Technical Coolant leak. Advice needed please!

[LastoftheFiatPuntos]

I have a Fiat Grande Punto 2008 that has had a host of problems since I first got it five years ago. The latest is a coolant leak. I spotted it the other day, but because the radiator cap had been put on incorrectly by the last garage, I couldn't get the cap off to refill the coolant that it had lost. At this point, it was well below the minimum marker on the expansion tank.

A colleague's father finally managed to get the cap off and we refilled the tank with water. He thought that the leak was coming from the head gasket. Not what I wanted to hear. He also thought the dodgy cap might have contributed to at least some of the fluid loss.

The car itself is driving fine; the temperature is normal, the warning light has yet to flash. It is, however, still leaking coolant. It's now started to dribble down to the ground. Crap.

I did take it to my local garage, but they were too busy to take more than a quick look. The mechanic doesn't think the head gasket is the issue. I have no idea what it could be.

I drive 30 miles for work every day so I know that it needs to be fixed. The problem is that I really, really don't want to spend much more on this car. Is it worth getting it fixed or should I cut my losses and buy a new car (and by new, I mean slightly less old)? Does a bust head gasket mean game over?

Any advice from people who've had similar problems would be greatly appreciated!

Images (not upside down!) here: https://imgur.com/a/apzhycp

 

[nikrox]

I cant orient my head round the pictures BUT if the mechanic says he doesnt think its the head gasket,why do you?..Have you checked the gaskets on the water pump and stat?..I assume you have checked all the connections between the header tank and radiator...

 

[LastoftheFiatPuntos]

Sorry for the topsy turvy images. I posted a link with the correct orientation.

The head gasket theory came from my colleague's father who was pretty sure that it was the fault (he's an amateur mechanic).

I have no mechanical knowledge beyond the very basics. I was hoping to get an indication of how big a job it might be before I took it back to the mechanics. Money is a problem right now and this Fiat (as much as I love it) has been an absolute money pit!

EDIT: the water pump was replaced last year. I'm assuming it was done properly and that area checked over.

 

[nikrox]

OK..You could and I would say should do a check of the areas I mentioned..wouldnt hurt none and its simple and free.
Its not always a 100% indicator but take the oil filler cap off and see if there's any emulsification/mayo looking stuff on it..oil and water mix...
You could also buy a sniff test which basically sniffs the exhaust and identifies if theres oil present..
Its not overheating or burning /loosing oil ..
If the expansion cap isnt on correctly then its going to loose water/coolant when its hot and under pressure.
Personaly id be inclined to do the checks I mentioned,clean off all the old stained coolant and maybe even flush the system out and refill with new coolant. Then see what happens.
Im making an assumption that the cap is ok and/or you've replaced it with a known good one.

 

[LastoftheFiatPuntos]

Yep, the cap is now on correctly. The oil also looks okay.

Thank you for the advice. I will get on it this weekend!

 

[rundle123]

Have you checked all pipe work? There is a metal pipe on mine that was heavily corroded and caused a host of problems for me! Will check ur pics a bit more and see if I can point it out to you

 

[rundle123]

This one is the one that was leaking for me

 

[AdamRob]

I have a Fiat Grande Punto 2008 that has had a host of problems since I first got it five years ago. The latest is a coolant leak. I spotted it the other day, but because the radiator cap had been put on incorrectly by the last garage, I couldn't get the cap off to refill the coolant that it had lost. At this point, it was well below the minimum marker on the expansion tank.

A colleague's father finally managed to get the cap off and we refilled the tank with water. He thought that the leak was coming from the head gasket. Not what I wanted to hear. He also thought the dodgy cap might have contributed to at least some of the fluid loss.

The car itself is driving fine; the temperature is normal, the warning light has yet to flash. It is, however, still leaking coolant. It's now started to dribble down to the ground. Crap.

I did take it to my local garage, but they were too busy to take more than a quick look. The mechanic doesn't think the head gasket is the issue. I have no idea what it could be.

I drive 30 miles for work every day so I know that it needs to be fixed. The problem is that I really, really don't want to spend much more on this car. Is it worth getting it fixed or should I cut my losses and buy a new car (and by new, I mean slightly less old)? Does a bust head gasket mean game over?

Any advice from people who've had similar problems would be greatly appreciated!

Images (not upside down!) here:

Definitely not the head gasket. If you look at the photo with the yellow electrical connect; just behind that yellow connector you can see a boss onto which a hose fits. The water leak is between that boss and the engine block. It may be a case of fitting a new casket or just using some Hermatite to seal it.

 

[eeeno]

Thermostat housing appears to be leaking. It's not a difficult job to replace. I've had to change mine and I had to buy a complete thermostat housing because I couldn't find any replacement gaskets. Haynes manual has that and also check the guide section of this forum.

According to the image, it appears that also the upper hose connection to the thermostat is leaking too. That collar may be a little loose and need a new one. I had to put two collars to keep it from leaking.

Added water, oh no. Now the water pump may fail. Use only coolant. Change it quickly. It may not be as bad as it looks if taken care of soon.

While on warm engine running, check the upper and lower hoses. How do they feel? Hard or soft? If they're rock hard then the system has too much pressure and it indicates a possibility of a headgasket fault.