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My car is Skoda Rapid 1.6 litre petrol engine, 2013 model. It has ran about 140000 Kilometres.

Recently Smoke started coming out of my coolant reservoir and it was leaking not from the cap but from the mid of the coolant reservoir container.

So when we replaced it with a new coolant cap and new coolant reservoir container. Then we revved the engine just to check if radiator Fan is working properly.

Before the fan could have started the coolant reservoir cap blown up and coolant liquid came out like a fountain.

Seems like when coolant reservoir cap is removed then coolant circulation looks fine but when cap closed lots of pressure building inside coolant reservoir.

My old coolant reservoir was also replaced just an year ago, even it should have not broken so quickly.

What could be going wrong.

mSatyam
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1 Answers1

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You almost certainly have a blown head gasket.

The head gasket seals the joint between the engine block and the engine head. When there is a break or gap in the head gasket, hot combustion gases from a cylinder are forced into the coolant. The gases displace coolant and force it back into the coolant reservoir. The increased pressure in the cooling system can blow the reservoir cap off, as you observed, or crack the tank.

A mechanic with emission testing equipment can detect exhaust gases coming from the coolant tank, which will confirm the diagnosis. They can also do a compression test or cylinder leakdown test and will probably find that one cylinder has low compression or does not hold pressure.

Continuing to drive with a blown head gasket can damage the engine beyond repair. The escaping hot gases can cut a groove in the smooth mating faces between the engine block and the head. In addition, since gases are displacing coolant, there will be interruptions in coolant flow and overheating. The engine can develop internal hot spots that cause warping or other damage.

If the car was driven very little since the initial symptoms, it can be repaired with no drama by replacing the head gasket.

MTA
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