Astra 1.4 coolant leak | Technical matters | Back Room Forum

Sat 24 Sep 2005 23:05

Astra 1.4 coolant leak - D

I have a 99 plate Astra 1.4 manual, that has developed a coolant leak and temperature guage problems.
Symptoms are

From cold start car reaches normal temperature very quicky about 5 mins, then when engine is allowed to stand for 2/3 hours after being driven, I can start up engine and within 1 min the temperature guage is registering 85-90 degrees, It doesn't overheat, and the fan will kick in at about 92.

A 15/20 mile drive will result in about 1 pint loss of coolant, having to top up everyday.

no visable evidence of leaking, checks have been made for heater matrix, radiator and pipes.

Head Gasket has been metioned, but I am trying to see if it can be anything else before embarking on an expensive trip to the garage.

Thanks

D

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Sat 24 Sep 2005 23:50

Astra 1.4 coolant leak - Civic8

expansion tank cap springs to mind,though could be wrong?.any signs around tank of white lines?.or pipe leakage
--
Steve

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Sun 25 Sep 2005 01:25

Astra 1.4 coolant leak - Dynamic Dave

If no visable signs of leaking, then the coolant could be going out through the exhaust because of a head gasket failure. Is there quite a build up of pressure in the cooling system when the engine is running? ie, pipes hard to compress when squeezed by hand, or quite a hiss when the header tank filler cap is removed.

Get a garage to test for hydrocarbons (HC) in the coolant using a gas analyser to see if exhaust gasses are present.

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Wed 28 Sep 2005 13:42

Astra 1.4 coolant leak - D

Thanks for your replies

Pipes seem to be ok when engine is running, only slight hiss from cap is removed when cold.
There is a small amount of water coming from the exhaust, but it is clear water and the coolant I use is orange, would the the coolant loose it's colour as it goes through the system?

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Wed 28 Sep 2005 14:16

Astra 1.4 coolant leak - Victorbox

"would the the coolant loose it's colour as it goes through the system" It would mainly come out as white steam once warmed up -like a smokey exhaust but little smell. It has been suggested before on this site that whipping out the spark plugs may reveal one much cleaner than the others as it will be steam cleaned by the leaking head gasket.

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