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WORRIED ABOUT MY NEIGHBOURS LUPO CATCHING FIRE


Dane cowan
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Hi there - new here. Heres the story summarised - my elderly neighbour asked me to start and run her car daily to keep the battery charged as shes hurt her back and is housebound. I’m concerned about the car catching on fire...the coolant is below the minimum and there is consistent white smoke coming from the exhaust...the smoke isn’t huge but i feel scared of the car catching on fire, theres no white froth on the oil cap and the exhaust emissions symbol has indeed gone away, any ideas?

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Welcome to club lupo :)

sounds like everything is ok. Just top up the coolant with a bit of water and it'll be fine.

but engines don't like being started from cold and run every now and then (just idling without being driven). The trick is to take the car for a good half hour drive till it gets properly warmed up, then park it with a hot engine and leave it for up to six months. Ideally with the battery disconnected. The condensation (combustion products) in the exhaust affects all the internal components.

 

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If the level is going down, there's probably a small leak. Usually its a classic Vdub seal failure between the alloy cylinder head and a plastic hose flange. They fitted little rubber rings that go inside the plastic hose mounts that go brittle, shrink a bit then allow a very slow drip drip drip of coolant. You don't ever get a puddle under the car, just a very fine misting or damp area around the leak. For the time being just top up with water or pink coolant.

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Great, thanks everyone for their suggestions! I had originally thought it was a head gasket failure until i learned about those little rubber rings, hell i may even give fixing it a go, any hints/tips?  Furthermore, I’d like to learn more about the car - is it just me or is the bonnet release really really stiff, so much so the handle has actually come off a bunch?! 

Finally, im hearing a slight whirring noise when revving the engine slightly, it comes and goes and sounds like morse code in terms of the pattern, any ideas? Its not a belt i don’t think

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8 hours ago, Dane cowan said:

Great, thanks everyone for their suggestions! I had originally thought it was a head gasket failure until i learned about those little rubber rings, hell i may even give fixing it a go, any hints/tips?  Furthermore, I’d like to learn more about the car - is it just me or is the bonnet release really really stiff, so much so the handle has actually come off a bunch?! 

Finally, im hearing a slight whirring noise when revving the engine slightly, it comes and goes and sounds like morse code in terms of the pattern, any ideas? Its not a belt i don’t think

That hose flange costs pennies- like £3 from ECP or someone. But you can ghetto fix it ( @Skezza 's favourite method) using some stixall. Clean it well and dry before you do it though...

whirring could be leaves in the alternator or a rattly loose cam belt cover. Usually something plastic in the engine bay? It's worth tracking it down though just in case something potentially serious.

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14 hours ago, mk2 said:

But you're the master of improvisation... :)

 

Haha, not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing. Improv = bodging :D 

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