New coolant hose and still leaking...

[sciphi]

I spent the day sorting out various coolant leaks on the Cruze. It's gone through about half a gallon of coolant over the last 6-8 months or so.

First up was what I thought was a leaky upper radiator hose. The OEM one was on the way out, so it got replaced. Installed it the wrong way, then realized my mistake. Oops, lots of wasted time there. I should have stopped when it shot my schedule, but I pig-headedly forged ahead.

Next was what I thought was a bad water pump. It wasn't externally bad, but the heater hose attached to it had two pinhole leaks from dealer techs ripping it off quickly for all the warranty replacements they've done on the water pump. The gasket also appeared to be leaking. Bodged the heater hose back together since heater hoses for this car are OEM-only, and likely special-order thanks to a special fitting on the back.

And now, it appears the water outlet that the upper hose attaches to is leaking, not the hose. Oh well, that'll have to wait since it's a slow weep. At least the other leaky areas have (fingers crossed) been addressed.

 

[eljefino]

If it's leaking from the nipple you can smear RTV inside the mating portion of the hose.

 

[OVERKILL]

How the heck can a hose on a '12 be FUBAR?

 

[Astro14]

Isn't there a warranty on a car that new? Coolant leaks would be covered under warranty, right?

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Isn't there a warranty on a car that new? Coolant leaks would be covered under warranty, right?


126k miles and purchased in August 2011, so it's well out of warranty.

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
How the heck can a hose on a '12 be FUBAR?

This is water pump #5, IIRC. OEM, 3 dealer replacements, and then this one. All of those replacements needed the heater hose removed. Add in normal wear/tear, and that made a pinhole leak.

If/when the water outlet gets done, I'll make sure to smear some RTV on the inside of the hose. Thankfully that part is semi-easy to get to...

 

[user52165]

Do a pressure test and find out where it is really coming from. Free rental from AutoZone or similar.

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: user52165
Do a pressure test and find out where it is really coming from. Free rental from AutoZone or similar.


I'll do that on a free day. Thanks for the tip, I forgot they had those available for loan.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
How the heck can a hose on a '12 be FUBAR?

From being removed so many times when they got poor quality replacement water pumps???

One of the things I hate about cars is cooling stuff and it's one of the reasons why I want an electric car.

 

[strongt]

Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
How the heck can a hose on a '12 be FUBAR?

From being removed so many times when they got poor quality replacement water pumps???

One of the things I hate about cars is cooling stuff and it's one of the reasons why I want an electric car.

You do know that electric cars also have cooling systems.

 

[sciphi]

Bringing this to a semi-resolved state:

No or very slow leaks, and the heat works like it hasn't in years. The car is also peppier and more efficient, now that the cooling system is capable of holding pressure.

Here's hoping it stays for a bit...

 

[andyd]

I would spread a coat of Permatex Aviation Forma Gasket on the nipple and clamp it with a hose clamp.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Originally Posted By: strongt
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
How the heck can a hose on a '12 be FUBAR?

From being removed so many times when they got poor quality replacement water pumps???

One of the things I hate about cars is cooling stuff and it's one of the reasons why I want an electric car.

You do know that electric cars also have cooling systems.


With coolant and water pumps, no less. Teslas have a good sized radiator up front for cooling. So much for that plan.

 

[01rangerxl]

Water outlet leaks are super common on the Cruze. I probably have two on the shelf at work.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Isn't there a warranty on a car that new? Coolant leaks would be covered under warranty, right?


126k miles and purchased in August 2011, so it's well out of warranty.

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
How the heck can a hose on a '12 be FUBAR?

This is water pump #5, IIRC. OEM, 3 dealer replacements, and then this one. All of those replacements needed the heater hose removed. Add in normal wear/tear, and that made a pinhole leak.

If/when the water outlet gets done, I'll make sure to smear some RTV on the inside of the hose. Thankfully that part is semi-easy to get to...


I'm sorry, FIVE water pumps????

I would have traded that by now. That's NUTS!

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Isn't there a warranty on a car that new? Coolant leaks would be covered under warranty, right?


