Coolant loss post Cam Belt change

[sheepmonkey]

Hoping someone can help.

Recently had the CAM Belt routinely changed on my 2.0TDI by a Skoda dealer then 1 week later the coolant warning light came on. Was well below minimum so topped it up. Booked back into the dealer who pressure tested it and said nothing wrong.

One month later have used 2 litres of coolant through regular top up. Seems to only loose it when running engine cold as clouds come out of the exhaust so I guess I am losing it through the engine. Long journeys are fine so when warm no issue.

Skoda dealer was trying to steer me towards a head gasket but is there any other reason. What do they disturb when the replace the CAM belt. Just look like too much of a coincidence to me.

[tom1362]

Came across this one before. BUT to be honest it was pre - Cam belt change. Nevertheless it is possible that some coolant is leaking from the waterpump.. When we came across it we cudn't figure out why there was not a pool of water under the car..... Then we coped on that as the minimal amount of coolant was leaking, it was evapourating from the heat of the pump housing... I presume you have a new waterpump fitted along with a belt change.. It may be possible that you have an il-fitting gasket between pump housing and block.

If the head gasket was going / gone then you would see water mixing through the oil

[_ZS_]

They've borked the water pump, usually by not tensioning the belt correctly. I'm betting the tensioner is either fitted incorrectly, tensioned wrong, or jammed. I'd find another dealer, preferably one who doesn't use mechanics who arrive at work in a yellow bus.

Steam from the exhaust is totally normal this time of the year. It's the cold weather.

[_ZS_]

If the head gasket was going / gone then you would see water mixing through the oil

Rubbish. A head gasket can totally go without oil and water ever touching. Water jacket to combustion chamber failure is more common than oilway to water jacket failure by orders of magnitude.

[Javaman]

It might be a coincidence and nothing to do with the dealer. I've had two golfs and both needed new water pumps at about 70K. No issues other than the coolant warning light came on and over a period of months the cars used progressively more coolant. It never drained out visibly onto the garage floor. I did make a point of checking the oil and that stayed clean. I too would suggest that your clouds of water vapour on start up are likely to be normal - I'll go for the pump cos of my past experiences. There is no way I would have a new cambelt fitted without the pump being changed at the same time. Good luck in pinning it down. Let us know what it turns out to be!!:(

[Tech1e]

They've borked the water pump, usually by not tensioning the belt correctly. I'm betting the tensioner is either fitted incorrectly, tensioned wrong, or jammed. I'd find another dealer, preferably one who doesn't use mechanics who arrive at work in a yellow bus.

Steam from the exhaust is totally normal this time of the year. It's the cold weather.

A rather sweeping statement, its kinda impossible to not tension the belt correctly, its made so easy you can't get it wrong. However there is a well known and documented problem with pourous cylinder heads on the 2.0 diesel so i'd be looking there first.

[mrlapou]

It's known prob, cylinder heads on the 2.0TDi can go porous. Water loss tends to happen when the engine is stationary after use.

If left unchecked the build up of water in the cylinders will kill the engine and bend valves.

[Tech1e]

Over night pressure test with the inlet manifold off is usually the way to go, look for water ingress into cylinder one.

[mrlapou]

good idea

[_ZS_]

A rather sweeping statement, its kinda impossible to not tension the belt correctly, its made so easy you can't get it wrong.

Trust me, I've seen them either so tight you could play a tune on them, or flapping in the wind, and that includes the 2.0TDi.

A big enough idiot can get anything wrong.

[tom1362]

Rubbish. A head gasket can totally go without oil and water ever touching. Water jacket to combustion chamber failure is more common than oilway to water jacket failure by orders of magnitude.

You own a Vauxhall (poor creature), i've lost count of the number of DISastra's / Corsa's 1.0 3cylinder heaps a s.h.i.t.e with coolant mixing through the oil i've seen, between neighbours and friends not to mention the horror stories from mechanics in the pub..so if you are correct, just imagine how many are leaking into the cylinder """"BY ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE"""":rofl:

[_ZS_]

Get stuffed tom. Seriously. I had a proper reply typed out, but you're just trolling so I deleted it.

[Tech1e]

Keep it nice please.

[sheepmonkey]

All thanks for the replies so far.

I have since had the vehicle in a local garage and they have now performed a water pump replacement. No change at all.

And more recently a head gasket agian no change. Still losing at the same rate.

Still a lot of smoke especially on a cold start.

and engine runs slitghtly lumpy.

Still no visible signs of water loss and everyone keeps pressure testing it (5 times now) and finding nothing.

Any more thoughts out there?

[dsr]

Cracked radiator ? Faulty pressure valve causing the fluid to boil and dump out of an overflow pipe ?

D

[thirty3]

my headgasket went with no oil or water leak......went between two pots.......made a banging like the big end had gone....lol

[sheepmonkey]

Latest from the garage is that its a cracked head but needs sending off to confirm.

Is there any way this can be caused by a cam belt change or is it just coincidence?

Mis-aligned belt maybe?

[dsr]

I can't think of anything on a cambelt change that would crack a head (apart from the bonnet falling onto the mechanic :eek:)

They could have got the timing totally out and spun the engine but that would bend valves and possibly crack the head and I think you'd see more than just water loss. If done right, the engine is locked in place and the timing should not go out.

Whenever I do a timing belt, I always turn the engine through at least two revolutions by hand to make sure it's free before I do try the starter motor.

D

[sam2000]

Hi,

Mine is a Superb 1.9 Tdi 2005/05

I had my cambelt changed recently at the skoda dealer at dartford. and I seem to have exactly the same problem. It started just a few days after the change

The first time there was a lot of visible leak or overflow. Lots of coolant on the drive way. It was a hot summer day I just started the car and the warning light came on. Stopped it and found loads od coolant spilled all over the place. I topped up and thought that was the end of it.

But thereafter it was exactly like what you describe - coolant just goes down but you can't see any leak anywhere. At first I thought I didn't close the cap properly. So I made sure I heard the 'click' when it is fully tightened. But this morning I had to top up for the third time since changing the Cambelt about two months ago.

I am thinking about buying a new cap to see if that makes any different. But then I saw your post and the fact that this started just after the cambelt change really stuck me! It could still be a coincidence but the fact that it has happened to too people makes me wonder if there's any pattern to this. Please keep updating this with how things go. thanks

[sam2000]

It's known prob, cylinder heads on the 2.0TDi can go porous. Water loss tends to happen when the engine is stationary after use.

If left unchecked the build up of water in the cylinders will kill the engine and bend valves.

Thanks for this. I got the 'low coolant' warning light just after I started the car in the morning. It suggests that it has lost it while it was stationary. Mine is a 1.9 TDI. Do you think it may be the same problem (cylinder heads going porous?)

[cheezemonkhai]

I'm thinking they disturbed the water pump and some water might be leaking out around there.

Worth popping up there and asking them to inspect the engine for signs of coolant loss as you will see pink crystals of coolant around the leak point if it's coming out from the waterpump etc.

[sam2000]

It is ages but I wanted to update this as this might help someone else. I actually solved the problem simply by replacing the coolant cap. Cost 5 pounds or something. I read somewhere that the seal in the cap wears are after while make the coolant evaporate. Thought it is worth a try as the cost is only 5 pounds. And since then I have never had the problem. Too bad I suspected that the dealer has messed something up while doing the Cam belt change!