Could it be my water pump...

[Snap]

I was driving the other day and when i turned the heater on, i was getting cold air despite having been driving for an hour. When i opened the bonnet to check the coolant bottle was near empty and there was some smoke coming from the engine block (from the burnt coolant). It seemed the coolant was coming leaking from the holes on the engine block under the headgasket.

Now i dont think its the headgasket but to make sure whats that test done to the coolant to check if the headgasket has gone?

Could it be the water pump not circulating water around? How can i check if its working or not?

Ta.

[takethefifth]

I don't think its the pump as this would cause it to overheat and/or leak lots of water from it.

For head gasket check the condition of your coolant ie. no oil in it,  and have a look inside your oil filler hole for white froth.

Best way i  have found is you let the garage use their 'sniffer' thing in the coolant. Its some kind of gas analyser that tells you if the coolant is picking up too much exhaust gas (as it might if there was a HG failure).

[rubjonny]

low coolant will stop the heater from working, it sounds like the core plugs are leaking from your description.  If the car has been run without enough antifreeze over winter, the coolant can freeze and pop out the core plugs.  They are round discs which are a push fit into the block.

[Snap]

I kept an eye on the coolant throught the winter and it was fine. I wonder what was causing the leak?

Any recomendations???

[jase555]

sound very much like the core plugs buddie like rubjonny said

[Snap]

Core plugs?? I have no idea what they are or what they do. Anyone care to tell me what it is and what do i need to do to replace them?

Ta.

[DarnPB]

Right. The engine needs to be cooled and therefor, the block has what is called a water jacket. This allows water to circulate round the cylinders, thus taking the heat away. If the car is parked in very low temperatures, ie below freezing, the water in the block has a good chance of freezing. When water freezes, it expands. The purpose of the core plugs is to relieve the pressure build up of the ice as it expands by the core plugs popping out. If the core plugs did not exist, a real possibility exists of the engine block itself cracking or splitting, instantly scrapping the engine.
The core plugs are like small round metal discs, but concaved. You fit them by placing them in the core plug hole with the concave facing out. You then lightly tap the concave with a soft metal drift and a hammer. This will cause the disc to expand slightly and plug the hole, thus preventing any water leaks.
It sounds as if one of your core plugs is either missing, or has come loose, but not enough to fall out.
When you fit them, make sure that the plug hole is clean and free of rust, or the core plug will not sit properly. I hope this makes sense.

[Snap]

Right. The engine needs to be cooled and therefor, the block has what is called a water jacket. This allows water to circulate round the cylinders, thus taking the heat away. If the car is parked in very low temperatures, ie below freezing, the water in the block has a good chance of freezing. When water freezes, it expands. The purpose of the core plugs is to relieve the pressure build up of the ice as it expands by the core plugs popping out. If the core plugs did not exist, a real possibility exists of the engine block itself cracking or splitting, instantly scrapping the engine.
The core plugs are like small round metal discs, but concaved. You fit them by placing them in the core plug hole with the concave facing out. You then lightly tap the concave with a soft metal drift and a hammer. This will cause the disc to expand slightly and plug the hole, thus preventing any water leaks.
It sounds as if one of your core plugs is either missing, or has come loose, but not enough to fall out.
When you fit them, make sure that the plug hole is clean and free of rust, or the core plug will not sit properly. I hope this makes sense.

Thanks for that, i understand it now. There hardly anything about it in the haynes. I'll gonna see if there a how-to guide on the net.