Coolant needing top up often on the aveo 1.6 G3

Hi all,

I have a 2011 aveo G3 1.6 and it does seem to need its water reservoir tank topping up every couple of weeks after heavy use (lots of start stop traffic).

I have checked all fittings/pipes and there are no leaks. Oil is good and not changing level or looking milky. No smoke. No smells inside.
Everything is running smooth. No leaks from the water pump. I live in a dry dusty area so it would be quite visible if it was leaking.

Is this normal? Just evaporation from the release valve on the reservoir cap or could the cap need replacing? Yellow cap says 17 psi on the top but knowing the reliability of this GM car I´m not too convinced.
A closed system should not need topping up so much I believe.

Would be great to hear from other people´s experiences with the aveo coolant level.

Thanks

It would be helpful to know which type 1.6 litre engine it is. The 2009-2011 Aveos in Europe and North America were the new Ecotec 1.6 engine (LXV i believe), while 2009 and newer Aveos sold in the rest of the world were typically the old type ETec II 1.6 engine that were previously used in 2004-2008 Aveos in Europe and North America.

Does your engine say Ecotec on the valve cover? Or Etec II ??

Confirming which engine you have will better help diagnose your problem.

Deano

Hi,

Sure it is an Etec II. South America(Uruguay) so probably from Brazil.

Thanks

Still not tracked down any visible leaking which is causing me concern.

Could a leaky water pump hide any traces of dripping coolant? Burning off before it hits the ground or parts of the engine bay?

No smoke, clean oil, no smells or wet patches inside the car. No visible leaks around the coolant tank or engine bay/coolant pipes.
Baffled.

Will jack it up to see if I can see the water pump better and will check the radiator drain valve also. That is a little flimsy plastic plug at the bottom.

other than that next step would be to get a pressure test done

Well this is frustrating. Been trying to diagnose the issue. Nothing yet. Every time my wife comes back from a journey no leaks on the driveway.
But just today she sent me a photo of some coolant spat out after she parked. She thinks it's under the area of where the coolant reservoir is.
She had the AC on so maybe the system got hotter than normal in heavy traffic?
Told her to check the reservoir and top up if low before she leaves later to come home.. Not to turn any ac on also.

May have to book it in to the garage which I hate doing. Feel defeated so far.

“No smoke, clean oil, no smells”. This is telling…unfortunately. My guess is a head gasket leak that is allowing coolant to be ingested into the combustion chamber and burning it up and out the tailpipe. I hope I’m wrong.

It's an odd one.
Temperature fine.
I don't suspect a head gasket especially with just 110.000 kms.

But spat out about 200ml of coolant tonight underneath so definitely a leak or overpressurised when the AC is on after a long stop start journey.
I'll get it pressure tested.

No more Chinese parts for me!
Changed the expansion tank last year due to a broken connection. Bought a Chinese after market part.

Failed! Leaking out of the molded half area.

Just ordered an original part.
Arrives tomorrow.
Glad I even found the leak due to it getting worse today and the leak was evident.

Awesome news. Easy fix.

New original gm expansion tank arrived at 9.30pm.
Removed the relatively new aftermarket tank.
Actually had a hairline crack underneath! Obviously was opening up when hot and under pressure!

Thunderstorm hit us so a job for tomorrow.
Very relieved though.

And the saga continues..
Radiator has just gone! 2 small leaks. Guess the extra pressure from the fully functioning expansion tank revealed weak spots in the radiator.

Good thing the radiators on these things are dirt cheap. Good luck!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eg.h2o

Good thing the radiators on these things are dirt cheap. Good luck!

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Thanks - thought it was cheap at first glance then that was for the manual.
Auto one was more than double!! around 140 USD. Original GM was 385 USD!!! Normally I prefer GM but in this case I know we're going to sell the car in 12 months or less not worth throwing more money at it.

I keep saying I’m going to get a newer car, but it’s cheap reliable transportation. 325,000 miles so far.

325k on your aveo??😯

Attachment 12470
Yup. Decided to have it repainted this year

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eg.h2o

Attachment 12470
Yup. Decided to have it repainted this year

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wow congrats! 2004 model I see. Mines a 2012. Maybe the older ones were better made - they get cheaper and cheaper these days.
Ecotec 2 engine?

Does yours have an auto tranny? The 4 speed? That's my biggest concern so I change the atf and filter periodically as preventative maint.
Mostly used for heavy daily traffic, lots of stops starts so the 1-3 gears are really worked hard.
last time I dropped the tranny pan all clean luckily.

