Technical 1.4 16v '08 Coolant Leak 'n' Pics

[gadb]

Hello all,

Noticed my coolant goes down slowly and there's a damp patch on the drive when I move the car. Had the bonnet open and the battery out to investigate where that might be coming from and it appears to be just to the left of the battery. There's what appears to be a coolant pipe that's unsettlingly moist and some sort of sensor (coolant temp?), all coated in a telltale crusty pink frosting.

How do I find precisely what bit is weeping? Is there a usual suspect given age/model? How on earth do I get in there to fix it?

Many thanks for your help.
Best,
G.

 

[jackwhoo]

Common problem usually solved by fitting a new thermostat housing.
Don't leave it they can fail suddenly

 

[John202020]

Also pull the bottom hose and flush the cooling system then refill, note if you have a bleed valve in the heater hose it maybe very brittle at this age be very cautious with it, also check the metal water pipe behind the exhaust manifold?

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi @gadb

Just be aware.. The 1.4 uses a different part to the more common 1.2

I believe yours has an extra hose

Look on shop4parts. For more information and a good idea on cost

 

[gadb]

Hi @gadb

Just be aware.. The 1.4 uses a different part to the more common 1.2

I believe yours has an extra hose

Look on shop4parts. For more information and a good idea on cost

Yeah, I noticed on the Love500 channel (YouTube) he'd got the 1.4 part for a 1.2 and it had an extra port that he had to block off. On my 1.4, it looks like this serves a return route to the coolant reservoir.

Had a look on shop4parts and they have the part, but the flawed original design with the plastic hose fitting that breaks (and has probably broken in my case). Will try and find one with the metal hose fitting and all necessary ports.

 

[varesecrazy]

I believe it's due to the 1.4 having the proper coolant reservoir on the wing..

Rather than built into the radiator

 

[gadb]

The two relevant hose clips look like they might be "one time use" affairs - don't appear to have a release mechanism. The large is about 38mm diam and the small about 22mm. Will get some bog standard flat/hex head replacements.

 

[John202020]

The new thermostat will probably have much better plastic so wouldn't worry, my Mazda ones body is entirely plastic, the body has never failed(the internals 3 times)
Here's a all metal one

Vernet Thermostat | Euro Car Parts

Vernet Thermostat at the lowest UK prices from Euro Car Parts UK’s No.1 for Car Accessories, Car Styling & Car Care. Buy today Online, In store or by Phone + Branches Nationwide – Next Day UK Free Delivery.

www.eurocarparts.com

 

[A3jeroen]

On my 1.4 (100hp) I had a metal housing from the factory. Replacement (E-Bay IIRC) was also metal.

gr J

 

[gadb]

Had a look on shop4parts and they had the original, which I probably would have bought, however my account has somehow become corrupted and their technical support is essentially "works for me <close-bug-as-not-an-issue>" and I've literally had it with them.

Bought an aftermarket part off eBay (NAPA) which has the return port and is entirely metal. Not sure how good this brand is - haven't encountered them before.

I've taken the housing out now. Worst part was struggling with the hose clamps - they're all throw away types and in my case the fasteners are all facing down and towards the cabin, meaning they're difficult to release in a "nice" way. Resorted to my Dremel and cutting wheel <cringe> and supreme clenching, trying not to damage the hoses. Unsurprisingly, when I got the housing out, it was indeed the plastic hose insert that had snapped. I'll be using stock hex head hose clamps when I put everything back, being super careful not to overtighten.

Another big pain with this job is getting the cables out of the way. There's a metal bracket with three nuts that all the cables are clipped to. I found undoing those nuts (they look like aluminium) and pulling the bracket away from the side of the engine gives better access and means you don't have to fiddle with all the latching plastic clips. The thermostat itself has one of those "slide back" yellow clips that once unlocked, allows a latch to rise up over a tooth so you can disconnect the thermostat. Mine was a bit of a struggle to disconnect.

There appears to be no bleed valve anywhere I can see on my 1.4, however, the extra return (to reservoir) pipe has a click fitting (with a button) that can be disconnected without removing the hose clamp (sadly, I was over eager with the dremel before I realised this). I suspect this is the way you're supposed to bleed the system, but that's just a hunch.

EDIT: Nope, this click fitting is just convenience. The system will bleed itself into the header tank once the engine is running, although you need to recheck coolant levels and top up if necessary.

No silicon residue was evident when I removed mine so I won't be using any when I put the new one on. There's an inlaid rubber gasket that can hopefully create the seal.

 

[A3jeroen]

I only used the rubber gasket as well and the Panda (new owner is still in touch with me) is still going strong. Bleeding goes automatically when warming up. Think I topped it up with about half a litre after it ran till the fan came on.

gr J

 

[gadb]

I only used the rubber gasket as well and the Panda (new owner is still in touch with me) is still going strong. Bleeding goes automatically when warming up. Think I topped it up with about half a litre after it ran till the fan came on.

gr J

Yep, think you're right. I left the return pipe disconnected while refilling and coolant started pee'ing out before I'd got anywhere near 'Min'. Connected it back up and when I started the engine, I noticed some sputtering coming from the return hose back into the header tank (which I guess was air in the system). Will keep my eyes on the levels and top up.

Here's a gratuitous pic of those ugly screwfix hose clamps, in situ (return pipe and thermostat disconnected in photo).