Peugeot 207 Radiator Leak

[mrmike]

Radiator seems to empty itself in drips and drabs over a couple of weeks until its empty. So today I figured I'd go buy a new one after seeing it leaking at petrol station. I tried my hand at the replacement and it was surprisingly easy. Sadly, when putting the new one in, after filling her up, water started leaking out of the bottom connector. So I just wasted £30 on a new radiator

This connector is strange, all the other hoses just squeeze onto the radiator and a clip over the top, this plastic connector thing doesn't seem to have anything holding it in place really. Should I just chop the plastic connector off and manually squeeze the hose over and put a clip on like the rest of them are?

 

[Burnerman]

Are you referring to the bayonet connector here?
If so, get a new hose - anything else will come back to haunt!
John

 

[mrmike]

I don't think it's a bayonet connector, here's some pictures.
This is the culprit.
It's the same connector as this one.
Here is the rad where it connects to.

The hose runs from the bottom of the rad to the expansion tank, what does it even do?

 

[Burnerman]

I think that's the quick detach method used by Peugeot (small screen - sorry!) The rubber pipe has an O ring inside that has distorted or come adrift in some way....can you release it by pressing that small metal segment in? Usually these fittings become damaged by forcing the pipe off the plastic stub without fully depressing the clip.
Either way, its a new hose needed there. As the hot water expands, its forced up into the expansion bottle...when the engine cools, it returns back into the rad - it just keeps the coolant level stable.
In this case, it could be possible to force the rubber hose over that plastic flange and use a jubilee clip, but if it splits or comes off you'll have bother!
John

 

[mrmike]

Thanks for that John,

I think I will try and get a new hose, it's likely that the connector was damaged the last time I had the car in for a new thermostat. It was getting a little dark earlier so didn't have chance to inspect, but I assume your right, it has probably been yanked off, I managed to take it off earlier with very little effort, without depressing the clips. It looks like a small metal segment in the picture but it is actually a plastic thing that goes all the way around (bad camera angle), at the time I struggled to understand what it did exactly, pressing the clip didn't really seem to do much. I'll have a better look tomorrow.

 

[Burnerman]

This pipe securing method is found frequently on fuel filters and so on.....it's the O rings that give the seal, the fitting can actually swivel but still remain liquid tight.
Depressing that plastic clip distorts the rubber pipe within, allowing you to pull the pipe away. It's sometimes awkward to press the clip fully, I have to admit!
John

 

[mrmike]

Just checked the seal inside, it isn't an O ring as such, but the inside of that connector is all made from a rubber like material. It looked a little dirty so I cleaned it out, but now I have a bigger problem. When I disconnected that bottom hose, all of the water drained from the system, after reconnecting it, I tried to fill it back up again but it will only take 1L of water. I let the engine run and left the cap off but the level in the expansion tank doesn't budge. Temp gauge reads 90, few whips of steam coming out of the expansion tank. What do I do? I didn't have this problem first time around.

 

[Burnerman]

That's correct.....there isn't an O ring as such, it's just the lips of the rubber moulding produce the same thing.
So - you have an air lock......the thermostat is holding the air or water back, and this won't change until the stat opens. You may get somewhere by squeezing the hoses and watching for bubbles in the expansion tank, but do check for bleed caps on the heater hoses - these often look like car tyre valve caps.
Another popular Peugeot bleed point was on the thermostat housing itself, but I can't comment on your particular vehicle.
John

 

[mrmike]

Yes you are right it was indeed an air lock. I did see a bleed cap on a chunk of metal, but I wasn't sure what it was so left it alone. I ended up taking the car for a short drive and then just left it for half an hour, the water level in the expansion tanked dropped, I had to repeat this process a few times; the water level dropping more and more every time. Now everything seems fine, the heaters are piping hot and the engine is not over heating so I'm happy. I will keep an eye on the level though, only time will tell if cleaning the dirt off that hose has helped at all. Peugeot sell a replacement hose (a superseded version) for £12.

Unknown bleed cap

• mrmike
• 21 Oct 2015

Thanks again John

 

[Burnerman]

The round plastic thing with the moulded hexagon on it is the oil filter housing top.....the paper oil filter element lurks underneath this.
Pleased you have it sorted - just keep an eye on the coolant level for a few days.
John

 

[mrmike]

Yes I will keep an eye on it. In the picture, if you look to the left of the oil filter housing there is a black cylindrical shaped thing with a pipe sticking out of the bottom of it, it is this device that has some sort of bleed nipple on that I was referring to. Think I might buy myself a Haynes manual.

 

[Burnerman]

Ah, sorry Mike I couldn't see that one!
No idea what it is, really but it isn't a coolant bleed....at a guess, if it is a bleed nipple at all then it could be the clutch slave cylinder.
I doubt if Mr. Haynes would know either
John

 

[mrmike]

Just managed to find the engine water bleed on Peugeot service box, for future reference...

 

[Burnerman]

Yep, number 4 is the one!
John

 

[mrmike]

Still having some issues, the coolant temp gauge doesn't get to operating temp, it bobs up and down a little at around 70-80, but doesn't get to 90 and stay there. The heaters are hot, but not quite as hot as they were before. Do you think I might still have air in the system? How hard can it be to fill a cooling system? This is ridiculous. Is there an exact procedure that I should be following in order to avoid air in the system?

I haven't done anything with the bleed screw on the thermostat housing yet, do I do this with the engine hot, cold, on, off? Heaters on full blast?