Corsa c 1.2 - Vauxhall Corsa c 1.2 coolant loss

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Mon 21 May 2018 22:03
Corsa c 1.2 - Vauxhall Corsa c 1.2 coolant loss - guitarman1977

Hi all

I have a 53 plate Corsa with 69k on the clock and it is using coolant. I have to top up with coolant every 40 to 50 miles.(expansion tank empty). I can't see any external leaks at all under the car overnight.

It has mayo under the oil cap and the oil is milky colour too. It starts on the button everytime and runs smoothly with no misfires. It does not overheat either. No white smoke out of the exhaust either. Spark plugs all look normal after removing them and inspecting. Heater works fine and engine warms up to normal temperature as usual.

Does this sound like your typical head gasket failure or could it be just the timing chain cover gasket that has failed?

Can a leaking heater matrix cause water to mix with the oil? There is a stain on interior carpet that looks a rusty colour.

I have spotted a small leak at the top of the water pump. I think ot is coming from where the pipe joins the top of the water pump. Could be a little crack in water pump housing. Could this be causing the coolant loss?

Thanks in advance

Simon

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Mon 21 May 2018 22:48
Corsa c 1.2 - Vauxhall Corsa c 1.2 coolant loss - craig-pd130

If there's mayo under the filler cap and the oil is milky / emulsified then it's highly likely coolant is getting into the oil ... probably from a failed head gasket.

We had a Corsa D 1.2 petrol that went through two water pumps in 40K miles - they start leaking and need replacing, but this doesn't leave much, if any, visible drips on the ground, they only seem to leak when the engine is running (probably because the pump is high up on the engine). However, a leaking pump does not cause coolant to mix with oil.

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Mon 21 May 2018 23:20
Corsa c 1.2 - Vauxhall Corsa c 1.2 coolant loss - elekie&a/c doctor

A few points to consider here. I would not condemn the head gasket at this stage.There is a gasket that seperates the back of the water pump channel from the oil gallery to the timing chain area.This very often fails and allows the oil to mix with water. Your car may have the original water pump with the plastic stubby outlet return pipe that fractures and allows coolant loss.(later ones are metal) Also a leaking heater matrix will not cause hg failure.You need to keep on top of this problem as there is no temp gauge,and by the time the red high temp light illuminates,it's all over for this engine.

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Mon 21 May 2018 23:23
Corsa c 1.2 - Vauxhall Corsa c 1.2 coolant loss - guitarman1977

Thanks for your reply. Compression test figures seem good and consistant. Car runs well but obviously not happy having oil and water mixing.

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Thu 24 May 2018 12:56
Corsa c 1.2 - Vauxhall Corsa c 1.2 coolant loss - guitarman1977

Thanks Elekie. How can i tell if it is the gasket you mention leaking? Is the only way to strip it down and look for damage around the seal?

The amount of coolant loss has slowed at the moment ie not having to top it up as much.

Thanks

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Thu 24 May 2018 19:29
Corsa c 1.2 - Vauxhall Corsa c 1.2 coolant loss - elekie&a/c doctor

The only way to check is to remove the water pump.In which case,you may as well renew the pump and a new gasket.

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Thu 24 May 2018 21:34
Corsa c 1.2 - Vauxhall Corsa c 1.2 coolant loss - guitarman1977

Thanks again. So replacing the water pump gasket could stop the water mixing with the oil?

Or do you mean replace the timing chain cover gasket?

Thanks

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Fri 25 May 2018 09:29
Corsa c 1.2 - Vauxhall Corsa c 1.2 coolant loss - elekie&a/c doctor

Replace water pump and water pump gasket. looks like this;www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VAUXHALL-CORSA-1-0-1-2-1-4-WATE...0

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Sun 10 Jun 2018 14:02
Corsa c 1.2 - Vauxhall Corsa c 1.2 coolant loss - guitarman1977

Thanks

I can see a small leak from the inlet side of the water pump. The flange has a small crack and coolant is leaking from it. Could this be a leak from the cylinder head itself or just the water pump? The compression figures are good, no white smoke out of exhaust, no misfires and no over heating. I am waiting for a set of Torx sockets to arrive and then i can start pulling it all apart. The oil is like milkshake now. I have not driven it for the last week for fear of further damage.

I am hoping it is just the the timing chain cover gasket that is allowing water to get into the sump. When i strip it down should i replace the head gasket anyway?

Where can i get torque specs for this engine? Online?

Thanks in advance

Simon

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Sun 10 Jun 2018 18:59
Corsa c 1.2 - Vauxhall Corsa c 1.2 coolant loss - elekie&a/c doctor

You need special tools and a lot of experience to replace the head gasket on these. The water pump and seal is fairly easy,but still involves a lot of dismantling .Buy yourself a Haynes workshop manual.

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Sun 1 Jul 2018 21:54
Corsa c 1.2 - Vauxhall Corsa c 1.2 coolant loss - guitarman1977

I have replace the timing chain cover gasket....finally! The old one was shot! It had a lot of holes in the rubber bits and some of the rubber was missing around the water pump area of the gasket.

All is back together now but the car will not start. P0335 Error code is being indicated when i do the accelerator and brake pedal test. This refers to the Crankshaft Sensor i believe.

Will this error code appear if i have the timing out by a tooth? I used the cam locking tool and the crank locking tool before i removed the chain. When i try to start the car all sounds good but it just will not start.

Also when i turn the key and the lights come on the dash, there is a very high pitch whine that seems to be coming from around the fuel rail area. After a while the whine stops and then there is a series of clicks. If i leave it the whine then comes back and more clicks when the whine stops.

any ideas anyone?

Thanks in advance.

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Sun 22 Jul 2018 23:19
Corsa c 1.2 - Vauxhall Corsa c 1.2 coolant loss - guitarman1977

All is well! Bought a new crank sensor and it fired up with no problems!

No more coolant loss and no more coffee coloured oil.

It seems to be running very well. I have done 200 miles and all seems normal.

It was a steep learning curve doing this timing chain cover gasket but at the end of it,all is back to normal. What a great feeling of success! All without using a Haynes manual too! Plenty of info on Youtube and web to get you through.

Thanks to all for their input.

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