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Radiator issue - Your thoughts on actual cause please (pictures attached)

1K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  AlfaFocker 
#1 ·
Hi,

I recently had a new radiator installed into my Brera - garage have been excellent thus far. Drove it home circa 5 miles at city traffic pace that night, and the following night took it across town slowly again.

Noticed thermostat climbling on second trip, popped the hood and coolant was 98% empty - smoke starting to come from eninge bay. Filled it with water (couldn't get paraflu at that hour) - got it another 1/2 mile popped the bonnet, refilled and noticed it was ****ing out of the radiator hose - the hose hadn't completey dislodged but enough that the fluid was spraying out. I pushed it back on and took two pictures when I noticed there was no clip on the hose (see pics)

Garage rang back today and suggested a new thermostat - and that internal pressure had blown the clip clear off the hose - leaving no damage to the hose (see pictures)

As I said, these guys know their stuff - but how feasible is it that the kind of pressure required to completely blow a hose clip off would leave no other sign of damage?

I think they forgot to put it on and are not admitting to it?

Al
 

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#2 ·
It would take an enormous pressure to blow off a hose that had been clamped and correctly tightened, I think the hose itself would be more likely to fail first.

I cant see a competent mechanic leaving a clamp off but it may not have been tightened (or locked off) properly.

Hopefully its as simple as that and no harm done.

Why did you need a new radiator btw?
 
#4 ·
There is no way that the cooling system can produce enough pressure to break a properly fitted and tightened hose clip, the rubber hoses would balloon and burst first.
All the hose clips on my car are the crimped and not reusable type so I would be pretty sure that they havnt fitted a replacement hose clip.
Did they explain how a faulty thermostat would cause this pressure, they are designed to fail open and not closed
 
#5 ·
Hi,

Thanks for jumping on this - need to go and decide if I stay with these guys or not. Not sure what caused the radiator to go - never asked as I trust these guys.. But the heater/air con was taking forever to clear the windows every day so it was 'proper knackered'.

Did they explain how a faulty thermostat would cause this pressure, they are designed to fail open and not closed
No, I haven't gone there with them yet - but the tone is asn't as sure footed as it used to be, I'll ask tomorrow when I'm face to face - can you explain what you mean by fail open ? Like cars but don't know a whole pile about the engines!

Thanks
 
#6 ·
When the thermostat fails then the valve inside which restricts the flow of coolant to the rad is designed to stay open and just cause over cooling of the engine which although not ideal wont usually cause major problems, if it were to stay close then the engine would quickly overheat with obvious results.
 
#7 ·
Hi John,

Thanks for breaking it down for me ...that's in line with another piece of advice I got, saying that if it had failed all sorts of warning lights would have been flashing. Think I might just have to find new people to get me through the NCT: pads, wipers & wishbones - so not too much to be done.

Incidentally, I just had to get my sub-frame overhauled, it had started to rust and pit something awful. Anyone else seen this with the Brera/15x?


As always thanks to everyone...
 
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