hey guys, glad to see this place is still up and running, i couldn't access it the last few times i tried! :(

anyway have been having a few issues with by beloved TH magna, just on its 325000km anniversary.

noticed yesterday quite an alarming level of smoke/steam coming from under the hood when i was driving, luckily i had almost reached my destination so when i parked my car i popped the hood and saw it gushing from approximately the area illustrated in this photo

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/9210/image631.jpg
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7399/image628.jpg


am unsure whether it was steam or smoke, however the noise led me to believe it was steam, however it had perhaps a slight oily smell to it? so i'm not entirely sure.

drove it around a bit more today and the smoke/steam seems to have subsided (although it was only short distances) however when i accelerate there seems to be some sort of clicking/grinding noise coming from (i guess) somewhere under the hood.

we've been having ridiculous amounts of rain up here (gold coast) over the past couple of days, could this have had anything to do with it also?


.........just give me good news. please! :(

from where youve indicated, its almost definately coolant leaking, due to the steam and splatter. theres no oil anywhere in that area other than pwr steering fluid. cracked radiator perhaps?

It is the seam on the Radiator mate, get a new one, about 260 for a brand new one

Be wary as it will get worse

Isnt that the overflow pipe for the radiator? Maybe it has a leak so it is spitting/spraying out coolant...

i don't think it was coming from the lead/pipe connected to that little coolant thingy, fairly sure it was coming from behind that. so... yeah, does that mean it's the radiator?

can't believe how fast the replies are, you guys are awesome, cheers :D

i don't think it was coming from the lead/pipe connected to that little coolant thingy, fairly sure it was coming from behind that. so... yeah, does that mean it's the radiator?

can't believe how fast the replies are, you guys are awesome, cheers :D

Yeah that's the radiator mate, get a new one, reco one or go to the wreckers and try your luck in finding one in good condition. Same thing has happened to my gfs old lancer, hairline crack about 3cms long to the left of the cap. Smoked up and was gushing out :(

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Mitsubishi-Magna-TE-TF-TH-TJ-TL-TW-96-05-Alloy-Radiator_W0QQitemZ350203836829QQcmdZViewItemQQptZA U_Car_Parts_Accessories?hash=item350203836829&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A1|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1| 293%3A1|294%3A50 Here ya go :) 165 brand new alloy radiator.

Like Mal said, the seam on your radiator top tank is cracked.
I had the same problem in the Legnum (see picture below).

It won't cost you much and you won't need a whole new radiator.
I replaced the top tank for $100 supplied and fitted.

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii158/dimi108/1-24.jpg

And please don't drive it like that. Loss of coolant will cook your motor very quickly.
Alloy heads will warp every time. Expensive to say the least.

yay! thanks guys. at least i know what to tell the mechanics now so they don't try and stitch me up for an entirely new radiator haha.

anyway can't really get this done until perhaps monday, reckon it's still safe to drive until then? is there anything i can chuck in there just as a temporary measure until monday/tuesday rolls around?

I wouldnt drive around with it like that if I were you. You could, but you would have to stop the car and fill the radiator up with coolant/water every 5 minutes(Depending on how much is actually coming out) to make sure it doesnt run out.....

It may not be a bad idea since the radiator is getting along in age to follow this suggestion, it will ensure you have a clean system and help with any other micro leaks you may have now in the future.

I would suggest using this, per instructions:
http://www.nulon.com.au/products.php?productName=Radiator_Flush_and_Clean

That would probably make the current problem you have worse, but its something you do right before getting it flushed and fix, so it shoudl be fine! Make sure you do get it flushed and cleaned though (the whole system), and that they use a quality coolant/anticorrosive such as Tectaloy 90 plus back in the system.

After everthing is done, add the following:
http://www.nulon.com.au/products.php?productName=Radiator_Stop_Leak

Its good to fix up any other micro leaks that you have now or later down the track, and can be left in the system.

After everthing is done, add the following:
http://www.nulon.com.au/products.php?productName=Radiator_Stop_Leak

I actually tried to use this to help seal my top tank crack but it only lasted a few hours.

I don't recommend going the cheap way about this as it will not solve the problem.
My advice still stands; replace the top tank and get it done and over with.

Yeah! for a leak that big I'd get it done properly. The stop leak product is only ideal for micro cracks, and it helps prevent them getting worse too (pressure through a micro crack will make it bigger)

If you must drive it put the cap on the radiator and only turn it half way so it stays on but doesn't create the seal

As supra said, to drive it to the mechanics you can loosed the cap to reduce pressure

You can do the top tank only spend 100 bucks and then in a few months replace the lower tank when the bottom radiator hose snaps off it. Most likely they will not actually replace the tank but put a new seal in it as these do not generally crack there, it is the seal into the core that leaks

The tanks do go brittle and tend to cause issues on top and bottom, I am on my way out to my car now to put my brand new radiator in, have been driving with it weeping for months, just had to keep an eye on the coolant level

There's no real problem using stop leak as everything in there will be flushed out anyway when its fixed properly. Just dump in some radiator stopleak, keep some distilled water in the car for top ups and keep an eye on it. Its going to be a very temporary fix, but will probably get you around for a little while. If you're losing a lot of coolant and the engine temperature is getting high, then its probably not worth driving at all. but if the coolant level isnt dropping particularly fast its not that bad, just because its steaming doesnt necessarily mean you're losing a lot of coolant. chances are you'll lose less if you use stopleak anyway.

If you do drive it, keep a very close eye on your temperature gauge. if it goes anywhere above normal, stop driving!!! but as long as its not heating up, there's no problem with driving short distances up and keeping the fluid levels up.

haha the temperature gauge goes all the way up to hot, even though the thingy is full o' coolant :(

even driving it to the mechanics will be risky lol

haha the temperature gauge goes all the way up to hot, even though the thingy is full o' coolant :(

even driving it to the mechanics will be risky lol

The temp guage on full isn't something to laugh at dude, your probly wrecking your engine or already have done.

The coolant 'thingy' your refering to is probly just the overflow bottle right? just cause thats full doesn't mean the radiator itself is full. If you fill the radiator directly it shouldn't be over heating unless you have more problems.