Hello.

 

            I have a 2017 Fabia 3 estate 110 and i had a new water pump fitted in April 2021 by my usual independent. I was advised to monitor the levels which I have always done and still do anyway. The level was between the" min" and the "max" on the expansion tank after this installation.   In September 2021 I when I made my usual checks( oil, coolant etc) the coolant level had dropped to the "min" mark. That happened after approximately  2600 miles. I topped it up to between the two levels. This happened again today, this time after approx 1000 miles.  I had never once had to top up the coolant before I had the new pump and that was sixteen months and over five thousand miles.

      

            At no time have I seen any evidence of a coolant leak . No evidence  on the ground and I have block paving  so I would expect it to show up and it doesnt. Nor is there any evidence of it coming out of the expansion tank when the coolant is hot after a run.   I have checked the hoses too and they are good. If it isnt leaking then it can only be being used and I cant see why it would start being used only after having a new water pump.  I have told my independent and they are going to check the pump for faults this week.  If the pump gets a clean bill of health I will have to check out all possible leak sites again but I really dont think I missed anything before. It could be the cap for the expansion  tank failing  leading to a loss of pressure. I havent checked that out yet  but will ask my independent to test it when the car goes in.  I have had that happen before in the dim and distant past  on a British Leyland car, I think, an Austin 1300 from memory and a new pressure cap did solve the issue.

 

            I cannot understand how the same drop in level can occur over such different mileages and such different time spans. Apart from this gremlin the car runs very well and uses no oil.  I could just carry on driving it and topping up with the G13 concentrate  but I dont like mysteries and I feel sure there will be a simple fix. 

 

            Thanks for reading. Have other Briskodians have similiar experiences with their Mark 3 Fabias?

    

This may help you with your problem. Even if it is for a Mk2, basic principles should still apply. 

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Hello,
I am French and I use the Google translation.
I had the same problem on a Clio 3 because the cooling system bleed screw was not fully tightened. The escape was very, very slow.

21 hours ago, hetty1 said:

i had a new water pump fitted in April 2021 by my usual independent

 

Dont forget that your car has TWO water pumps.

 

My Quote:-

''It's a Petrol TSI engine.

Please note there are TWO water pumps on this engine.

Which one is leaking?

 

The mechanical one is on the opposite side from the timing belt so is not touched when the timing belt is changed.

It is integrated in with the thermostat housing and is on the gearbox side of the engine.

 

The other is electrically driven and is at the front of the engine.''

 

Your Quote:-

 

''I asked the mechanic at the independent which pump he saw leaking and it wasnt the mechanical pump. it was the electrically driven one.''

 

 

Thanks, AG Falco

 

1 hour ago, AGFalco said:

 

Dont forget that your car has TWO water pumps.

 

My Quote:-

''It's a Petrol TSI engine.

Please note there are TWO water pumps on this engine.

Which one is leaking?

 

The mechanical one is on the opposite side from the timing belt so is not touched when the timing belt is changed.

It is integrated in with the thermostat housing and is on the gearbox side of the engine.

 

The other is electrically driven and is at the front of the engine.''

 

Your Quote:-

 

''I asked the mechanic at the independent which pump he saw leaking and it wasnt the mechanical pump. it was the electrically driven one.''

 

 

Thanks, AG Falco

 

I thought it had one pump with two output channels each with separate thermostats. One channel for the engine (which open first) and the other for the ancillaries (which opens later at a higher temperature). Am I wrong? 

2 hours ago, TerFar said:

I thought it had one pump with two output channels each with separate thermostats. One channel for the engine (which open first) and the other for the ancillaries (which opens later at a higher temperature)

From a VW document ' Self-Study Programme 511 The New EA211 Petrol Engine Family'

Note this is for the TSI engines not the MPI engines.

 

''Thermostat housing with integrated coolant pump
The thermostat housing is installed on the cylinder head on the gearbox side.

The coolant pump has been integrated into the thermostat housing to produce the most compact cooling system design possible.

The coolant pump is driven by the exhaust camshaft using a toothed belt.

