1998 punto 60s coolant problem

Martron

Hi guys,

i inherited a 98 punto 60 s.

i was driving it the other day and the heating stopped working. i knew from previous experience that this was a bad sign ( old cinquento)

anyway no temperature warning lights came on but i pulled over anyway.
i heard that the punto has problems with air locking in the heating matrix. so when i went to bleed the coolant system i discovered there was no coolant in the car. so i topped it up with coolant.

now i opened the bleed screw on the radiator and filled it up to the suggested level on the coolant resivoir. the heating came back on after running it for a few minutes. but there was signs of white smoke coming from the exhaust.

but i left it as i had not got time to investigate it further. so when i came back to it there was no coolant in the system again. and i cant see whee the leak is.

so i suppose my queries are....

if no temperature warning came on was the engine alright for running with no coolant for a that small amount of time?

does the white smoke signify damage to the head gasket?

is the any other bleed screws in the coolant system that i need to open to re fill the system properly?

is there any other possible faults causing my coolant to dissapera other than a leak?

sorry for all the questions just annoying me as the car was "serviced" before i got it and it was running fine for the last 2 weeks i had it.

P.s extra info. there seems to be staining on the inside of the coolant resevoir. like rust. is this from the coolant system?

Thanks in advance
Martin

shamwari

A couple of tests:

1. Open the coolant filler cap when cold and smell the air as it comes out. Does it smell like exhaust fumes?

2. Fill the car to the correct level with coolan and bleed the system. Leave the car ticking over for a few minutes and watch for bubbles coming into expansion tank. Do you see any?

3. Remove No 1 spark plug? Is it all shiny and clean like new?

4. Does the car hesitate when accelerating whilst driving on moderate / full throttle (when warm), like there's a misfire?

If you've got several of the above, then chances are that the head gasket is gone. If you let the coolant go too low then the car will overheat.

Martron

the coolant does not smell of exhaust fumes. i have not had a chance to remove a spark plug yet. but i can assume it is smutty as the car is spluttering.

i bled the system twice since i posted first and there is a constant source of air. i assume that this is it leaking into the cylinder via head gasket?

is this a diy job? i am fairly handy. any online guides?

anything i need to look out for especially? ( i know about the timing pulleys.)

shamwari

On the face of it, I'd say you've got a classic Punto Head gasket failure. As head gaskets go, the one on that Punto will probably be the easiest that can be done.

They are straightforward, plenty of room to work in, no really awkward bolts, and being a non-interference engine, you wont wreck the valves if you mis-time it. The only thing to watch for is (a) get the head skimmed and (b) make sure the crank pulley goes back on aligned the way it came off. There a small metal nipple on the crank sprocket which aligns into a hole in the face of the pulley to ensure you line up. This to ensure that the crankshaft sensor can read TDC properly, otherwise the car won't start. Head skim aside, it would take two hours or so to complete.

Get yourself a Haynes manual, and IIRC there's a few video's on youtube giving more detailed advice.

Martron

thanks for that.

if i got a spirit level or something could i check if the head needs to be skimmed?

skimming the head is obviously a pro job and would like to avoid the cost of it if i could .

i got a haynes manual......the description looks comprehensive so just need to get my hands on a torque wrench.

if anyone can think of anything else it would be much appreciated.

Slidey

Head skimming is not dear.

You will need a steel straight edge and the knowhow in how to use it if you want to check the head yourself

shamwari

From my own experiences, normally the gasket blows between no1 and the adjacent water jacket. It can sometimes create a local cooling hotspot at that point which results in slight distortion of the head face. Whilst the OP made no mention of overheating, his comments do suggest that the car ran low on water, and that very often does create that hotspot which I mentioned. A straight edge and feeler gauge would reveal all to the trained eye!

Martron

i could be way of the mark. but if i had something like a spirit level and went from corner to corner would a deflection not show under the spirit level by a gap?

or are we talking about a gap which is too small to see?

Martron

just to add to that no over heating light came on as i shut it down pretty soon after the heating stopped.

shamwari

Martron wrote: »

i could be way of the mark. but if i had something like a spirit level and went from corner to corner would a deflection not show under the spirit level by a gap?

or are we talking about a gap which is too small to see?

The gap is usually so small that the thinnest blade on a feeler gauge can barley be passed under a straight edge. When the head is skimmed, a tiny fraction of a millimeter is all that is removed.