Hello. My Cavalier Gsi has been off road for approximately 10 years. All fluids were topped up and new engine oil put in before it was parked up. It hadn't been started for literally 8/9 years. The cylinders were lubricated with drops of oil and The crank was turned by hand to check if engine was seized and very luckily it wasn't.
The coolant had all disappeared/evaporated. So filled coolant again and took air lock out and was topped up to correct level. Started car again after a month and again no coolant. Nearly a full kettle and half to fill again. There are no evident leaks.
Any ideas where the coolant is going??
C20 XE coolant disappearing
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Cavalier342
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- Posts: 9818
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- Location: Dorset
Re: C20 XE coolant disappearing
Was the cooling system up to good pressure when you ran the engine? I.E. all hoses were hot and hard to the touch. (don't make that out to sound dirty).
Does the coolant reservoir cap seal tightly?
Does the coolant reservoir cap seal tightly?
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China Blue 1989 Vauxhall Cavalier L 18SV
Kings Blue 1992 Vauxhall Cavalier LSi Auto C18NZ
Smoke Grey 1994 Vauxhall Cavalier V6 C25XE
Am I a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? Well that depends on how much I've had to drink...
China Blue 1989 Vauxhall Cavalier L 18SV
Kings Blue 1992 Vauxhall Cavalier LSi Auto C18NZ
Smoke Grey 1994 Vauxhall Cavalier V6 C25XE
Am I a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? Well that depends on how much I've had to drink...
Re: C20 XE coolant disappearing
Obvious items are hoses and their clamps.
Check they are tight.
No cracks or splits in hose ends.
The plastic coolant rail across the back of the engine. Tucked out of sight, it can be easy not to see a leak or crack.
Cracked header tank stubs.
Leaky heater matrix - damp musty smell in the cabin. Soggy carpets?.
I am sure a dodgy head gasket would show as steam in the exhaust, or one plug looking "cleaner" than the rest.
Or very swollen coolant pipes from the radiator.
Weeping radiator seem, perhaps?
Check they are tight.
No cracks or splits in hose ends.
The plastic coolant rail across the back of the engine. Tucked out of sight, it can be easy not to see a leak or crack.
Cracked header tank stubs.
Leaky heater matrix - damp musty smell in the cabin. Soggy carpets?.
I am sure a dodgy head gasket would show as steam in the exhaust, or one plug looking "cleaner" than the rest.
Or very swollen coolant pipes from the radiator.
Weeping radiator seem, perhaps?
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Calibre500
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 4:37 am
Re: C20 XE coolant disappearing
Thank you for the replies so far. The hoses were hot once up to temperature. The reservoir cap has a tight seal too.
Hoses are tight and no splits/cracks. The water pipe at the back of the engine doesn't show any leaks either. In fact no drips of water anywhere under the engine bay as I was keeping an eye on any fuel leaks seeing the fuel pipes are quite old with the car not been started for nearly 10 years I had to be careful. So kind of rules out radiator leaks, coolant bottle stubs, or any hoses as it would have shown as steam or drips on the floor but nothing. Had head gasket checked by mechanic the first time it was started and he said it seems fine. Only thing I've not checked is the heater matrix. If weather is dry next day or two I'll remove cover and check carpet.
One more thing I forgot to ask is that the choke won't knock off even when optimum temp is reached. It's still idling over 1000 rpm.
Thanks.
Hoses are tight and no splits/cracks. The water pipe at the back of the engine doesn't show any leaks either. In fact no drips of water anywhere under the engine bay as I was keeping an eye on any fuel leaks seeing the fuel pipes are quite old with the car not been started for nearly 10 years I had to be careful. So kind of rules out radiator leaks, coolant bottle stubs, or any hoses as it would have shown as steam or drips on the floor but nothing. Had head gasket checked by mechanic the first time it was started and he said it seems fine. Only thing I've not checked is the heater matrix. If weather is dry next day or two I'll remove cover and check carpet.
One more thing I forgot to ask is that the choke won't knock off even when optimum temp is reached. It's still idling over 1000 rpm.
Thanks.
Re: C20 XE coolant disappearing
Idling too high...
1 - Check that the throttle cable is not too tight.
Check coolant temperature sensor for function - it would probably take an ohm-meter to do it properly.
Or insert a 240 to 260 ohm resistor (1/4 watt rating) between the two pins of the sensor connector.
This will mimic the sensor at approx 90 to 93 degrees.
Other than this, as the car has been stood for so long...
Take out the engine ECU, and check that all the pins are clean and dry.
Same with the ECU connector.
I am not too well up on the XE, but if you have an idle control valve, check that this functions correctly, and that the connector pins are also clean and dry.
1 - Check that the throttle cable is not too tight.
Check coolant temperature sensor for function - it would probably take an ohm-meter to do it properly.
Or insert a 240 to 260 ohm resistor (1/4 watt rating) between the two pins of the sensor connector.
This will mimic the sensor at approx 90 to 93 degrees.
Other than this, as the car has been stood for so long...
Take out the engine ECU, and check that all the pins are clean and dry.
Same with the ECU connector.
I am not too well up on the XE, but if you have an idle control valve, check that this functions correctly, and that the connector pins are also clean and dry.