Thermostat 1
Thermostat 2
Thermostat 1 for cylinder head
It opens at a temperature of 87 °C or above, and opens the path from the radiator to the coolant pump.
It opens at a coolant temperature of 80 °C or above in the MPI engines.
Thermostat 2 for cylinder block
It opens at a temperature of 105 °C or above, and opens the path for the warm coolant from the cylinder block to the radiator. 
The entire coolant circuit is open.''

 

 

There is also a second electrical pump ( V188 ) at the front of the engine.

 

''Charge air cooling pump V188
The charge air cooling system is a self-contained cooling system in which the turbocharger is also integrated.
The charge air cooling pump is a circulation pump which is activated according to requirements.

It draws the coolant from the auxiliary radiator for charge air and conveys it to the charge air cooler in the intake manifold and to the exhaust gas turbocharger.

From there it flows back to the charge air cooler at the front end.''

 

Both pumps use the same coolant and expansion tank in a dual-circuit system.

 

Thanks, AG Falco

Thanks for the clear explanation. They sure make it complicated these days.

The second pump is electrical so it can, when required:-

 

Cool the Exhaust Gas Turbocharger after you have turned the engine off. To stop the oil/turbo bearings getting to hot.

 

Cool the inlet air to increase the density. This method replaces the air to air intercooler method that my Panda has.

 

The Fabia III still has three radiators at the front of the engine bay for engine coolant, AC and the liquid intercooler for the intake air.

 

Thanks, AG Falco

                 I took the car in today to have the drop in the  coolant level   investigated. Got a call to say they couldnt find anything wrong. no leaks. no signs  of coolant  being lost at all. They had it up on the hoist of course so I am as sure as I  possibly I can be  that there are no leaks. I do trust my independent, they have never let me down. So that leaves the  tank being pressured when it is  cold and that affecting the level. I am thinking of taking the cap off the tank and reading the level with it off to see if that makes any difference. I am not much of a mechanic but I do understand about pressurised and non pressurised. I did toy with the idea of adding something to the expansion tank like Barrs leaks or holts Radweld but that is not recommended  by Skoda. Even if they did recommend it  I have some doubts about using things like that. I know the system  had to be bled when the new pump was installed and I did wonder if the screw had not been  fully tightened. That would have been picked up today though when the mechanic  did their checks. It was the same mechanic who fitted the pump in April 2021. Is there a reliable way of making sure the system is pressurised only when hot?   The only way I can see is take the cap off when cold and listen in case  I can hear the hiss you get when pressure is release. I expect there are other ways?    

 

               As I say I am not mechanically  minded and do not have the tool I have seen  in garages where the  cooling system is tested for being pressurised or not.  I think I will let the level drop to the " minimum" level and see if it stays there as that is the level that my Mark 2 Fabia was always at and this car too  when I first got it. I had to top  up this car after the new pump was installed, it was slightly below "min" when cold and I topped it up to between the 2 levels and I am wondering whether I  should have topped up to the lower level only. I know enough never to top up to the "max" as that will result in surplus coolant being ejected.   i dont want to buy a new expansion tank and cap  as I am not sure if that will  rectify it and I dont  want to waste money plus I dont know how to fit them anyway.  I will keep an eye on the levels for sure  and may have to go somewhere like Halfords  or find somewhere via the internet both  in the New Year.    I dont want to go to a Skoda dealer as they will charge the earth just for investigating let alone fixing it.  Once I have a good idea how many miles it takes to drop from A to B I will have a better understanding  and whether I can live with it  or whether it must be fixed or sold on.

 

                      Thanks.

3 minutes ago, hetty1 said:

I think I will let the level drop to the " minimum" level and see if it stays there as that is the level that my Mark 2 Fabia was always at and this car too  when I first got it.

 

Has it ever gone below the minimum mark?

 

 

Thanks, AG Falco

 Not since I bought the car in January 2020. Obviously cant say if it ever  happened with the first owner but I have the service records  and there is no mention of coolant issues on them. The records are Skoda only so there could have been issues that were looked at/dealt with by an independent. 

 

        Thanks.

I think this engine has a coolant cooled intercooler.

These have been known to leak in the past, although it isn't a common fault as far as I know.

 

If it is leaking internally, the coolant will be burnt in the engine & exit through the exhaust.

The amount you are loosing probably wouldn't be noticed in the exhaust.