Losing Coolant - 4x to dealer - still no answers - angry

TheArmedAccountant · 10-05-2021, 05:02 PM

Ok, so I have been dealing with an ongoing issue ever since I bought this car back in March of this year. It is a 2018 ZLE with about 19k on the odometer now. The car has been leaking coolant. You can smell it after the car has warmed up. I do not notice any coolant smell in the exhaust or excessive white smoke. It loses about a half quart every 50-100 miles or so depending on how hard you drive it. 5x 20 minute sessions on track went through about a half gallon of coolant.

I drove myself crazy looking for leaks but could never locate it. Driveway/garage has always been clean. Water pump appears to be just fine. No obvious drips. Dealer pulled spark plugs and they appear to not be washed in coolant.

The car has been to the dealer 4x now. The first time they found a small crack in the radiator and replaced it. The second time they could not locate any leaks and gave it back to me. The third time they said well it's leaking but we need to measure coolant loss. So they topped it up and I brought it back when the surge tank was empty and the reservoir was almost empty.

4th time in - their tech "who specializes" in vettes said it was a bleed procedure and that they did not have the proper tool to bleed the line when they replaced the radiator. I specifically asked him which line as the I know the supercharger line requires a special tool but I am not aware of a special tool to bleed the regular coolant line. He told me the supercharger and engine coolant line are the same system, I know that's not true

I was running out of time so I had to leave and go pick up my son from school at that point. I have driven it some more and it is obviously still losing coolant at the same rate.

I am at a loss where this is coming from and more importantly I am absolutely at my wits end with this dealer. I bought the car from them with an extended warranty and I feel like I am just being shooed out of the building. I have been very cordial about this to date but now I am getting angry.

What should my next steps be here? Getting GM involved? New dealer? My fear is that if I start with a new dealer we are just going to start at square one again. Any advice would be appreciated

clg82 · 10-05-2021, 05:41 PM

Get GM involved, and explain to them the situation. From what I’ve gathered their pretty responsive when a dealer isn’t holding up their end of the bargain. Or you could try a new dealer, no biggie, maybe they have someone more knowledgeable in diagnosing this particular issues.

DangerZL1 · 10-05-2021, 05:45 PM

Has a florescent dye been added to the coolant to trace a leak? That should have been done after the first trip to the dealer.

TheArmedAccountant · 10-05-2021, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DangerZL1

Has a florescent dye been added to the coolant to trace a leak? That should have been done after the first trip to the dealer.

It has not and I know it is a technique that is pretty widely used. I will definitely make it a point to discuss.

avalonandl · 10-05-2021, 07:58 PM

It sounds like a warped block....

Stephen12ZL1 · 10-05-2021, 09:23 PM

use the dye mentioned above...has the system been pressure tested to check for leaks? Is the heater core a possibility? Remove the plastic underbelly stuff and look closely again.

WhiteMale · 10-06-2021, 06:37 AM

Yep try that dye method, also try an independent shop to do the dye and pressure test the system.

Chutzpah · 10-06-2021, 07:00 AM

Have you tried getting an oil analysis specifically looking for coolant?

When do you smell it… car on or off or both? Where do you smell it? That’s a lot of coolant to go missing.

On the plus side, if it can be smelled.. it’s more likely than not to be an external leak. Or at least I would hope so.

WhiteMale · 10-06-2021, 07:22 AM

Good point on the oil, hows that look?

TheArmedAccountant · 10-06-2021, 10:27 AM

System has been pressure tested multiple times and I am told it holds pressure. That was how the cracked radiator was discovered first trip in.

Oil looks good. I have changed it myself and it looked like it should with no hint of "milkiness."

I should also mention I did perform a combustion leak test myself and the results showed negative for combustion gasses in the coolant.

I smell it only when car is running or right after I shut the engine down. Would it be possible that a gasket is blown but is venting towards the engine bay instead of the cylinder?

I am going to call dealership today and speak with the service manager and depending on the answers I get give GM a call.

Camaro1973 · 10-06-2021, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheArmedAccountant

System has been pressure tested multiple times and I am told it holds pressure. That was how the cracked radiator was discovered first trip in.

Oil looks good. I have changed it myself and it looked like it should with no hint of "milkiness."

