Insignia losing coolant.

dekbhoy

Hi guys
my vauxhall insignia is losing coolant, sometimes i wouldnt need to top it up for a few weeks then last week the reservoir was completely empty. ive checked under car and around area lots of times but cant see any obvious signs of coolant. i did notice red deposits around water pump but no leaks. Has anyone had a similair problem to this their car, i live in Dublin 4 could anyone recommend a garage to get it checked over properly.

biko

Is the car smokey on startup and/or driving?
If so what colour and smell does the exhaust smoke have?

What year is it?
Did you check hoses for cracks or softness?

dekbhoy

No not smokey , car is 09 2.0 CDTI, yes have checked for dodgy hoses etc. have checked oil cap/levels for signs of head gasket trouble. one thing i do notice is a smell of coolant when i get out of car but doesnt seem to be coming from exhaust more so around engine area.

shietpilot

Check all the pipework properly. I once had a leak from the coolant line running to the EGR cooler and it would only leak when the car was revved.

If you can smell it in the engine bay area then it's just a leak and nothing major.

dekbhoy

That is the one thing i havent tried (Checking while revving) but ran car for an hour the other night idling and couldnt see anything, reservoir never dropped. but the next evening i got the code 3 again and had to put another half litre of coolant in. The fear is the coolant pump giving up and this affecting the timing belt.

Teddington Cuddlesworth

The red deposits around the water pump could be the culprit.
It'll be a long time before see a leak with the engine at idle or off, the pressure built up in the cooling system means, usually, they start when the engine is under load and then progress from there.

George Dalton

Water pump or EGR cooler are both common issues on the Insignia.

dekbhoy

Turns out there was a leak from water pump but only when car was under load, replaced pump and timing belt. All sorted, thanks for replies.
DB