I owned a 2015 LTZ turbo model for a while, it was fun, but the 2004 is just more comfortable. Mine is an auto and it has a drain plug for the atf. I drain out the 2 quarts in it and replace at every other oil change.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eg.h2o

I owned a 2015 LTZ turbo model for a while, it was fun, but the 2004 is just more comfortable. Mine is an auto and it has a drain plug for the atf. I drain out the 2 quarts in it and replace at every other oil change.

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good to know that the auto tranny can do so many miles with atf changes. Believe it has the same tranny. 4 speed Aisin AW81 or something along those lines?

Do you use T-IV? I get the Toyota T-IV here. Nothing else available in the T-IV line but Toyota is a good atf.
Yep mine has a drain plug, I then tend to buy the filter/gasket kit for each change.
Guess I could just drain out and keep the filter in for a few years without having to change the gasket each time by not dropping the pan.

Wish I could reprogram the shift change for the 4th overdrive mind you. Changes at about 75 km/h, just at the exact speed limit in most areas here.

Had a Jag S-type a few yrs ago - wonderful tranny ZF german with inteligent smart shifts reading your driving style - could shift from any number at any speed. The ATF for that (11 litres) was so expensive though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brit01

good to know that the auto tranny can do so many miles with atf changes. Believe it has the same tranny. 4 speed Aisin AW81 or something along those linesI think the 2012 and up Aveos have a different transmission

Do you use T-IV? yes.I get the Toyota T-IV here. Nothing else available in the T-IV line but Toyota is a good atf.
Yep mine has a drain plug, I then tend to buy the filter/gasket kit for each change.
Guess I could just drain out and keep the filter in for a few years without having to change the gasket each time by not dropping the pan.I change the filter and gasket every few years

Wish I could reprogram the shift change for the 4th overdrive mind you. Changes at about 75 km/h, just at the exact speed limit in most areas here., yeah, it drives me nutty sometimes.

Had a Jag S-type a few yrs ago - wonderful tranny ZF german with inteligent smart shifts reading your driving style - could shift from any number at any speed. The ATF for that (11 litres) was so expensive though.

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​Answers in red

New rad and expansion tank works fine now.

small hose from thermostat to throttle body area then started leaking.
While removing that the small pipe on the thermostat broke!! omg.
So rush delivery, got all that fitted, was a real pain accessing the clips with that one.

NOW I'm seeing another leak on the heater core hose!! Just a seep from out the end where it meets the metal pipe. It's now finding all the weak points I assume.
And that one I see is the worst to change, from underneath after removing the starter motor.

Yeah, been there done that. I decided to buy EVERY SINGLE STINKING HOSE, AND THE PLASTIC TUBE behind the starter. That was 3 years ago. I installed them all at one time. Time to buy them all again and have them ready.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eg.h2o

Yeah, been there done that. I decided to buy EVERY SINGLE STINKING HOSE, AND THE PLASTIC TUBE behind the starter. That was 3 years ago. I installed them all at one time. Time to buy them all again and have them ready.

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Yep probably the best option if you have all of them and the time.
The 2 heaters pipes just arrived here. So when I get half a day to change these I will. Not looking forward to it one bit!! I can see myself getting stuck with the clip under the manifold.
Not that urgent yet. Seeps a tiny amount where it meets the metal pipe on the firewall only when super hot with the A/C on and stuck in traffic etc. Guess when the pressure it at its max.

Took it out on the open road yesterday and dry.
But it's on its way out for sure so a pending job.

After 10 yrs on any new car parts start to go wrong as always. Rubber and plastic parts become brittle etc.

My wife's daily drive and needs it every day due to her 95yr old dad being unwell. Needs to be reliable but also not off the road for more than half a day:(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eg.h2o

Yeah, been there done that. I decided to buy EVERY SINGLE STINKING HOSE, AND THE PLASTIC TUBE behind the starter. That was 3 years ago. I installed them all at one time. Time to buy them all again and have them ready.

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That´s just typical. Had the spare hoses and coolant ready. 2 days now and not a drop or sign of leak.
Even today, 36c and humid, wife was in really heavy traffic for 60 mins at least, with the AC on so full load on the coolant system.

Expected when she got back to see small red stuff oozing out near the firewall. Nothing.
Well I´ll leave it for now but keep an eye on it

Yep those Chinese parts are a waste of time money did a fix to get me down the road with China parts ended up doing same job 4 times