Help Please!

Before i start to pick your brains i'd like to say hello to everyone. I've got a 1998 S70 B5252S. While returning home from Cornwall towing our caravan this summer, our car started to overheat. If the rev's picked up the temp' would start to drop, I filled her with water and we got home. She has always used some water but i put it down to a leaky heater matrix. Since the eventful journey i'm putting shedloads of water in her but there is no obvious leak. There is a very loud sloshing of water going through the heater (this is a new noise) and i wonder if it could be pointing to the water pump? The car has done 180,000 and i think it's original. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi, Check under the carpets and the floor lining. Check the dipstick and oil cap for "mayo" like mess. Open the coolant expansion tank and watch while the engine runs. Are there any bubbles..? Check your exhaust, is there excessive steam coming out? Des. . . ;)

Thanks for replying. The oil cap is clear of gunge although the dipstick does have a bit on it. husband usually solves that by putting some pipe lagging around it when the weather gets colder. Exhaust only vapours when she's cold and my (passenger) footwell seems dry. Tis a puzzle.

Could be the cylinder head gasket?

Oh dont say Head Gasket! tis very expensive and i am Very poor :) Daughters ancient mini has recently broken our bank!! Hope its something really cheap to fix ,but i dont have that sort of luck so i was thinking the dreaded head gasket too :hissyfit:

Hi, As per the pm: If you are getting bubbles in the coolant (and know you have no air locks - recently changed coolant) then gas is getting into the coolant. This usually means exhaust gases. So if you see bubbles get a garage to do a hydro-carbon test on the coolant. They pop a chamber on the expansion tank which has a chemical that changes colour if there are hydro-carbons present. And yes, that means the head gasket has gone south... :( Des. . . ;)

Okee dokee. I shall tell my other half when he gets in from work. He can check it tomorrow. Hope for the best and expect the worst. Thanks so much All for taking the time to answer tis much appreciated .:)

Have a look at the lower outer corners of the radiator for dampness thats the mosty likely place to leak ...

Twas Expensive! 

Oh well never mind it's only money!. Turned out to be the Head Gasket in the end.:hissyfit: Looking back on it tho, I think that its been on its way out since we bought the car! I thought that I had a leaky heater matrix and that was causing the water loss but since the head's been done water level remains constant. I had the valve stem seals done at the same time to stop the irritating chuff on start up. So all in all a good job done and the car has never felt so responsive. A big Thankyou to all of you that took the time to give your advice.