where is the steam coming......

so as i get home from work today i notice a hissing noise coming from the bonnet and temp gauge rising... turned the engine off and popped the bonnet.....steam was coming from what appeared to be the space between the engine and the firewall almost center..... there was also some fluid on the ground underneath the car....

 

its a 1989 TT 2+2 if that helps anymore

 

could be your turbo water lines in the area, or your heater hoses... replace them and it should go away

 

Not sure
buit thats the area of the heater hoses, etc

 

how much 'fun" am i gonna have doing this and what needs to be done

 

kinda depends how willing to injure yourself you are...
can all be done plenum on how much you willing to bleed bruise scrape and swear... much easier to do a PP to replace everything and better too so you can do all the preventative crap under there if not already done
PP probably 4 hours or so, plenum on probably the same but more painful

 

not really all that willing to injure myself i might go with the plenum pull then and as you said do all the preventive crap to save myself having further issues down the line...

 

good call... do a search and you will find several posts about what else to replace while doing the PP

 

cheers mate

 

Check the heater hoses and the pipes, the RH pipe (sharp right angled one) can fail at the elbow due to corrosion.

 

and how much is that gonna be to replace..?

 

Do a search on "Plenum Pull". There will be a few detailed, step by step descriptions to the entire procedure.
Unfortunately, if the plenum pull hasnt been done on the vehicle, chances are the major 200 000k service hasnt been done either.... thus changing your materials cost alone from $200 odd to about $1200.
Then the electrical connectors that have worked fine undisturbed will need replacing.
PCV hoses will need replacing
IAVC/IAA hoses replacing
etc
etc
etc
etc

Ask for the assistance of a local member to steer you in the right direction and do not drive the car. Most mechanics wont touch the motor due to their tight fit. Some that will, charge accordingly. Get somebody to recommend a repairer before using them.

 

The pipe itself is around $100 from Nissan from memory.

 

That happened to me... almost the exact same thing...radiator was dry and I kept running it in 43 degree heat and engine died...

No more Zed...


Be careful and glad you noticed the problem before it was too late

 

its only got 120 000 on the clock and there was NO way i was gonna be driving my baby when shes injured
also i was recommended UAS by the previous owner but its a bit of a trek from hurstville