300 TDI is dribbling - help!

[Disco Matt]

I just had a rather disturbing experience, when upon returning to the car after a brief halt I noticed a tiny dribble of liquid dripping off the steering box drop arm. Opening the bonnet found a trail leading to the pipe coming out of the underside of the header tank, or at least, that pipe and the area around it was damp. My plan is to let everything cool then check levels, but assuming it has lost some does anyone have any suggestions (beyond the obvious of topping up and keeping an eye on it)?

It's running fine, the heater works, which would suggest that the head gasket is ok? The temp gauge didn't move at all, I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't parked on a bone dry bit of gravel!

[Frankie-Boy]

Its not unusual for the seam around the header tank to fail on these, you might not even see where its coming from until the engine is hot and the system is pressurised.

Look out for tell tale stains on the front of the tank although they have been known to weep from the back.

Its an easy fix with a replacement header tank, about £25 from memory, (did mine a few months back)

[Disco Matt]

That would be feasible - the really weird part is that I drove home very sedately, pulled over again a few miles after noticing the drip and it had stopped. Got home (still no dribble), left it for an hour to cool down, opened the cap and the level doesn't seem to have dropped. There is evidence of the leak but there's no water coming out at the moment, if that makes sense.

Normally I'd put it down to a puddle or wading, but it's bone dry here and this was on tarmac. I had been pushing it pretty hard on a lengthy hillclimb before, and it's almost 30C here - might have been the last straw as it were? £25 isn't too bad anyway, if it repeats the fault I'll order a new tank. Thanks for the help!

[beast5680]

you can normally smell the coolant if its that leaking, my header tank split and the first thing i noticed was the smell of coolant, when i popped the bonnet to look just noticed the seam around the tank was wet but not enough to pour out onto the floor

[Disco Matt]

you can normally smell the coolant if its that leaking, my header tank split and the first thing i noticed was the smell of coolant, when i popped the bonnet to look just noticed the seam around the tank was wet but not enough to pour out onto the floor

Well, it wasn't pouring - just a tiny dribble. I've bought a good used tank on ebay from Fenlandrover for £15 including postage so will have a spare. Do I need to drain the system or can I just hold the hose up, plug it onto the new tank, and top it up to the level?

It was definitely water, and the underside of the tank was wet (along with the inner wing). If it does it again I'll fit the replacement. Just relieved that it's this rather than something more serious!

[Disco Matt]

The spare tank arrived this morning, so I'd heartily recommend Fenlandrover. Planning to fit it this week. I'm wondering if the old one split around the hose fitting as that seems to be the main damp area.

[sogster]

My header tank split last year and done my head gasket to boot, I'd just got onto the M4 from the M5 with the wobble box on the back.

It cost a small fortune in the end. Some months later my heater matrix failed. The guy in the garage thought the matrix had been leaking for a long while and when It over heated and split the tank, the matrix could have been the cause. But £1200 later she is still alive and kicking.


Sogster.