Trak And Engine Warning Light Displaying

[steve24]

have an is200 (03 plate) that has recently had a new engine fitted. earlier this week noticed steam coming from LHS of engine bay near Battery mount. checked rad and coolant level was down so topped up with about 1.5 litres. checked each morning and having to add about 500ml to top up but no sign of leak. temp gauge remains mid level. today temp gauge shot up to max and a strange grating/sliding noise could be heard coming from the dash/bulkhead area; noise stopped and gauge returned to mid level. then shot up again. engine warning light came on and tracking light started to flash on dash. stopped vehicle and on inspection could hear a hissing noise from somewhere at rear of engine bay at the rear of the throttle housing. checked Rad when called and it took about 3 litre to top it up. cannot see any sign of a leak; nothing coming from rad hoses.

on viewing I also noticed a cable housing seems to have come detached and was lying loose near the bulk head. it is attached to three cables ( blue/green yellow/green and brown) but i cannot see where this housing is supposed to be bolted to.

the oil check shows that there is no evidence of water contamination; the oil remains clear and fresh looking.

can anyone help or advise as to what could be going on/wrong and how to rectify

[steve24]

additional info: ran the car in idle to allow it to warm up to see whether i could see where steam was coming from. on revving to 3000rpm the engine seemed to misfire; only seeming to generate just over 3000 revs

[steve24]

update: the loose cable and housing appears to be the vacuum pressure sensor but i have no idea where it should be attached to. can anyone guide me please

[steve2006]

If your loosing that amount of coolant it has to be either leaking out, going through the engine and out the exaust or mixing with the oil.

You need to investigate the area where the hissing noise is coming from, chances are if a new engine has been fitted something perhaps a hose clamp has not been tightened properly,the only pipes at the rear of the engine are those going to and from the heater matrix (have you checked the front footwell carpets for signs of damp?).

The misfire may not be good news with an overheated engine.

What ever the cause you need to get it sorted pronto.

[steve24]

thanks Steve; any idea where that vacuum sensor is supposed to be attached to; its simply hanging loose

[steve24]

looks like we've managed to sort the problem out. it seems that there was a loose pipe leading from the radiator. this caused air to get into the system and resulted in the radiator overflow to run dry. re attaching the pipe, refilling and bleeding the system she is now running sweet again. the vacuum pressure sensor housing and wires were loose and are now re attached and although i cannot work out where the housing attaches correctly, i have cable tied to housing to the bulkhead in a place where it will not be in the way.

i guess I've been lucky; the steam was coming coming from the loose radiator hose and with there being no sign of water in the oil it looks like we don't have any other issues to contend with. cylinder head is tight and gaskets and seals holding up well.