I should also mention I did perform a combustion leak test myself and the results showed negative for combustion gasses in the coolant.

I smell it only when car is running or right after I shut the engine down. Would it be possible that a gasket is blown but is venting towards the engine bay instead of the cylinder?

I am going to call dealership today and speak with the service manager and depending on the answers I get give GM a call.

Losing a half gallon , you would easily see this at your tailpipes if was a head gasket etc , or leaking from engine. Even if it was evaporating first, you would see residue somewhere with that amount being lost.

I would put the dye in. Then check everywhere for a leak.

clg82 · 10-06-2021, 11:22 AM

I'd say quit trying to troubleshoot it yourself, it's under warranty, don't give the dealership any reason to believe you may have caused the issue. Contact GM, let them take care of it, or take it to a new dealership....just my .02 but i'd hate for them to blame it on you.

Rayvan · 10-06-2021, 11:42 AM

My kids '05 GTO did this for years, and it turned out to be a warpy thermostat housing. Never enough to see it leaking, but the car just smelled of coolant every time he shut it down. It's a cheap thing to try, at least...

WhiteMale · 10-06-2021, 12:20 PM

You covered the radiator but my girls Challenger was using coolant and nothing at the pipes, oil, on the ground, but you could smell it outside the car, hers was a cracked radiator though but we traded it off at that point and let the dealer mess with it.

10-05-2021, 05:02 PM	#1
TheArmedAccountant Drives: Hyper BLue Zl1 1LE & Can Am X3 Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 35	Losing Coolant - 4x to dealer - still no answers - angry Ok, so I have been dealing with an ongoing issue ever since I bought this car back in March of this year. It is a 2018 ZLE with about 19k on the odometer now. The car has been leaking coolant. You can smell it after the car has warmed up. I do not notice any coolant smell in the exhaust or excessive white smoke. It loses about a half quart every 50-100 miles or so depending on how hard you drive it. 5x 20 minute sessions on track went through about a half gallon of coolant. I drove myself crazy looking for leaks but could never locate it. Driveway/garage has always been clean. Water pump appears to be just fine. No obvious drips. Dealer pulled spark plugs and they appear to not be washed in coolant. The car has been to the dealer 4x now. The first time they found a small crack in the radiator and replaced it. The second time they could not locate any leaks and gave it back to me. The third time they said well it's leaking but we need to measure coolant loss. So they topped it up and I brought it back when the surge tank was empty and the reservoir was almost empty. 4th time in - their tech "who specializes" in vettes said it was a bleed procedure and that they did not have the proper tool to bleed the line when they replaced the radiator. I specifically asked him which line as the I know the supercharger line requires a special tool but I am not aware of a special tool to bleed the regular coolant line. He told me the supercharger and engine coolant line are the same system, I know that's not true I was running out of time so I had to leave and go pick up my son from school at that point. I have driven it some more and it is obviously still losing coolant at the same rate. I am at a loss where this is coming from and more importantly I am absolutely at my wits end with this dealer. I bought the car from them with an extended warranty and I feel like I am just being shooed out of the building. I have been very cordial about this to date but now I am getting angry. What should my next steps be here? Getting GM involved? New dealer? My fear is that if I start with a new dealer we are just going to start at square one again. Any advice would be appreciated

10-05-2021, 05:41 PM	#2
clg82 Drives: 2020 Camaro ZL1 Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Fort Worth, Texas Posts: 1,150	Get GM involved, and explain to them the situation. From what I’ve gathered their pretty responsive when a dealer isn’t holding up their end of the bargain. Or you could try a new dealer, no biggie, maybe they have someone more knowledgeable in diagnosing this particular issues. __________________ 2020 ZL1 A10 Shadow Gray Metallic Magnuson Magnum DI TVS2650R\| Mamo Throttle Body V2\| RotoFab Intake\| AWE Touring Catback Exhaust\| TCM Tune\| Tune\| Eibach Pro\| BMR Rear Cradle Lockout\| PPF\| Ceramic\| BCForged HCS21

