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[Steve Webb]

Hi guys,

I'm a new member and have just bought (August) a silver 2000 2.5 v6 cd and I am so pleased with it. I've had the cam belt and tensioners done and she runs like a dream.

One thing I just wanted to check on before I pay 30 something quid to get it checked at Vauxhall is that I had it serviced in October and they topped up the coolant/antifreeze but just a week ago (start of dec) the warning for coolant level came up and it took a whole bottle of coolant/antifreeze. My friend mentioned something to do with the head gasket. Can someone help??? Thanks in advance. and merry christmas

[tunnie]

Welcome, few things:

1) Subjects do not need to be in captials, its considered shouting
2) This is the wrong section, you posted in the gallery to display cars

3) Your problem sounds like the sensor under the coolant bottle has failed, or the float is stuck, cheap and easy to replace. You friend is trying to scare you with head gasket!

[Andy B]

Head gasket is usually quite far down the list of possibles. The heater by pass valve is a common favourite of coolant loss, it lives behind the driver's side bank of 3 cylinders and is about £30 for a new one from Vauxhall. There were some pattern HBV's that were failing early. Have a look for coolant around the back of the gearbox, putting the air/con on or off usually stops & starts the HBV leaking.

[Andy B]

......
3) Your problem sounds like the sensor under the coolant bottle has failed, or the float is stuck, cheap and easy to replace. You friend is trying to scare you with head gasket!

Read the fault Tunnie! :-? Steve is putting a bottle of coolant in cos it's lost coolant, it's not saying the level is low when it's not!

[Steve Webb]

Hi guys,

Thanks very much for the info. I've topped it up to the max and am going to keep my eye on it and take it in if need be.

Do you have any idea on how much coolant/antifreeze should be topped up say in a year as I just assumed at the start it drained it cos it's a big car (sorry if that sounds silly but I just don't know)

ps I'm sorry for any offence I may have caused with the subject in capitals and being in the wrong subject area. I can only hope that with me being a new member and Christmas being nearly upon us you can forgive me

[tunnie]

no worries, i did miss read your post earlier, scan read it too quick 

If the coolant drops again, when you go to top it up, have a sniff in the header tank when you release the cap, see if it smells of petrol 

[goonv6]

It's probably not the head gasket but the HBV, it could be something even as simple as it was on mine that the two bolts that locate water pipe to the back of the block weren't tight. HBV is a common issue, fiddly to do but not expensive. Lots of posts on here about how to do it and test it too. If you suspect a headgasket you can do a chemical sniffer test on it (available from motor factors) that will definitely give you an answer. You can also ask a garage to do a pressure test. This is done very simply, they attach a pump to the expansion tank and presurise the system, they leave it pressurised and watch for drops, that will tell you if there's a leak. I found that mine was using a bit of coolant but the problemturned out to be that I hadn't bled the system properly and that caused airlocks. Hope this helps.