Hi Guys. While checking the fluids etc on the 5L today I noticed there's a small amount of coolant dribbling from the corner of the inlet manifold gasket (just under the thermostat housing) on the engine....from inspecting the oil I can see its not mixing so that's good I guess. I can see that the coolant is only dribbling down the front of the engine at this stage and not into the oil but it does have me quite concerned as I only bought this engine a month or so ago due to the old one blowing a main bearing so I am a little paranoid with this one. Is it ok to drive on it like this for a little while as I simply don't have the time to spend a day pulling it apart at the moment. I have also checked the resovoir and radiator cap and there is no oil mixing with the coolant there so it looks like the gasket isn't cracked/split too badly. Any advice would be great as to whether its ok to drive or not? My VS had bad inlet gaskets for around 6 months and didn't seem to do any damage but I wasn't as paranoid over that engine. Thanks
I would say, if it is only a coolant leak to the external of the engine then: Keep trips relatively short (reaching operating temp is probably when the loss of fluid begins), check your reservoir level compulsively, carry spare water, and watch the temp gauge more then your speedo! Your best bet is still to repair it ASAP. But as long as your temp stays within normal operating range, I wouldn't expect any engine damage to occur. Is it just the gasket under the thermostat snout?? because you could change that in under half an hour! Edit: I take no responsibility if I am wrong, Good Luck.
Hi Mate. Thanks for your reply, the leak isn't severe enough to be going through extreme coolant loss etc (reservoir might go down 2-3cm every couple of days) I was just more worried of the coolant getting into parts of the engine it shouldn't more so than the overheating factor, its not leaking bad enough for that to be a problem And no its leaking from the manifold unfortunately, I wish it was the thermostat housing Thanks
Not only will it stop the leak but it will also block the core and eventually stop your car with excessive heat Best of doing it once and doing it right, Replace the gasket at your first chance, It wont get any better.
Yep, definitely wouldn't be trying to stop a leak in the engine by using a sealer designed for radiators haha. Ended up driving 120KM today as my daily's battery was dead when I went to leave this morning, temp never went over 1/4 and didn't loose any coolant or leak at all today.....seems to be intermittently leaking but yes will definitely be fixed within the next few weeks when I have a spare day
