cb944

OK, just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this - I went out for a drive on Saturday, it was quite hot outside and there may have been some 'spirited' driving involved

I've had my 944 over 5 years and I've never had any temperature issues at all. I pulled up in a car park and I hear this awful gurgling/spluttering noise when I shut the engine off. I get out - yep, it's coming from my car and there's water literally pouring out underneath. I open the bonnet but I can't immediately see where the water is coming from. I think it was probably coming from the overflow pipe on the expansion tank.

I got back in the car and checked the temperature gauge - it was way up to the top stop! I let the engine cool down, I think I got at least 5 litres of water in plus had to sort out an airlock where the water didn't seem to be pressurising in the main water pipe coming from the expansion tank.

I drove home, it seems fine. I've tried to get it overheat since and it won't do it. It's rock solid at the mid-point, even if I get it up to temperature and just rev it like crazy on the drive!

All I can think is I was low on water and it overheated? I check this stuff fairly regularly though, and I don't seem to be losing water. Could it be the thermostat?

If the overheating damaged the engine, what would be the normal symptoms? Feel like I had a lucky escape so far!

Chris.

Jfrahm

It might have a bad coolant reservoir cap (radiator cap.) If that fails it'll puke coolant after shutdown and make scary noises.

Might also have had an air pocket. Maybe you sorted that out.

Bleeding the cooling system is quite easy. I do it by blowing into the overflow hose. Left hand on the wrench on the coolant bleeder, right palm over the coolant fill (rad cap off.) Blow, open bleeder, close bleeder, breathe, repeat. Top off the coolant when needed.

You can leave the key on (engine off) and leave the heater on defrost to open the heater valve. I am not sure if this helps or not.

Then take it for a drive, get it cracking hot, heat/defrost on full and give it one more bleed, with the nose up a bit if possible.

Good luck,
-Joel.

cb944

Hi Joel,

Thanks for the reply - it seems really odd but the car has been fine since. When I lost the coolant I did indeed seem to have an airlock after filling the reservoir tank back up.. I was in a car park at the time and what I did was open the bleed valve up and syphon water down through the bleed valve using a piece of plastic pipe I had in the car (it was a spare piece of pipe for the windscreen washer system that I never used!).

That seemed to clear the airlock and it seems fine now. I'm waiting for another really hot day to test it properly though.

I did forget to open the heater valve and haven't used it since, so will definitely do that.

Chris.