My car had died.......

[Razorhoof]

On the way to B&Q myu engine warning light came on and the turbo stopped working..... I pooed myself but carried on the 2 minute drive to B&Q.

When I got to the parking bay I lifted the bonnet and the whole engine was smoking / steaming and I thought it was a goner.....

I called Green Flag and the guy came out ready to tow me away when I asked him if it might be the water tank.... 7.5 litres of Boots 'Brecon Craig' Water later (cost £7.50 altogether for 10 bottles) and the water tank was full again, it was bone dry!!!!! The guy noticed that the clip holding the water pipe on the back of the engine bay (near where it passes through to the back of the dashboard, was off and my car had possibly been leaking water from there for a while......

Anyway, it's all sorted now aside from a very small oil leak and the cutting out which in spite of a £400 bill from the mechanic is still not sorted.....

[Bogus]

I hate to rain on your parade, But, unless you have the "new 3L " head, you can look forward to replacing the one you have. Major overheat is almost certainly going to mean cracked head. Check your water daily and watch as the top up rate interval increases.

I hope not, but its highly likely

Bogus

[Razorhoof]

The head was replaced around 14 months ago man, not worrying about that just yet. It runs fine now though so will keep my knickers on for now :o).

but thanks for making me nervous though .

Seriously though, this car is making me really stressed!!!!!

[marky]

Was it the new Modified head though? Or was it a recon head?

[Razorhoof]

I really don't know to be honest. The guy had it done before he sold it me and I don't know where from. He got it done under warranty by the people he bought it oof and they got it done by someone from Manchester (probably Stevo surely?)......

Aside from that I don't know. It drives fine and dandy though, is it not possible that I got the water int o it before any damage had been caused?

[Bogus]

Its possible you are OK, but theres strong evidence that even one major overheat on a 2.4 will lead to a cracked head. If your replacement was the "modified" 3L head you may well be OK but youd be wise to keep a VERY REGULAR eye on your water levels and see if top up frequency does indeed increase.
Of course its wise to keep a good eye on these things anyway but If I was you Id be watching like a hawk for a good while. Dont want to scare you but its as well to be prepared and recognise that damage is a possibility.

Bogus

[Razorhoof]

Yup, I hear you mate. I appreciate the help too, that's why I love this site so much.... However, I had a dream last night that the engine blew up on the way to my parents house - not a nice dream at all :o(.....

The water is full right to the brim at the moment and I will keep an eye on it.

The reason why the water was so low was because the clip that holds the water pipe (where it attached to the rear wall of the engine bay) had come off allowing water to spurt out while I was driving. The guy who Green Flag sent noticed it and fixed it for me. I hadn't noticed any water under the car when parked or anything like that so it must have been a recent occurance, either at my last mechanic (trying to drum up more business???) or maybe it just popped off for some other reason.

If there is a crack what else should I be looking out for aside from increased water usage?

[hawkwind]

If there is a crack what else should I be looking out for aside from increased water usage?

Normally huge clouds of white smoke coming from the exhaust, and you may also hear water bubbling into your resevoir.