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Overheating
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BlackDog   
Wed Jul 05 2017, 06:09pm
Joined: Feb 18 2017
Member No: #3013
Location: Lisburn
 I left my C6 2.7 2007 into my local main dealer because of a charging system warning. It turned out to be the alternator pulley. They removed and replaced the alternator which I had repaired elsewhere. Picked the car up and next day drove to Dublin (100 miles) where I ran into heavy traffic. After 20 minutes steam appeared from under the bonnet. Lifted the bonnet to find water escaping from the top hose where it enters the radiator. Let it cool added some water. Selected the temperature gauge on the trip computer and nursed it to my hotel. Next morning I topped the water up (2l+) and gently drove it home stopping to check the water level now and again It only took .25l over the 100 miles.. There is smoke when you remove the oil filler cap which I presume means a blown head gasket. The question is would the main dealer have done anything to affect the cooling system in order to get the alternator out?
travlician   
Wed Jul 05 2017, 06:45pm
Joined: Jan 22 2011
Member No: #350
Location: Paradera
 What about running the engine without accessory belt, in that case the water pump is not turning...
cruiserphil   
Wed Jul 05 2017, 08:47pm

Joined: Jan 24 2010
Member No: #38
Location: Celbridge
 Blackdog,

Alternator is only accessible from under the car and no requirement to remove any water hoses. Could they possibly have leaned on the water hose and disturbed it when working on it? I wouldn't fear head gasket yet? Especially if it has stopped using water. I saw a 2.7 with what ultimately was a head gasket failure. In that case the water loss was evident in the rapidly dropping header tank level with no leaks. Plus the header tank was under excessive pressure when the cap was released. Check out for any sources of leaks and monitor the usage in the header. When all is right essentially there should be no coolant requirement.

Best regards,

Phil C.

Best regards,

Phil C.
e3steve   
Thu Jul 06 2017, 06:00am
Joined: Jan 21 2013
Member No: #1163
Location: Warsash, Hants & Palma de Mallorca, Spain

1. Never use tap water in any engine comprising dissimilar metal components such as iron (block), aluminium (heads/water pump housing), steel with zinc or nickel plating (screws/bolts/water pump impeller), etc.
Not unless you live in a soft-water region, anyway. Even then:

2. If you have to fill the cooling system from the tap, flush the system asap using a flushing agent, then refill with the approved ready-mixed coolant (i.e. Comma Glysantin G3). Even then, the coolant should be replaced every two years or so, as its corrosion inhibiting properties get depleted.

Dissimilar metal corrosion within the water jacket can be lethal for the engine. Remember the Triumph Stag's 3.0l V8 maladies? There was never really anything wrong with that engine! It was robust and beautifully sweet, but ignorant-of-the-facts garages and owners were, at best, mixing tap water with Bluecol or, at worst, filling from a hose or watering can; the water content was then calcifying and corroding internally and, thus, carrying said calcification (and eroded corrosion from the rough-cast components) to the radiator, whose veins were already too narrow in the first place. Blocked veins = no cooling = overheating = warped heads and blown head gaskets...
gmerry   
Thu Jul 06 2017, 07:54am
Joined: Dec 11 2009
Member No: #21
Location: Scotland
 Adding to the replies so far, removal of the alternator may have disturbed a fragile plastic tank at the front/bottom of the engine. This is a well known failure point on the 2.7 cooling circuit. The "correct" coolant is G30 (BASF Comma in the UK)as E3steve has pointed out (must confess to using soft Scottish water to dilute the concentrate).

Otherwise, its just coincidental: especially if the observed leak is coming from the radiator top hose (where it connects with the radiator????)

regards


Note, this is the 2nd post within a week where a faulty alternator pulley has been repaired by removal of the entire alternator. Not required and garages should be informed as such by C6 owners.
Cisco   
Thu Jul 06 2017, 09:50am
Joined: Sep 10 2013
Member No: #1429
Location: Glasgow
 Hi there Blackdog,

I think this is the hose that let you down. I had the same hose split earlier this year. I didn't flag it up on the forum as I thought it must be a one off because it split mid-hose 180 degrees from the rad support/reinforcement area. In view of your failure maybe we should put it on the watch list

When your Citroen dealer removed the alternator they should have replaced the water inlet tank at the same time as it will go eventually. A regular garage would not be expected to do this but a Citroen dealer should know better

Good luck with it.

Frank
gmerry   
Thu Jul 06 2017, 10:11pm
Joined: Dec 11 2009
Member No: #21
Location: Scotland
 Here's the same kind of issue with a Porsche Cayenne - Click Here -

sorry, failure of plastic cooling parts and hoses is rife across the entire automotive fleet.
 

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