ZS 180 Water Leak!

4707 Views 20 Replies 6 Participants Last post by patpending, Oct 11, 2010

patpending

Discussion Starter · Sep 28, 2010

The red light on the right of the speedo/rev counter is not the battery warning light, it is the water level warning light.

Thank you, Speedwell Garage of Loughborough.

My ZS 180 is leaking water under the car (which I thought was rainwater) so I presume it is not HGF as there was no mayo in the tank (which stupidly I did not check before my short runs).

The garage has topped up the water level for the moment and the light has gone out - now they are looking to see where the leak is.

I have just had a new water pump and a new thermostat thingy as part of my 6-year cambelt service. Am I right that most reasons for water leaks are quite tricky to solve, not unlike the actual cambelt change? When I have a diagnosis, is there a reason why I shouldn't refill the tank, drive home, and subsequently refill the tank and drive the car to Taunton? or maybe refill the tank and take the car to Lates?

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Dr Dave

· #2 · Sep 28, 2010

Is is clear water that is leaking Chris?

Whereabouts under the car is it leaking, as you say, look towards the front of the car, looking at the engine?

How much coolant has been topped up?

patpending

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 28, 2010

Dr Dave said:
Is is clear water that is leaking Chris?

I only just realised that the puddle of water under my car wasn't rainwater, so pretty clear...

Whereabouts under the car is it leaking, as you say, look towards the front of the car, looking at the engine?

parked diagonally pointing down a slope the water was trickling down past the O/S front wheel...

How much coolant has been topped up?

Don't know, the light was on but heat went up only to normal...will find out...

patpending

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 29, 2010

Dr Dave said:
How much coolant has been topped up?

per the garage, the amount was just under the MIN on the expansion tank.

The leak was water with coolant.

Under the engine is clean except for where the drip is occurring "at the side"...

Dr Dave

· #5 · Oct 2, 2010

All covers off it appears the drip is from the water pump!

patpending

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 2, 2010

Dr Dave said:
All covers off it appears the drip is from the water pump!

if only I had preventatively replaced the water pump while the Doctor was doing the belts!

:lol:

(the sardonic lol of a bloke who did just that)

:doh:

patpending

Discussion Starter · #7 · Oct 3, 2010

patpending said:
if only I had preventatively replaced the water pump while the Doctor was doing the belts!

:lol:

(the sardonic lol of a bloke who did just that)

:doh:

sounds as though the water pump fitted may be from the batch of genuine O-rings as fitted to Damon Hill's Arrows at Hungary :doh:

I just googled "ZS180 water pump" and came straight here...

ts autos

· #8 · Oct 3, 2010

Why oh why didn't you change the pump whilst in that deep.

patpending

Discussion Starter · #9 · Oct 3, 2010

ts autos said:
Why oh why didn't you change the pump whilst in that deep.

get your sarko-meter out...

patpending said:
if only I had preventatively replaced the water pump while the Doctor was doing the belts!

:lol:

(the sardonic lol of a bloke who did just that)

:doh:

I did change it! but the part in its OE packaging evidently may not have been what it said on the tin...

Dr Dave

· #10 · Oct 6, 2010

All fixed now with a locally sourced genuine pump

ts autos

· #11 · Oct 7, 2010

Any idea what make of pump it was Dave so we can steer clear of a repeat occurrence

patpending

Discussion Starter · #12 · Oct 7, 2010

ts autos said:
Any idea what make of pump it was Dave so we can steer clear of a repeat occurrence

I believed it was MGR OE but it was delivered to the Doctor...

Dr Dave

· #13 · Oct 7, 2010

ts autos said:
Any idea what make of pump it was Dave so we can steer clear of a repeat occurrence

Nothing marked on it whatsoever. Not even a date stamp unlike the MGR real deal - it had an 05 date stamp on it!

stefan161

· #14 · Oct 7, 2010

OE water pumps are made by a different manufacturer to the one who supplied the MGR lines in the first place now anyway. Same goes for loads of XPart sourced parts that keep MGR cars going.

Example - ZS180 clutch slave cylinder brackets were made by a local engineering company using the last remaining 'genuine' bracket as the template.

patpending

Discussion Starter · #15 · Oct 8, 2010

I clicked on the link to the actual item and find it is gone although within 90 days. I alerted the seller that it was a fake but maybe he was not selling it as OE, see below.

Description "MG Rover 2.5 2.0 V6 KV6 WATER PUMP" does not say "genuine" and the MG Rover may mean

" 'suitable' for"...

I printed out the spec but that is not here.

I may have fallen for a description of the part saying everything except "genuine" - my recollection of the black MGR box was on the belts - so maybe the part was not counterfeit as such, just dodgy aftermarket. Lesson learnt. :doh:

pete l

· #16 · Oct 8, 2010

I've just got a new water pump for my ZR, it's made by first line, is it any good ??

Carl

· #17 · Oct 8, 2010

I used a landrover one - came in awhite box but had LR on the packet in the box

You arnt special Pat mine hasw a water leak from the bleed screw in the rad hose - must fix it this week

patpending

Discussion Starter · #18 · Oct 10, 2010

Dr Dave said:
All fixed now with a locally sourced genuine pump

Sorted.

The hooky pump did not have enough gasket on it and leaked from the top.

So get your pump from a trusted source...

Carl

· #19 · Oct 11, 2010

can the gaskets be sourced seperately ? - just you have nearly new pump but no gasket now Pat

Dr Dave

· #20 · Oct 11, 2010

Not sure where the problem lies - the groove in the pump (for the seal) is too deep or is the supplied o ring seal too thin???

I don't know, too much work to even contemplate refitting the pump.

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