[MokkTheWeek]

On a positive note, the dealership did give me a spare bottle of coolant

Mine was less confident, they just put the extra in and to hell with expansion space!

 

[nickm]

On a positive note, the dealership did give me a spare bottle of coolant

Mine was less confident, they just put the extra in and to hell with expansion space!

Hi, have you been able to get your coolant loss sorted ?

We are still losing coolant and I am waiting for the dealer to respond.

Having dug around the internet, I am getting the feeling that these particular engines are not that good reliability wise. Honest John, goes onto say that he expects to see a high number of failures !

Best Regards

 

[Fred7]

The 1.4L engine is an ancient 1995 vintage. It has a long history of water loss. 22 bolts on the timing chain chest. Time for change. You can replace the water pump gasket but the timing chain chest gasket still leaks! Edited by: Fred7

 

[nickm]

Hi, losing about 200 - 300 ml per 500 miles. Car stinks of burning coolant when hot.Been in and out of the dealers since April this year. They agree its dropping but cant see where from ?
Has dye in the coolant, but they still cant see any visible leaks.

The dealer had the car for 6 weeks at one point.

The problem is that the warranty ran out in April, but fault booked into dealer prior to this, there is an open case with Vauxhall. Not sure where I stand now, but have emailed the service manager.

He did kindly give ,me a bottle of coolant last time ????????????

 

[Fred7]

The engine is from release 1995. Edited by: Fred7

 

[MokkTheWeek]

On a positive note, the dealership did give me a spare bottle of coolant

Mine was less confident, they just put the extra in and to hell with expansion space!

Hi, have you been able to get your coolant loss sorted ?

We are still losing coolant and I am waiting for the dealer to respond.

Having dug around the internet, I am getting the feeling that these particular engines are not that good reliability wise. Honest John, goes onto say that he expects to see a high number of failures !

Best Regards

Nope! our car only covers about 50 miles a week, I marked the level in pencil on the expansion tank when cold and for the first 3 weeks it dropped 1 mm per week, so 3 mm in just under 150 miles, prepared an email ready to send, then checked the level and it had not dropped for a week so left it till this week, (checking day has been Wednesday). Together with the other issues, no "lights on" indicator and no heater illumination from time to time, and the continuing saga of being warned by the infotainment that using the touch screen while driving can be distracting, despite never using the touch screen while driving except to clear the warning, sometimes several times on a short journey, although overall I like the Mokka owning it has turned pretty damn sour!

 

[nickm]

Nick M, have they done a hydrocarbon test aka sniffer test ? any excess water coming from the AC drain ? does it smell more with the heater/fan on ?

Many thanks for your reply.



Yes, they have done pressure tests, sniffer tests, block tests etc. No smell from the heater.

Dye has also been added to the coolant.


Best Regards

 

[nickm]

Hi, have you been able to get your coolant loss sorted ?

We are still losing coolant and I am waiting for the dealer to respond.

Having dug around the internet, I am getting the feeling that these particular engines are not that good reliability wise. Honest John, goes onto say that he expects to see a high number of failures !

Best Regards
[/QUOTE]

Nope! our car only covers about 50 miles a week, I marked the level in pencil on the expansion tank when cold and for the first 3 weeks it dropped 1 mm per week, so 3 mm in just under 150 miles, prepared an email ready to send, then checked the level and it had not dropped for a week so left it till this week, (checking day has been Wednesday). Together with the other issues, no "lights on" indicator and no heater illumination from time to time, and the continuing saga of being warned by the infotainment that using the touch screen while driving can be distracting, despite never using the touch screen while driving except to clear the warning, sometimes several times on a short journey, although overall I like the Mokka owning it has turned pretty damn sour!


[/QUOTE]


Thanks for the reply, I am just hoping the dealer will come good, however no reply to my email from last week yet.
I checked the level yesterday and its not looking good, getting fed up with keep opening the bonnet and the smell of burning coolant !
I think the issue is, for the dealer to investigate further means dismantling bits of the engine, which then leads onto whos going to pay.



Best Regards

 

[big_dawg]

Its worth checking/replacing the cap. I had the same problem in my previous Insignia with gradual coolant loss and was recommended by another forum to try replacing the cap as the pressure relief can go faulty, i did just that and it solved the problem. For the Insignia it was only about £4.50 i remember.

 

[MokkTheWeek]

I think the issue is, for the dealer to investigate further means dismantling bits of the engine, which then leads onto whos going to pay.

