hi all i have a my98 turbo and i am having to top up my header tank once every 2 weeks or sooner if doing long runs.now im stuck here as 1 my heater always works fine,2 oil is clean,3 coolant temp sits where it did from the day i got it before i started to use water,the gauge falls freely and rises to the top when tested.the only clue i have is that on the header at the side of the turbo and down the heat shield is what i can only describe as baked on rusty water.you know like the residue from boiling a car over that has dirty coolant.any and all help as always is welcomed so any ideas as to the next move please. thanks

 

I kept losing water when my water pump fractured. Found that I wouldn't lose water for ages - then the whole lot would just disapear from the header. Scoob didn't once overheat, the only thing that brought it too my attention were the fans coming on. Only thing to suggest is find a dry bit of tarmac and see if any drips fall then follow them back. And check your cap on the header tank - springs can get tired. Good luck.

 

Normally the water pump but check all the water pipes, undo the clamps then tighten back up.
hope you get it sorted mate.

 

sorry if this seems lazy guys but you both mention the pump,now what im saying is that when i take off the cap with the engine running i see a steady return of water to the header.could this still be a pump problem?and reguarding the spring in the cap do you mean it is leaking out the header due to this?this would maybe explain the water marks on the headerpipe aswell.i hope it is this not only due to the cost but the ease and how fast i would of had the answer given to me.cheers lads.

 

so with 37 views so far and no more comments am i to assume then that it is the pump at fault?

 

Not everyone that views is an expert.. If you put it in general technical you might get a better response, but like most things with cars its difficult to make a diaognosis over the net..

 

could be the cap mate the rubber seal on the inside can wear away

 

what type of header tank have you got?mine has one of those ****e black plastic ones.when mine lost water i found a very small splitunder the chrome trim on the top,so replced it and never lost a drop since.worth a look.

 

top the header tank up, then close it and give the exterior of it a good clean up.

tank the car a spin and get it good and hot.

park up over some cardboard, get yourself a cold beer and watch....

see what happens for 20 mins.

any telltale water marks will appear on newly cleaned areas if a leak is present

 

I reckon its your radiator. I had exact same issue with mine, tried a new rad cap...same. I couldn't see any water leaking anywhere. In the end I took it up to Scoobyclinic and James came out and found it straight away.

If you look from the front when the engine is hot: left hand side of rad a tiny jet of water was spraying on to the Aircon condenser. It only sprayed for about a minute then stopped. New rad sorted.

I did have another issue with the header tank, mine was plastic, where one of the pipe connection stubs broke away but that was more obvious.

 

I had the same problem on my Type R and it was the water pipe on the turbo.It had been rubbing on the gearbox casing and had worn a tiny hole in it which was dripping water onto the headers and evaporating almost immediately so there was never water under the car but it was leaking.Might be worth letting the car idle and look all round the turbo for any signs of dripping

 

now this may be the one which would explain no water on the floor and the water marks on the header.thanks to all so far and for info i have the alloy header.