Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: terry paget on 22 September 2019, 13:48:00
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[/img]https://www.dropbox.com/s/ftc2fwijxqiuhw5/VECTRAleak2.jpg?dl=1[/img]
Vectra C 1.8 petrol manual
Found a puddle under this car this morning. Seems to be coming from a metal pipe beneath the thermostat, which then disappears behind the front heat shield. It's a simple joint, torx screws either end, got no excuse to leak now. Does anyone know, is it a flat paper gasket seal, or an O-ring?
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(https://www.dropbox.com/s/ftc2fwijxqiuhw5/VECTRAleak2.jpg?dl=1)
pic of leaking joint
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looks like a flat fiber gasket ,but ,as I said before(when you replaced the wet stat), the thermostat housing is prone to cracking
especially if any fixing is over-tightened
a smear of instant gasket on the old gasket should solve a leak from the gasket
it won't solve a leak from a crack in the housing
so examine closely ,torch and magnifying glass is a help :y
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Neither...
It's normal condensation from the aircon system. Ignore it and do something more important :y
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Neither...
It's normal condensation from the aircon system. Ignore it and do something more important :y
That said, if it's dripping down to that then it may well be the thermostat seal.
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Neither...
It's normal condensation from the aircon system. Ignore it and do something more important :y
Terry said he came out this morning to find a puddle. An aircon condensation drip would have dried up overnight. ;)
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Neither...
It's normal condensation from the aircon system. Ignore it and do something more important :y
Terry said he came out this morning to find a puddle. An aircon condensation drip would have dried up overnight. ;)
Had a further look at the picture, hence my subsequent post :y
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Thanks for advice, gentlemen. Taste test confirms it is coolant.
Odd it should decide to leak after 11 years service; I reckon Dave could be right, that the housing has cracked. I see on e-bay I can get a thermostat for £15, or a thermostat with housing for £23. The housing assembly will involve more connections, but seems safer route to me. Any comments?
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Change it as an assembly :y
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www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOR-VAUXHALL-INSIGNIA-1-6-VECTRA-C-SIGNUM-1-8-THERMOSTAT-WITH-HOUSING-SENSOR/251437585024
This thermostat and housing assembly has what looks like a coolant connection below the thermostat. I imagined it was an aircon pipe. It seems to go below the thermostat to connect with the heater input hose.
If so, that poor connection could be my coolant loss.
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www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOR-VAUXHALL-INSIGNIA-1-6-VECTRA-C-SIGNUM-1-8-THERMOSTAT-WITH-HOUSING-SENSOR/251437585024
This thermostat and housing assembly has what looks like a coolant connection below the thermostat. I imagined it was an aircon pipe. It seems to go below the thermostat to connect with the heater input hose.
If so, that poor connection could be my coolant loss.
If, as that link suggests, the housing is plastic, I would be inclined to change the whole assembly as the plastic is likely to be getting brittle, and therefore leaky :y
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The thermostat housing is indeed plastic, thus prone to cracking if screws are overtightened.
My theory is that the thermostat housing does not need changing. The leak is the junction between the heater pipe from the block at its connection to the base of the thermostat housing. Do you agree?
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Not necessarily, that pipe flange could be below the leak...
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The thermostat housing is indeed plastic, thus prone to cracking if screws are overtightened.
My theory is that the thermostat housing does not need changing. The leak is the junction between the heater pipe from the block at its connection to the base of the thermostat housing. Do you agree?
as I said before(when you replaced the wet stat), the thermostat housing is prone to cracking
especially if any fixing is over-tightened
a smear of instant gasket on the old gasket should solve a leak from the gasket
it won't solve a leak from a crack in the housing
so examine closely ,torch and magnifying glass is a help :y
we can't remote examine where the leak is Terry
you can get the housing off and physically look at it :y
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Or maybe you think that a crack in the thermostat housing is the cause of the leak in the heater pipe junction. So the cure is to change the thermostat housing.
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Or maybe you think that a crack in the thermostat housing is the cause of the leak in the heater pipe junction. So the cure is to change the thermostat housing.
my first reply said the housings are prone to cracking
BUT....
only you can see if it's cracked or just a gasket fail
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Agreed. So I may as well obtain a new thermostat and housing assembly now, then dismantle things when I have a spare to hand.
Thanks again for your good advice.
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Thanks for advice, gentlemen. Taste test confirms it is coolant.
Odd it should decide to leak after 11 years service; I reckon Dave could be right, that the housing has cracked. I see on e-bay I can get a thermostat for £15, or a thermostat with housing for £23. The housing assembly will involve more connections, but seems safer route to me. Any comments?
£8 difference on an aging part with known problems? Why would you even consider not buying the assembly?
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Thanks for advice, gentlemen. Taste test confirms it is coolant.
Odd it should decide to leak after 11 years service; I reckon Dave could be right, that the housing has cracked. I see on e-bay I can get a thermostat for £15, or a thermostat with housing for £23. The housing assembly will involve more connections, but seems safer route to me. Any comments?
£8 difference on an aging part with known problems? Why would you even consider not buying the assembly?
I did mention the housing was prone to cracking when Terry first replaced the wet stat ,
and I will say again ,extreme care should be taken not to over-tighten the bolts on the housing,and even torque ,or you stress the housing ,which when it heats up ,can crack
if the original housing is not cracked (just leaking from a Gasket) it may be stronger than the cheap,non OEM replacement ;)
hence my recommendation to examine it very closely ,with a torch and magnifying glass :)
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(https://www.dropbox.com/s/3hd21cyrivly0ky/VECTRAthermostatLEAK.jpg?dl=1)
Thanks to all for advice. On removing the thermostat it was clear from rusty lower screws and the appearance of the thermostat holder face that the thermostat gasket had been leaking (right again Doc), so I merely replaced the thermostat in holder. I drove the car 150 miles yesterday, no coolant loss, and now the heater works.
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:y