10-05-2021, 07:58 PM	#5
avalonandl Drives: 2019 ZL-1 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Troy, MI & Naples, FL Posts: 2,019	It sounds like a warped block.... __________________ 2019 ZL-1 Acquired 4/23/21 at 6300 miles. Riverside Blue, A10, PDR. Traded in 2017 2SS with 6M and 32k miles. Continental Extreme Contact Sports. Now has 10,000 miles... 2012 Yukon XL Denali w/ 6.2 AWD

10-05-2021, 09:23 PM	#6
Stephen12ZL1 Drives: '21 ZLE A10 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Mechanicsville, VA Posts: 6,808	use the dye mentioned above...has the system been pressure tested to check for leaks? Is the heater core a possibility? Remove the plastic underbelly stuff and look closely again. __________________ '21 ZLE A10 Wild Cherry PDR 2:00.78 VIR Full 10.68@131.69 1.68 60' '17 ZL1 A10 Mosaic Black PDR/Nav 2:03.08 VIR Full 11.003@129.2 1.75 (sold) '15 Z/28 #325 Black a/c & stereo. 2:10.1 VIR Full (sold) '12 ZL1 A6 Black 10.52@131 1.55 60' 2:13 VIR Full (sold)

10-06-2021, 11:22 AM	#12
clg82 Drives: 2020 Camaro ZL1 Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Fort Worth, Texas Posts: 1,150	I'd say quit trying to troubleshoot it yourself, it's under warranty, don't give the dealership any reason to believe you may have caused the issue. Contact GM, let them take care of it, or take it to a new dealership....just my .02 but i'd hate for them to blame it on you. __________________ 2020 ZL1 A10 Shadow Gray Metallic Magnuson Magnum DI TVS2650R\| Mamo Throttle Body V2\| RotoFab Intake\| AWE Touring Catback Exhaust\| TCM Tune\| Tune\| Eibach Pro\| BMR Rear Cradle Lockout\| PPF\| Ceramic\| BCForged HCS21

10-05-2021, 05:45 PM	#3
DangerZL1 Drives: 2023 Black ZL1 Auto Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: FEMA Region 4 Posts: 2,935	Has a florescent dye been added to the coolant to trace a leak? That should have been done after the first trip to the dealer.

10-06-2021, 06:37 AM	#7
WhiteMale Drives: 23 ZL1 A10 Rapid Blue Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: MO Posts: 1,990	Yep try that dye method, also try an independent shop to do the dye and pressure test the system.

10-06-2021, 07:00 AM	#8
Chutzpah Drives: Wild Cherry LT1 Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,925	Have you tried getting an oil analysis specifically looking for coolant? When do you smell it… car on or off or both? Where do you smell it? That’s a lot of coolant to go missing. On the plus side, if it can be smelled.. it’s more likely than not to be an external leak. Or at least I would hope so.

10-06-2021, 07:22 AM	#9
WhiteMale Drives: 23 ZL1 A10 Rapid Blue Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: MO Posts: 1,990	Good point on the oil, hows that look?

10-06-2021, 10:27 AM	#10
TheArmedAccountant Drives: Hyper BLue Zl1 1LE & Can Am X3 Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 35	System has been pressure tested multiple times and I am told it holds pressure. That was how the cracked radiator was discovered first trip in. Oil looks good. I have changed it myself and it looked like it should with no hint of "milkiness." I should also mention I did perform a combustion leak test myself and the results showed negative for combustion gasses in the coolant. I smell it only when car is running or right after I shut the engine down. Would it be possible that a gasket is blown but is venting towards the engine bay instead of the cylinder? I am going to call dealership today and speak with the service manager and depending on the answers I get give GM a call.

10-06-2021, 11:42 AM	#13
Rayvan Rayvan Drives: 2018 1SS1LE, Silver Ice Metallic Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 275	My kids '05 GTO did this for years, and it turned out to be a warpy thermostat housing. Never enough to see it leaking, but the car just smelled of coolant every time he shut it down. It's a cheap thing to try, at least...

10-06-2021, 12:20 PM	#14
WhiteMale Drives: 23 ZL1 A10 Rapid Blue Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: MO Posts: 1,990	You covered the radiator but my girls Challenger was using coolant and nothing at the pipes, oil, on the ground, but you could smell it outside the car, hers was a cracked radiator though but we traded it off at that point and let the dealer mess with it.

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