater clamps went bigger and wetted my cabin then I found the real reason. The green coolant also leaked to the outside bottom of F like Dieter's picture(coolleak.jpg). Who knows that it would come from inside! (What a holy !@#?$^ car. That was the worst time that I hated MGF most!) Just announced here for your blindspot when you check your coolant leaking.

Good luck, you shouldn't be worse than me.
Don,
http://netcity.hinet.net/donliang
Don Liang

Dieter, are you sure that replacing those pipes will stop the leaking? If you are , for how long will they last? The problem isnīt the price because the Rover dealer is asking around 70DM for the pipes, itīs about reliability! Canīt i go to a rubber hoses house and order a complete ruber pipe from front to back, to replace the aluminium ones? This should avoid leakings...
Bruno V.

Bruno,

>Dieter, are you sure that replacing those pipes will stop the leaking?

Really not for a long term solution and.
I meaned above not this pipes but from any upper connection at the engine. The green stuff comes on both pictures from anywhere on the frontside of the engine.

Your pipe/hose suggestion... Hm IMO its worth to make them from Stainless steel.
(Hello Mike Satur :-))
.. or join a plumber with good SS welding skills.
Anyway, the corrosion at this pipes is a known problem, special at some early cars. On younger ones, like yours and mine ... IMO the hose clamp area and corrosion between:
-metalpipe-metalpipe paint-rubberhose
is the problem.
Sorry I can't explain it in english *g*.

A try: If the corrosion appears 'under the paint', then you can clamp as strong as you can, but the coolant will leak by diffusion 'under the paint' along.

*g* hope you get what I mean :-/
-drawing required-

:o)
Dieter


Dieter

Dieter, i only noticed the leaking recently! All i knew is that i had and have to fill the expansion tank maybe once a week! Last time i changed the oil i noticed the leak! There were 4 pipes, so i didnīt knew from wich it was leaking! So sending it to
Rover to solve the problem wonīt be a long term solution is that so? About the stainless steel pipe, maybe if i had the drawing i could find someone to do that, but were do i get a technical drawing/blueprint?
Bruno V.

Dieter,

The picturs are very intstructive, but with me it was the upper one leaking anyway. In the process I decided to replace the expanxiontank cap (8 euro I believe) since it had white deposit around it.
My car is probably not bothered with rust of the underbody or corrossion of these coolant pipes,
because I simply don't drive it in winter , so it is not exposed to salt.
To me it appeared that this small coupling sleeve/pipe (male/male) connecting the hoses is made
of plastic. I'm not sure, it just looked like it. If this is the case OVERtightning any replacement clamp
(I used the same as yoou in your picture) might cause this sleeve to CRACK under the pressure.....
daniel

This thread was discussed between 17/04/2000 and 20/04/2000

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