Hiya people. Need some advice from all you experts out there about my radiator problems. I've had my sporty ('92 STi) 3 months or so. I noticed that the coolant was going into the expansion tank when warm, but not flowing back into the radiator on cooling. Checked the rad cap and found the top seal was missing, so bought a new radiator cap. Checked a few days later and still had the same problem. Then a pinprick hole appeared in the front of the rad. Tried to patch it with coldweld which didnt really work, so got out the radweld (I know!). Next time i drove the car to work the rad blew. Water poured out when i tried to refill it, but i couldn't see the hole, so i just left the car there. Got the rad out the other day and found the problem. The header tank has blown out where it joins the core. It has actually deformed the header. It now has a bow in it. What I need to know is whether i have more serious problems than just a blown rad. Seems to me that the presure to blow it open would have had to be quite high. More than standard pressure! The car has never overheated while I've had it, and there is no sign of white smoke in the exhaust or of water in the oil. I thought i might have smelt exhaust gas in the expansion tank, but I might have been imagining it. It had been four days after it had last ran. The engine has never seemed down in power. I read in an earlier post that the head gasket could blow allowing the engine to presurise the cooling system, but it would surely also draw in water on the induction stroke if that was the case. No? Any help and advice greatly appreciated guys.
Keep up the good work,
Slim.