Sportrak Cooling again!

Forum: 

Problem with the cooling on Sportrak. Short journeys on minor roads are OK but prolonged trip on motorways between 50 and 60 loses a lot of water through the expansion bottle even though the water temp guage only indicates slightly above centre reading. Grateful for any suggestions.
Cheers Mal

Bad news.

Bad news. The cylinder head is likely to be either cracked or the head gasket is broken. Compression within a cylinder is being forced into the coolant and the pressure forces the coolant out from the overflow bottle. Smell the fumes in the coolant bottle ... I bet you smell exhaust fumes. Also when the engine is running hot, small bubbles will be surfacing in the coolant bottle which is a sure sign of cylinder head leakage.

Possibility it might be a stuck thermostat which is failing to open. Unlikely but worth a check since the gauge read only half temp yet the coolant must be boiling. Remove the thermostat and check it opens by putting it into water 85C plus. Whilst the coolant is removed thoroughly flush the engine and radiator. Refit and refill. If the coolant again leaks then unfortunately its the cylinder head that needs sorting.

Blown

Agree with Mace it sounds like the head gasket, the obvious solution is to have the cooling system pressure tested, this will identify any problems, and confirm the diagnosis.

Sportrak Cooling again!

Thanks for the info lads will start with the easiest and cheapest i.e. the thermostat and let you know how I get on.
Cheers Mal