is this a shot inlet manifold gasket?

[pow3rslave]

so i was heading down the freeway today and the temp warning and chime came on and the temp guage was halfway.
i had the the heater going, so i turned it to cool and cranked the fan, cos i thought i remembered hearing something about this making the engine fan come on.
so i got off at the exit and when i was at the lights i could see steam coming from under my bonnet on the drivers side, and could smell coolant in the cabin.

i limped it to my folks house, killed it and popped the bonnet. there was a fair bit of coolant sprayed mostly on the driver side and a bit on the front, and squeezing the radiator > thermo houseing hose it felt soft, like not pressurised.

also saw some bubbling coming from the edge of the inlet manifold on the drivers side, but i wasn't sure if this was just boiling coolant that had collected there.

from these issues what do you guys think. i'm not sure whether it's the water pump or the inlet gasket, but don't want to do one to find out it was the other.

(i saw the howto guide on the other website, so i'll tackle it either way)

[jas98]

yeh its best to replace the inlet gasket either way....but sounds to me like its teh problem anyway

[pow3rslave]

is there any simple test?
forgot to mention, when the car was off i could hear an audible hissing from the driver side round the inlet manifold/area, but this is also near the head, so i couldn't be sure.

[jas98]

is there any simple test?
forgot to mention, when the car was off i could hear an audible hissing from the driver side round the inlet manifold/area, but this is also near the head, so i couldn't be sure.

hmm hopefully it aint anything to do with the head or a welsh plug!!!

umm to check the inlet gasket i think they say to run oil around the gasket and if it sucks it in then teh gasket is stuffed.....but in your case with the coolant i don't think it will work.

You could try tightening the bolts for the manifold ...is there any water in oil?

if you can post a pic up where the coolant is/was

[pow3rslave]

just got back to my car from being out all day, and had a closer inspection, the hose running from the water pump to the inlet manifold was completely off, so i put it back on temporarily and refilled the radiator (which took a fair bit of water)

now the oil pressure switch is all wet from this morning, so i'll leave it disconnected tonight to see if it dries it out, then take it out tomorrow and see if it's any better.

Also the heat only hit halfway (and a little bit over for a couple of seconds), but i remember once hearing that if theres no coolant, the heat sensor doesn't read properly, so i'm wondering if it was a false reading

[greenfoam]

Just sounds like the hose fell off then , I've had them blow in half before when they are old. Maybe the gasket is half stuff too and failed a bit when it was hot

[centy]

it will be worth getting a mechanic to do a pressure test on the system or even hiring a kit and doing it yourself.
then you can find the problem and all the littleo ones you don't know about.

[pow3rslave]

who hires them out?

[centy]

mate not sure you will have to get the yellow pages and start ringing.
if realy desperate also try a mobile mechanic but that will cost more.
ometimes it's better to pay the extra to make sure rather then risk major engine damage.

[pow3rslave]

so i fixed the hose and took it for a drive it's no longer ****ing coolant, so i think i got the cause of it,
there's still the issue of the oil light is coming on, which i think is due to water/coolant having gotten into the oil pressure switch. also there's coolant in a switch/sensor behind the oil pressure switch, but i'm not sure what that sensor is.
it's a single wire with a cap on it and a rubber seal.
anyone know what this 2nd sensor is?

[jas98]

2nd sensor would be the Knock sensor

[VPRob]

yep, echo that, it's the knock sensor just behind the oil pressure switch