208 gti coolant leak

MARKGTI

Member
Tadpole
Joined
Nov 9, 2010
Messages
20
Location
Sydney
Hello

I purchased a second hand 2013 (edit) model 208 GTI from a BMW dealership in Sydney 2 months ago. It is a great car with 57000km on the clock.

I noticed today a puddle of coolant on the garage floor and on checking the coolant reservoir of the car it was below the minimum level. It took 400ml of demineralised water to top it up to the max level. I have driven about 1000km over the two months.

Firstly, have any 208 GTI owners had this problem? My quick google search has shown some 208 GTI owners on the UK forum experiencing similar problems. It seems possible a leaking water pump is the fault, requiring replacement. Any owners here had the water pump replaced?

Secondly, any comments on whether the 2nd hand dealer warranty (for 3 months) would cover a water pump replacement. I did check with the dealership initially and they said any hoses, gaskets etc that might leak would not be covered, given they would be normal wear and tear.

Any advice much appreciated.

Regards, Mark
 
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2003?

If a recent 208 1.6 THP there may be a leak from the pump, or a failure at the water box, both known faults and mainly fixed under new car warranty. The early plastic pump was replaced by a metal one.

If the engine fault will fail rego then the dealer would have difficulty not honouring the 2nd hand warranty, but is there any new car dealer warranty left?

The THP engine water pump is driven by the external accessories belt and not by the timing, so replacement is a much easier proposition. The blue wheel is the pump, the brown device is the friction wheel that is pulled in when the pump is required after warm-up -
Screenshot-10.jpg
 
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Thanks very much seasink, that's very helpful.

Just to update, the 208 GTI is a 2013 model (sorry, I've edited my first post).

There was a fresh coolant puddle overnight, appears to have dripped down on the passenger side of the engine, beside what I assume is the drain plug for the transmission. Needed another 100ml refill.

It sounds like it may need the new (updated) water pump.

The car is just out of its 3 year new car warranty, but still within the 2nd hand dealer warranty.
 
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So it is really a 208 with 1.6THP. I don't thinkk it's the water pump this time. It leaked in early engines and whined. The casing was changed before your car. It is mounted high up at the rear of the block as seen here:
water pump.jpg

On the passenger's side, at the rear of the block immediately above the transmission is a black plastic box with a zillion hoses and connections. It houses the thermostat valve, temperature sensor and various in/out passages for the cooling system. It's hard to see with the battery and air inlet pipes in place, but check that the joints are intact, that the sensor isn't leaking, and that the body isn't cracked. There was a history with this earlier. Sensor replacement is easy. Entire replacement is a fiddly business.

outlet box.jpg

The turbo is water cooled, with a small electric pump, as is the oil filter, but they are easily seen at the front. Look at the cabin heater connections on the bulkhead, they are visible from above.
 
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Thanks again seasink.

I found an invoice for the car showing the coolant temperature sensor having been replaced as per campaign ZPW at 11000km. Perhaps the leak is from the sensor again or adjoining pipework.

It was still dripping slowly when I checked underneath again, but I can't find the source from above with all the induction pipework and battery in the way. I'm surprised it still leaks just sitting there (without any pressure or heat).

So it's off to Alec Mildren next week (wish me luck).
 
Lots of luck! Dealer type service but essential if you have manufacturer's warranty. Have you considered PQ Automotive at Smith St, Chatswood, a non dealer Pug specialist? ReviveMyLion is a mobile Pug repairman based on the Lower North Shore..
 
Just a note that I had the coolant leak issue sorted.

Under pressure testing they found two leaks. The major leak was from the thermostat housing/bypass pipe to water pump. There was also a minor leak from the water pump's body (internal seal).

They replaced all parts - apparently the water pump, thermostat housing and harness are updated parts.

Cost came to $1370, about 50:50 parts to labour.

The good news was the dealership honoured the used car warranty (with a bit of prodding).
 
So my 2013 208 GTi has developed a noticeable coolant leak. I think it had a slow leak since i bought it 2.5 months ago, but it's much more noticeable now.

Last week the car overheated; central display lit up and chimes were going. Temp gauge was beyond max (beyond the red zone). Pulled over immediately and the temp dropped back to normal within a few seconds. Drove gently to the nearest place i could get demineralised/distilled water. I topped it up with 2L of distilled water. Since then, I've been keeping a eye on the levels and the leaks seems to be getting progressively worse. It's dropped 600ml in a week.

I've attached photos of where the leak is. It's intermittent, but when it leaks, it'll drop between 50-100mls. Tried to get the best view with the minimal amount of tools I had.

Given the location, i'm going to say the water pump is leaking. Are there other common areas of leaks? I want to do the water pump myself, already priced up a new aftermarket for less than $80.


 

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See the photos and diagrams above for possible leak spots. Don't try to wind the crank pulley anticlockwise or you could be in big trouble. Bleeding is a pain - as well as the heater valves there is one at the thermostat box. The fill point needs raising up with something suitable.
 
Just a note that I had the coolant leak issue sorted.

Under pressure testing they found two leaks. The major leak was from the thermostat housing/bypass pipe to water pump. There was also a minor leak from the water pump's body (internal seal).

They replaced all parts - apparently the water pump, thermostat housing and harness are updated parts.

Cost came to $1370, about 50:50 parts to labour.

The good news was the dealership honoured the used car warranty (with a bit of prodding).

Good to see an agreeable...if expensive outcome ;o))
I would suggest the leaks came from improper installation of the parts in the first instance.
 
So my 2013 208 GTi has developed a noticeable coolant leak. I think it had a slow leak since i bought it 2.5 months ago, but it's much more noticeable now.

Last week the car overheated; central display lit up and chimes were going. Temp gauge was beyond max (beyond the red zone). Pulled over immediately and the temp dropped back to normal within a few seconds. Drove gently to the nearest place i could get demineralised/distilled water. I topped it up with 2L of distilled water. Since then, I've been keeping a eye on the levels and the leaks seems to be getting progressively worse. It's dropped 600ml in a week.

I've attached photos of where the leak is. It's intermittent, but when it leaks, it'll drop between 50-100mls. Tried to get the best view with the minimal amount of tools I had.

Given the location, i'm going to say the water pump is leaking. Are there other common areas of leaks? I want to do the water pump myself, already priced up a new aftermarket for less than $80.



As seasink has pointed out.
The first thing to do is pressure test the system and using a bright light to detect leak location.
Remembering that the amount of distilled water you have added to the system has weakened the Ph
level substantially and will cause further heating problems.
You will have to drain and refill with the correct type of coolant at a 50-50 mix or use pre-mix coolant.
Avoid the use of gasket cement or goo and that all mountings surfaces are scrupulously clean.
It's important to use a Ph test kit to test coolant strength...the litmus paper type is a good cheap indicator
unless you wish to use the refractor type of gauge.....either way, make sure it's correct.
 
Update to my post:

Had a good look around the areas mentioned and it looked like the leak was localised to the water pump. Tackled it the other day and the leak was from the water pump, but not the shaft seal. The leak was coming from the welch plug on the water pump housing.

A few hours later, a new pump and no more leaks.
 
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