GM 1.4T coolant leak?

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Nov 23, 2009
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Suffolk County, NY
How common are coolant leaks in the GM 1.4 Turbo engines? After shutting off the car I can smell a faint coolant smell. I have topped off the coolant with a tiny bit every few months. I can see grimey spots below the water pump/thermostat housing (left front of engine, correct?) Not wet, but signs of moisture. Is it a PITA to replace? Thanks.
 
I traded in my Cruze 1.4T because of the sickening coolant odor and constant coolant loss that my Chevy dealer denied was a problem despite over 200 pages on the Cruze forum about that very issue.
 
As an owner of a 1.4T I can tell you get used to it, coolant leaks are a constant way of life for that engine. As a matter of fact this weekend I replaced my water outlet because it was leaking for the 2nd time. Common leaks are thermostat housing, water outlet, and turbo coolant lines. They also like to eat water pumps, so much so gm has special warranty coverage out to 150k miles on them. I’ve only had to replace the pump once in 220k on mine though. Btw the pcv system is trash, keep an eye on it or you’ll be dealing with oil leaks from every conceivable spot on that engine.
 
I believe the 1.4 was an Opel designed engine but GM got Daewoo to do the 'engineering' of the Cruze (which was the first use of the 1.4T in America.) It's not surprising that Daewoo isn't selling cars here anymore.
 
My 2015 1.4T has 80,000 miles & I've replaced the Thermostat/Housing, Water Outlet, Water Outlet to Degas Bottle Hose, And the Degas Bottle itself. It's not just the 1.4T either, The 1.8L is almost as bad.

Sold the car last week.....Let it be someone else's problem!!!!!
 
No, this is a coolant manifold with multiple connections. Mine had a small crack where it bolts to the engine. I was loosing about a 1/4 cup of coolant per week. Once I replaced, I have no more smell, leaks, or puddles on the garage floor. Before ordering, confimr the part using your VIN number. My understanding is that there was a running change in the design, and that newer models no longer have this issue.
 
No, this is a coolant manifold with multiple connections. Mine had a small crack where it bolts to the engine. I was loosing about a 1/4 cup of coolant per week. Once I replaced, I have no more smell, leaks, or puddles on the garage floor. Before ordering, confimr the part using your VIN number. My understanding is that there was a running change in the design, and that newer models no longer have this issue.
Thanks.
 
I can't say any more than what has been said, this engine was designed with coolant leaking out of somewhere at any given time. Think you fixed it? You did, but now it's leaking somewhere else. Fix that? Great, now what's that orange stain on the pan?

The water pump is doable if you have the time. Watch the you-tube videos for whatever car you have it in and decide for yourself. While you are there do all the related parts too. When you're done, congratulate yourself, then start figuring out where the coolant on the floor is coming from. It's from somewhere else.
 
We put 140k on the CC 1.4T … had the hot side coolant leak and some other plastic fail under warranty …
At 100k we did the valve cover (PCV) and coolant inlet/outlet … change coolant … plugs etc …
Otherwise - brakes & tires … car was driven hard …
One thing you want to do is dump-measure-fill with Dexron VI at 30k … they are hard on ATF but its really easy to do whilst on the ramps for oil change …
Update: there are aluminum (aftermarket) outlets available - might research those …
 
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My 2014 has 120k on it currently. Last summer the water outlet cracked. We were able to limp it a couple miles home by pouring bottled water into it twice. The turbo coolant line appears to have failed at the crimp between the hard pipe and the rubber hose and someone had replaced the rubber hose by cutting the crimp off and clamping it. This hose clamp required tightening once and the thermostat housing had to be retorqued due to a weeper.
 
Great. Are these parts a pain to replace? I'm not a mechanic but I know my way around
the beauty of the 1.4T at least in the cruze, is it is stupid easy to work on. Honestly I just view the coolant leaks as a minor annoyance at this point, I can fix any of the leaks in less than an hour and parts are cheap. other than PCV issues and coolant leaks its been pretty solid, I have 220k on mine and the only real mechanical issue I have had other than leaks is the knock sensor flaked out at about 200k which took all of about 5 min to change and cost $20.
 
the beauty of the 1.4T at least in the cruze, is it is stupid easy to work on. Honestly I just view the coolant leaks as a minor annoyance at this point, I can fix any of the leaks in less than an hour and parts are cheap. other than PCV issues and coolant leaks its been pretty solid, I have 220k on mine and the only real mechanical issue I have had other than leaks is the knock sensor flaked out at about 200k which took all of about 5 min to change and cost $20.
I agree. They are fairly straightforward to work on as long as you have a set of external torx sockets since most of the screws under the hood have that style of drive. I think I paid less than $10 for a set at Harbor freight.
 
the beauty of the 1.4T at least in the cruze, is it is stupid easy to work on. Honestly I just view the coolant leaks as a minor annoyance at this point, I can fix any of the leaks in less than an hour and parts are cheap. other than PCV issues and coolant leaks its been pretty solid, I have 220k on mine and the only real mechanical issue I have had other than leaks is the knock sensor flaked out at about 200k which took all of about 5 min to change and cost $20.
Wow. I like it.
 
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