As you reported the problem before the warranty expired it should be covered, but like you I would be getting concerned that they might "forget"

 

[MokkTheWeek]

Its worth checking/replacing the cap. I had the same problem in my previous Insignia with gradual coolant loss and was recommended by another forum to try replacing the cap as the pressure relief can go faulty, i did just that and it solved the problem. For the Insignia it was only about £4.50 i remember.

Presumably while the dealers have had their pressure testing kit out they did the cap as well.

 

[nickm]

Many Thanks for all the replies.Still, no news from the dealers.
They have never mentioned the pressure cap being tested, I might order one to try.

I am getting concerned that I might have been fobbed off for the last several months, I have been extremely pleasant to the dealer, but there come a point !

 

[MokkTheWeek]

The Mokka has no tube on the overflow outlet and has a channel under it formed in the top of the expansion tank, I'd guess any coolant passing the cap, either from a faulty cap or over pressurising from head gasket failure would leave white residue in the channel?

 

[MokkTheWeek]

Head gasket failing between cylinder and waterway is easy to spot, pressure forcing coolant out of overflow, bubbles in header tank while running, sniff test will find it easily. Head gasket failing badly between waterway and oil return will cause a build up of emulsion on the inside of the cam cover-underside of oil cap, but a slow leak between waterway and oil return is very difficult to spot, the moisture will just boil off, all engines get a small amount of moisture in the oil, combustion creates moisture, small amounts of combustion gases including water vapour blows past the rings into the oil, this boils off exactly the same way. All pressure testing kits I've ever used include cap testing adaptors so its normal to test the cap while doing the cooling system test.Pressure testing is only of value done cold, if done hot the pressure will fall because of cooling, but small head gasket leaks may only exist when hot due to expansion, so they fall through the net, hence dealer gives you a bottle of coolant and says keep your eye on it

Edited by: MokkTheWeek

 

[nickm]

Hi allService Manager has emailed today and offered to drive the car himself for a week and let us borrow a car whilst he does that.
Have accepted, just waiting for reply.
Did email some pictures of the current coolant level, which is about a 1cm above the bottom pipe of the expansion tank.

 

[MokkTheWeek]

Sounds like a good plan to me, is he off on a European tour holiday?

 

[Fred7]

Its not that old fred A14NET/NEL was released in 2008 early 1990s would be the X14XE (cambelt)and the later 2003twinportZ14XEP what are all N/A<div abp="1460">
<div abp="1461">As for water loss there is a pipe that crosses the front of the block held by 1 bolt the other end is a push fit into the oil cooler with a o-ring
<div abp="1461">
<div abp="1461">I cant see what the timing cover has to do with water loss unless a bolt has broken through a water way
<div abp="1461">
<div abp="1461">reliability wise there is noting major and considering how manyGM have made theres likely to be a few not so good ones
<div abp="1461">
<div abp="1461">
<div abp="1461">Back on topic do you have a visual coolant loss and what sort of quantity ? it could be some thing as simple as a bad radiator cap
<div abp="1461">
<div abp="1461">edit. I will re upload the missing pics

You seem to be confusing that the engine code means a different family of engine. This is not always the case. Apart from the latest 1.4L direct injection (these have their own problems) all 1.4L petrol engines (fitted to the Mokka) are derived from the original Family 0 engine. All are chain driven (camshaft) and yes a turbo was added + modification (twinport Euro 4,5,6 etc.).
The water pump is mounted to the side of the engine. A new water pump gasket seals to the timing chest but uses part of the timing chest gasket to seal to the engine. Yes that leaks! This appears to be a long standing problem with this engine.






Edited by: Fred7

 

[MokkTheWeek]

The water pump is mounted to the side of the engine. A new water pump gasket seals to the timing chest but uses part of the timing chest gasket to seal to the engine. Yes that leaks! This appears to be a long standing problem with this engine.

Just been looking at a used Mokka 1.4 timing cover on Ebay. the water pump inlet comes through the timing cover, there is a coolant gasket on the inside of the timing cover, any leak at that point would let coolant into the inside of the cover to drain into the sump, impossible to see without removing the timing cover. no idea how likely a failure is, but certainly possible.

 

[nickm]

Hi all

Another update.

Service Manager called me yesterday and confirmed the he would use the car himself, for a week and we supply a car for us to use. Wont be for a couple of weeks.

Had a long conversation and he did confirm that the timing chest was the possible area of the leak. However he did say that as there is dye in the coolant, it would show on the dipstick under UV light. Which they have not seen at the last visit.

He also confirmed the turbo water cooled pipes were another suspect area, but again nowt is showing under UV.

I asked about the pressure cap and he said that this had been tested when they carried out the pressure test.

Best Regards

 

[MokkTheWeek]

At least at the moment they are taking it seriously and not trying to fob you off!