Tale of Woe with a Tip at the end. (1 Viewer)

[Emmit]

The story has nothing to do with Motorhomes, PCV's RV's and the like BUT it does involve a diesel engine fitted with an EGR and that would probably account for a lot of those on Fun.

About five weeks ago, we were travelling home from the IOW to Cornwall in our VW Passat.
We had just got onto the M5 at Exeter when a 'new' to us warning light came on. It was a Red Thermometer in the middle of the Temp Gauge. (Low Water level apparently)

The Temp gauge however was showing a temp within range so, thinking it was a rebel light, I made the decision to keep going on the Motorway until I turned off onto the A30 some 5 miles away.

I pulled up BUT KEPT THE ENGINE RUNNING (REMEMBER THAT BIT) lifted the bonnet and discovered the expansion tank was low on water, hence the red light.
I 'borrowed' SWMBO's drinking water and carried on. There was no sign of any leaks or any steam.

Shortly before Launceston the Thermometer came on again. I limped into Tesco's@ Launceston and filled the expansion tank again and filled the water bottle.Again, I KEPT THE ENGINE RUNNING. Again, there was no steam or signs of leakage.

I arrived home 10miles later and on this occasion, having got home, I switched off and unloaded the car. MISTAKE!!! Big time.

When I tried to restart the car, there was a sort of noise that you get on a cold morning with either a duff starter or weak Battery. A Clunk!. It wouldn't start despite repeated attempts.

The following morning however and after a few 'funny' noises the car started and I drove it the 400yds to 'my' garage.

On arrival and on keeping it going, the car was emitting white 'smoke' from the exhaust.

My man started doing a good impression of a plumber faced with an old boiler and said, Leave it with me.

For various reasons I was only able to collect the car yesterday.

This is what had happened and why I'm posting it here.
The EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation which for those non Techies, recirculates hot exhaust gases back into the engine) is cooled by water. The cooler in our car developed a leak which went into the EGR and on into the engine.
WHILE THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING- NO PROBLEM. The water turned into steam as it hit the moving parts and was 'burned' off as the diesel was injected.

However. When I switched the motor off the water continued into the engine courtesy of the pressure in the system and, when I tried to restart, instead of just diesel in the bores, the engine had to contend with water which everyone knows (NO they don't ) cannot compress, and the car objected in the strongest terms possible.

It has been said to me since that just having water in the bores can result in a bent crankshaft, bent con rods, holes in pistons. In short a FUBARed piece of machinery.

Ladies and Gentlemen. This is the result. The cylinder head was removed and sent to a specialist repairer and, thank Him upstairs, it needed just one valve replacing. No Con Rods etc. No holes in Pistons, nothing. However, it did need a new EGR and Cooler, A New Cambelt kit complete with Water Pump (Safety First) and a whole lot of labour.

How much? Think about £2000 and I know I have got away with Murder. A replacement Passat 170bhp engine is North of £4000 plus VAT and that wouldn't include any of the above stuff I've had to replace.

The Moral of this story. If you are losing water but the temp gauge says OK and you can't see any leakage, remember this diatribe.

KEEP THAT ENGINE RUNNING!!! AND DON'T TRY TO RESTART IT UNLESS YOU'VE HAD THE MISSING WATER CHECKED OUT BY AN EXPERT.

 

[DavidG58]

Interesting and useful, but how exactly can you get away with not stopping the engine, even if in the workshop isn't the water going into the engine at that point anyway?

 

[hilldweller]

The Moral of this story.

KEEP THAT ENGINE RUNNING!!!.

No No No. I disagree. A fault develops you stop and get it sorted.

Easily said I know but it is the right thing to do.

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[Emmit]

Interesting and useful, but how exactly can you get away with not stopping the engine, even if in the workshop isn't the water going into the engine at that point anyway?

I'm not advocating keeping the engine running ad nauseum but if I had got home, not switched the engine off but unloaded the car, taken it to the garage and explained to them, they were knowledgeable enough to know that whilst the water would have gone into the engine, they would have done the investigation without causing the damage I caused by starting the engine, and I can only report that when I was driving the car, after first discovering the loss of water, the cars engine was performing normally. It was only after I stopped and then Bu&&ered it up (Technical Term) that the damage was caused.

 

[Emmit]

No No No. I disagree. A fault develops you stop and get it sorted.

Easily said I know but it is the right thing to do.

Ordinarily Brian I totally agree. If the engine was misbehaving, funny noises, whatever, pull up and switch off. But in these circs, I was faced with a temp gauge that was reading 'normal' and a thermometer that indicated 'Low Water' which transpired to be the case. Filing the tank took the light off.
However, and in this case, had I switched off at the side of the road and under any circs, I had tried to restart it, the damage would have been caused.
In these specific circs, keeping the engine going got us home with no damage.

 

[Derbyshire wanderer]

The fact that you could top up the expansion tank without getting scolded by pressurised water should have indicated a leak and if the water is going into the engine and being steamed would (should) have made the exhaust smoke?
Removing the expansion cap on a hot engine is definitely not a good idea.

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[Emmit]

The fact that you could top up the expansion tank without getting scolded by pressurised water should have indicated a leak and if the water is going into the engine and being steamed would (should) have made the exhaust smoke?
Removing the expansion cap on a hot engine is definitely not a good idea.

I agree. When I slowly (+Very) unscrewed the top off the expansion tank I was aware that there would be pressurised water in there but I released the top so slowly and waited for the pressure to release that I didn't get scolded. I was aided by the fact that the tank was not full. I was aware of course after the first fill up that water was going somewhere but there was no indication as to where the water was going. It was only after the even that I was told that the water was going into the engine. There was no 'white smoke' coming out of the exhaust at that point.