Puma coolant issue

[Ollie :)]

Hi, ive been a proud pumaq owner for about a year now, and really love it! I was on a short round town drive today (a very hot day tho) when i noticed a strong fishy smell which i guessed was coolant, so kept a close eye on the temperature gauge and a few minutes later the temperature went right up so i parked it and looked under the bonnet, and there was no coolant left even though id topped it up about 6 weeks ago. I walked home and looked on the drive. I noticed there was quite a lot of water under where the front of the car would be, so its gotta be some kind of coolant leak. Was just wondering what the likeliest causes of the coolant leak wouldbe and how much it would cost to put right? Thanks

[red]

You need to find exactly where it's leaked from. The top offender for a coolant loss like that would be the heater control valve located up at the back of the engine bay because over time they are known to become brittle and snap.

Failing that maybe a damaged radiator?

Welcome to the site.

[Ollie :)]

You need to find exactly where it's leaked from. The top offender for a coolant loss like that would be the heater control valve located up at the back of the engine bay because over time they are known to become brittle and snap.

I was literally just coming on the forum to post an update, your bang on correct! I saw where it was leaking from and it is the heater controll valve Any idea where i can get a replacement from online?

[red]

The pattern parts have been known to be quite hit and miss, I'd probably start by ringing your local Ford parts counter. They are used for Fiestas and KAs too I believe so in theory should still be readily available.

Not sure how comparible this price is now but here's a genuine one on eBay
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-GENUINE- ... SwHQxctJsd

[YOG]

Febi Bilstein is a good brand:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FEBI-24233-C ... SwJrBejo2t

[Wild E. Coyote]

Yes, I got 5 years out of a FeBi HCV unit...

[DOH]

The key reason that the plastic fails is because people do not flush their coolant out regularly and also not run it with the correct concentration of red antifreeze.
Because of this, small particles of corrosion which is abrasive, gradually wear away the wall thickness of the insides of the plastic . The pipes then become weakened and snap off resulting in full coolant loss at the most inconvenient time!

I ensure my coolant is spotless and the HCV has been on the car for 16 years, I always use distilled water not tap water .
I have checked the plastic pipes by removing the hoses and none of them snapped off unlike newer cars that have the same valve fitted.
Think about how furred up the kettle gets with tap water in the uk , bits of that cannot be good for a coolant system , distilled water makes a big difference.

So that is hopefully the proof to my theory.

Reading on here previous posts of HCV failing early due to a design flaw that Fords modified.

Agreed I would avoid the chinese specials on ebay as the stepper motor valve , seals are known to fail.

I am going to give the following a try :
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Heater-Contr ... 2749.l2649

This part comes with a 5 year warranty, So they must be confident that it's ok .
I note that they have also sold over 4000 of them.

I will fit and report over time if there was any issues .

I will keep my working original as a spare.

[DOH]

The HCV arrived from RTG yesterday and disappointingly it was just a Chinese copy and not their own brand as described.
It has been returned for a refund. So don't buy the HCV from them.

[gingerdave]

The key reason that the plastic fails is because people do not flush their coolant out regularly and also not run it with the correct concentration of red antifreeze.
Because of this, small particles of corrosion which is abrasive, gradually wear away the wall thickness of the insides of the plastic . The pipes then become weakened and snap off resulting in full coolant loss at the most inconvenient time!

I ensure my coolant is spotless and the HCV has been on the car for 16 years, I always use distilled water not tap water .
I have checked the plastic pipes by removing the hoses and none of them snapped off unlike newer cars that have the same valve fitted.
Think about how furred up the kettle gets with tap water in the uk , bits of that cannot be good for a coolant system , distilled water makes a big difference.

So that is hopefully the proof to my theory.

Reading on here previous posts of HCV failing early due to a design flaw that Fords modified.

Agreed I would avoid the chinese specials on ebay as the stepper motor valve , seals are known to fail.

I am going to give the following a try :
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Heater-Contr ... 2749.l2649

This part comes with a 5 year warranty, So they must be confident that it's ok .
I note that they have also sold over 4000 of them.

I will fit and report over time if there was any issues .

I will keep my working original as a spare.

I can’t agree with that theory .I have a 1996 Ka with 137 k miles which I’ve owned from new .It is still on the original HCV valve and I have never flushed the coolantNormally the problem with any plastic component is thermal degradation and an HCV is in the worst situation.Had to change one on a Puma about 8 years ago at 70k and the 4 connectors were so brittle that they just snapped off with the slightest pressure laterally.Oh I do carry a spare one in the Ka