Hello! So ive just gotten my first 3.0 v6 y/r 2000 and its kinda wet outside, like 2+c degrees and snow laying around but NOT on the roads. So i tought since its kinda wet i might as well try to slide it a bit and this i regret. It launched smoke like a damn chimney from the engine bay at the drivers side after like 5min of hard drivning (left side steering).

I stopped and turned the car off and let it smoke a bit, couldnt see **** so i waited and then drove it like 60m to the parking lot by my work place and took a look, couldnt see any clearly broken hoses or visible leaks. The fluid had squirted all over the engine bay and it kinda felt like oil for a second but didnt smell ANYTHING and tasted ”kinda” sweet but at the same time kinda like nothing, i have NO goddamn clue to what it can be, im gonna let it rest for the night and try to start it tomorrow evening (24h rest ’cause im working tomorrow) and let it idle and take a look if anything looks wrong or sounds bad.

(Video below but quality sucks ’Cause phone camera is broken).

If anyone has some idees to what it can be and what i could look after please answer or DM on insta : mtweriin

PS. Sorry for bad english, im Swedish.

 

Dont mind the broken hose in the start, i was confused untill i saw that it leads to absolutley nothing. Hehe

 

Based on the position in the engine bay, the leak is most likely from the cooling system expansion tank. Here is a listing for it from the UK:

https://www.sngbarratt.com/English/#...20SYSTEM(12442)

The top hose with the bleed screw connects to the pipe from the heater core and is used to bleed air from the heater core as part of bleeding the entire system.

The expansion tank is a known failure point.

 

Okey! Thank you! i Will look it up tomorrow, do you think it can handle a 120km drive if filled up and stops every 30-40km and take a look to see if it needs more? Im currently at work 120km from home and driving home on thursday.

 

I wouldn't recommend driving the vehicle even 1 km prior to replacing the expansion tank. If the engine overheats, the cylinder block and or heads are going to warp causing the head gasket(s) to fail.

 

Well.. f*ck me 🥲 gonna check it tomorrow and see how it looks, i will come with more info tomorrow. Thanks for info man!!

 

If a coolant leak is suspected, I suggest you beg, borrow, or steal a cooling system pressure tester. This is a tool that looks like a bicycle pump and connects to the cap on the reservoir. You pump up the system and make sure it holds pressure. You also can look the system over for leaks. You also have the benefit of being able to inspect things without the danger of moving belts, etc.

If you simply run the engine and looks for a leak, you may easily miss it. At idle, the cooling system barely builds up any pressure. If the fault is not major, it may not leak under the light pressure present at idle.

Should the coolant reservoir require replacement, it can be difficult to access the hose connections underneath. The easiest method is to undo the opposite end of the hose, where access is much easier. Remove the reservoir and attached hose as a unit. Then you can separate the otherwise inaccessible connection from the comfort of your workbench.

 

On my 03 4.2L my rad was leaking. I broke the fitting on the overflow / degas tank so I had to replace it. AND... my waterpump was slightly seeping which gave it a constant coolant smell. Replaced it too.

 

So i really cant find the expansion tank on this car, the previous owner has done something to the car and built a metal box and i dont know if its supose to act like the expansion tank or an oil catchback. See pictures below

Hose from metal box runs to this intersection


The metal box

 

Holy cow! It appears the previous owner has fitted some sort of metal replacement for the coolant reservoir/expansion tank. If done properly, that's one way to make sure it never leaks again.

Here's what the stock tank looks like for an early V6 model:



Here's a view from eBay, showing the engine compartment. You're missing a trim panel forward of the wipers. Actually, it looks like yours was cut. The tank fits under this panel, about where your metal tank is sitting. The panel has a hole in it for the cap on the coolant tank, seen in the upper right corner of this picture:

 

Okey! Yeah i think so Cause there is a cut off hose also in the metal box and Im thinking it might have squirted out a bit of coolant to release pressure or something? Im clueless to be honest.

 

The stock cap on the stock reservoir is designed to vent excess pressure. It looks like that metal tank has a solid metal cap. If so, that means there is no provision to safely relieve pressure in the cooling system.

The metal tank may be an incredibly durable "upgrade" but will cause problems if excess pressure can't be safely vented, as you may have already discovered.

 

Yeah i know, but there are 2 hoses one going to the engine and one thats cut off like 2cm long so Im thinking the short one is suposed to act like the orginal cap? Sure not the best solution but should be drivable after a check-up and refill if needed? Thanks for replying btw

 

I would not trust it at all like that. Seems you got lucky and only had a hose come loose. Without any overpressure protection, next time you may not be so lucky, and blow up your radiator or worse.

 

I didnt see Any loose hoses or visible damage to one, gotta drive home today a 129km drive hehe lets hope it holds it together

 

Mtwerin: Personally, I would get the entire car checked out prior to embarking on a 100 km+ road trip. The pictures show a significant degree of "deferred maintenance" and bodged repairs.

I am assuming that you don't really want to be stuck by the side of the road during a Swedish winter...

 

To be honest i would leave the car by the road side if it breaks haha 😂 i Will update if i make it home

 

So.. it held all the 129km’s! I opened the metal box aka expansion tank and it was almost empty so i filled it up and drove home. Gonna check tomorrow morning if it still holds coolant or if it leaks. Thanks guys for all the tips and information! I’ve found it hard to find info about the s-type in Sweden.

 

The bitter-sweet taste is antifreeze. To avoid over-pressure don’t fully tighten the cap on the metal box (as a temporary measure only).

 

"deferred maintenance"? of course, that is what it is called. Gee, OP. 120k+ on a prayer?