126k miles and purchased in August 2011, so it's well out of warranty.

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
How the heck can a hose on a '12 be FUBAR?

This is water pump #5, IIRC. OEM, 3 dealer replacements, and then this one. All of those replacements needed the heater hose removed. Add in normal wear/tear, and that made a pinhole leak.

If/when the water outlet gets done, I'll make sure to smear some RTV on the inside of the hose. Thankfully that part is semi-easy to get to...


I'm sorry, FIVE water pumps????

I would have traded that by now. That's NUTS!


GM's picked up the tab for all but the DIY one. It's the only real issue I've had with this particular car. Spending 4 hours and about $70 for the new pump and coolant (cheaper if the parts are ordered online) isn't the worst out there. And, by 127k miles the car's shaken out most of its gremlins.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Isn't there a warranty on a car that new? Coolant leaks would be covered under warranty, right?


126k miles and purchased in August 2011, so it's well out of warranty.

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
How the heck can a hose on a '12 be FUBAR?

This is water pump #5, IIRC. OEM, 3 dealer replacements, and then this one. All of those replacements needed the heater hose removed. Add in normal wear/tear, and that made a pinhole leak.

If/when the water outlet gets done, I'll make sure to smear some RTV on the inside of the hose. Thankfully that part is semi-easy to get to...


I'm sorry, FIVE water pumps????

I would have traded that by now. That's NUTS!


GM's picked up the tab for all but the DIY one. It's the only real issue I've had with this particular car. Spending 4 hours and about $70 for the new pump and coolant (cheaper if the parts are ordered online) isn't the worst out there. And, by 127k miles the car's shaken out most of its gremlins.


Still, how long have you been without it when it was in the shop getting these replaced?

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL


I'm sorry, FIVE water pumps????

I would have traded that by now. That's NUTS!


GM's picked up the tab for all but the DIY one. It's the only real issue I've had with this particular car. Spending 4 hours and about $70 for the new pump and coolant (cheaper if the parts are ordered online) isn't the worst out there. And, by 127k miles the car's shaken out most of its gremlins. [/quote]

Still, how long have you been without it when it was in the shop getting these replaced? [/quote]

About a week in total over 4.5 years of ownership. Getting a shuttle to work wasn't an issue, thankfully. Water pumps on this car are pretty easy for an experienced DIY'er. Remove airbox, support engine, remove motor mount, drain coolant/remove hoses, unbolt old pump, and go backwards to re-assemble.

All in all, having to deal with flaky water pumps has been about as painless as it could be.

 

[dailydriver]

^^^I am looking at a pre-owned '12 1LT RS at a local dealer now.

ANY turbo issues at all? CV joints/axle half shafts still good?
These model years were still port injection, correct?
Are they timing chain or belt?

Does anyone make short shifter kits/firmer shift linkage bushings for these cars, as that was about the only thing that bothered me during the test drive.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver
^^^I am looking at a pre-owned '12 1LT RS at a local dealer now.

ANY turbo issues at all? CV joints/axle half shafts still good?
These model years were still port injection, correct?
Are they timing chain or belt?

Does anyone make short shifter kits/firmer shift linkage bushings for these cars, as that was about the only thing that bothered me during the test drive.


We have replaced a number of Cruze turbo/manifold assemblies at work (Chevy dealer), along with various turbo related parts, and I think we might actually stock the turbo/manifold at this point. Hard to say how widespread problems really are though, and how much of it is poor maintenance. There might be a lot of reliable ones and we just don't see them.

They do use a timing chain and multiport fuel injection.

CV axles aren't much of a problem. Axle seals for the transmission are a common enough thing for us to stock them though.

 

[dailydriver]

^^^THANKS 01rangerxl!

This one has ~65K miles, but if I buy it, I will get an extended warranty which covers everything except 'wear and tear' items (clutch discs, brake pads/shoes, etc.).

I kind of wish it had an alloy block, like the next models will, but maybe the iron block will be more reliable with boost? (And I won't have to worry about the next model's direct injection, even though it does give some more power.)