Hi Guys,

This problem has been going on for a few months but every few days i have to refill the overflow bottle but I can not find any leaks anywhere all the water hoses have been replaced with new and better clamps the radiator was cleaned out and resealed a few months ago as well due to a broken top tank.

The engine runs fine nothing wrong and no signs of water getting into the engine or bubbles in the radiator water. Also i have never seen any water patches on the ground where ever i go. It's also been pressure tested and it's holding pressure.

So where is it going ?????

are you refilling the radiator itself too?

if the radiator itself doesn't need filling then your bottle (or the line to it) may have a leak.

if you are refilling the reservoir because the radiator has lost water and so it has sucked up all it can from the reservoir as it cools then you must have a leak somewhere else - it may be that it only leaks under pressure and so you don't see it leak in your driveway -only when the car is running and is warm. that's not so likely.

perhaps your thermostat is stuck shut and water is blasting through into the reservoir, although that wouldn't start a siphoning effect to empty the reservoir. you would still have water in the res bottle.

speaking of siphoning, are you sure the reservoir bottle is not hooked up backwards? that would definitely empty the reservoir once the car got warm enough.

Have you checked the over flow pipe for a crack(s), allowing the excess overflow to go to the ground before the overflow tank?

I'm only refilling the overflow bottle the radiator seems fine the overflow bottle and cap are all new and the hoses.

It left me a little green patch this morning on the right to middle area of the engine when standing in front.

Take off the air intake and have a look at the heater hose fitting underneath it.
Thats a common place for leaks on the 2.6 and they are too hard to see with it in place.


To get it off you just undo the clips on the air cleaner box,

loosen the clamp on the hose on the throttle body, pull off the hose,

unplug the cable on the air cleaner end of the air hose (ya hafta press the little clip in the middle to take it off),

pull off the hose going to the rocker cover (either end will do, which ever is loosest)

and take the whole lot out.

Installation is the reverse lol taking care to hold up the cable you unpluged so it doesnt end up under everything.
:D

Like I said all the hoses have been replaced.

I just had my mobile mechanic just leave after installing my new shocks allround and he had a look under the car and he found that it is the head gasket leaking on the intake manifold side near the timing chain cover so I guess when I had the timing chan done it must have upset the head gasket.

I'll be looking at a reco head anyway and was quoted around the $800 mark with labour and parts included.

Check water pump O ring where it goes into the block

Check water pump O ring where it goes into the block

Dude It's the head gasket the leak was found at the head gasket so I'm going for the whole reco head it's due anyway.


I just had my mobile mechanic just leave after installing my new shocks allround and he had a look under the car and he found that it is the head gasket leaking on the intake manifold side near the timing chain cover so I guess when I had the timing chan done it must have upset the head gasket.

I'll be looking at a reco head anyway and was quoted around the $800 mark with labour and parts included.

I now have a quote of $350 for the reco head just need to get all the gaskets now.

:D Oke Doke she's all fix now and even better it even turned out to be a rusted welch plug as well as the gasket and I didn't even know there are little welch plugs sitting under the cyclinder head as well. Just having trouble with the lifters so I'm getting a whole new set for $96 some showed signs of major wear yet she wasn't making noise yet until they went back on.