I installed the Viton 4.0mm ring a couple weeks ago along with topping up my coolant tank. I still have a lowering coolant level along with the cabin smell, so I ordered a bottle of dye and a UV flashlight to try and see if it will help locate the source of the leak.

The Viton ring was much better fitting on cap installation than the one in my new tank cap, but I think it's entirely possible since I still have my issues that it's still venting. I don't want to cram on the 4.5mm ring unless it's entirely necessary, though.

 

...I think it's entirely possible since I still have my issues that it's still venting. I don't want to cram on the 4.5mm ring unless it's entirely necessary, though.

Are you still seeing moisture forming in the vent channel? Is the tank throat smooth? If yes to both, it's entirely possible your cap is not functioning properly. If you have a new cap and both new and old caps are leaking, well, I'm not sure what to tel you other than to try the 4.5mm o-ring in case your reservoir throat is oversized.

Let us know if you make progress.

 

I just stuck this thread and updated my http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/25-s...forum/25-service-issues/13717-cruze-cabin-odors-sources-resolution-summary.html thread.

 

To add to this thread, I was having the coolant venting issues as described in the OP. After discussing the issue with Blue Angel, I've been using the 4.5mm Buna-N o-ring since September 2014. I have not experienced any noticeable coolant loss since installing the new thicker o-ring. I haven't checked to see how well it is resisting compression set, but as long as it stays properly sealed I am happy. Great job on the write up!

 

Since burping my system and filling it up to a little over the the full cold mark and not replacing any rings on my cap I am not seeing any coolant loss. I do have a question I do see a little white residue at end of the vent on the side of the reservoir tank. Is that normal? I am not losing any coolant and don't have any coolant smell. Since I am not losing coolant I am almost afraid to touch anything and replace the o-ring. I am thinking if I start to lose any coolant though I will replace an o-ring ( I bought a few and have them ready to go lol) but I am leaning towards leaving well enough alone.

 

Can't check my vent channel since it was REMOVED to add the longer vent tube per GM's wonder smell "fix". They did tape a longer vent tube on, which I have had to reattached a dozen times since the tape can't handle underhood heat or vent moisture. Would have to replace my surge tank because of said "fix", not really happy about them destroying part of my car for something that doesn't do crap to solve the problem.

Wonder if I contacted CS if they would foot the bill? The vent tube that would have lasted the life of my car was replaced with a rubber tube and gorilla tape! Anyone have the part number on the surge tank?

 

Anyone have the part number on the surge tank?

13393368

13393368 | RESERVOIR | 2012 Chevrolet Cruze

Doorman has a tank and cap for $16.57 through RockAuto:

https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=5927844&cc=1501801

I'm not sure if that's a factory part or not? If it's actually a different (Doorman made) part it might be worth giving it a shot! If so, I would hold off on any o-ring mods until you prove the tank out.

I would give GM Customer Service a shot. Getting your dealer to agree to replace it it probably a waste of your time.

Just a thought, if you wanted to check your tank you could put a piece of clear packing tape over the vent channel opening. Any moisture would surely condense on the underside of the tape.

 

I ordered the 4.5 mm ring before BlueAngel was working with the Viton ring. Here's a few pointers for installing this larger ring.


1. Put the o-ring on and lubricate it with coolant.

2. Carefully install the cap, if it doesn't thread all the way stop. Leave the cap as tight as it is, and leave the car parked for 24hrs. This gives the o-ring time to conform to the bottle.

3. The next day remove, relubricate and install the cap a little further, until it threads all the way.

I initially could not turn the cap all the way. I was about 3/4 of a turn away from complete tightness. Allowing the cap to sit under pressure in the tank for a day allowed the new o-ring to mold to the tank.

The cap now goes all the way on in one attempt, just like a factory cap would. It's that first tightening that can be somewhat over tight. Give it time, don't force it, or you will be replacing the tank!

Works great. I would agree to start with the smaller Viton O-ring, but given the price of shipping of these rings, I didn't want to reorder them again.

 

I have one of the larger openings so I need the Buna o-ring. Watch out for this one - it doesn't handle the cold well and will vent after a while when it's cold but the cooling system is starting to build pressure. I need to order some more to deal with this.

 

I have one of the larger openings so I need the Buna o-ring. Watch out for this one - it doesn't handle the cold well and will vent after a while when it's cold but the cooling system is starting to build pressure.

Mike, I noticed when it was really cold out, like -18C (0F) cold, that the cap would occasionally let off a little steam. I was at first concerned, but then the vent was dry for days afterward until another cold spike. I got thinking...

Thermal expansion varies with temperature; the greater the temperature difference, the greater the expansion difference. On really cold nights the coolant will contract more than normal, sucking more air through the cap (as designed). Then it heats up to the same temperature as normal, but from a lower starting temperature. When this happens it reaches the cap's operating pressure and a small amount of steam escapes.

To clarify, I believe this is the pressure relief in the cap operating as designed, not a leak past the o-ring.

I think this is normal operation and I didn't bother reporting it, though I probably should have. If the car goes back to a dry vent in warmer weather I don't think you've got anything to worry about.

 

I'm glad I ordered a half a dozen. I did notice that even the BUNA 4.5mm ring takes a visual compression really fast. In three weeks the new o-ring visually looks as flat and smooth as the old cap ring combo.

Nice idea with the tape over the vent to see if it's leaking. I'll put a piece of scotch tape on it for observation. I've had really good luck with Dorman parts. Hopefully 6 rings will provide several years of excellent coolant service. If not, I'll be replacing the tank and cap with the DORMAN before I'll ever go back to ACDelco for this part.

Thanks to both obermd and BlueAngel for this fix. My heat at the heater core is much more of a uniform temperature over time. I always knew the coolant was boiling, but I never realized how bad it was.

I had a Cruze rental in Arizona that was always running the radiator fans even on 40F mornings. I think that car may have vented itself to it's death. I feel sorry for whoever buys it as a used car. What an 0-ring will fix.

 

I ordered a new ring probably about 4 months ago or so, after meeting with Mike (Obermd) at a meet we had here in Denver we were checking out the coolant resevoir because of the amount of coolant I was using and I siwtched to the one he recommended (Can't remember the number off hand) but I haven't had any issues since and I also switched over to the coolant boost from amsoil after I stopped having venting issues.

 

Slammed - you have the Buna ring.

 

What he said ^

 

I'm going to order several Buna o-rings later this week and replace the one I have. My coolant is down to the bottom of the arrow and there are no other signs of a leak.

 

I confirmed that my water pump is leaking this past week, so that was likely the source of my glacially slow coolant loss, since solving my cap o-rings and replacing my coolant vent tube. For me it was checking my coolant level for the first time in about a month and finding it at the bottom of the tank, and tell-tale signs of coolant below the water pump pulley... time for my car's first dealership visit since new.

 

Thanks for your writeup. This is great information and such a simple solution with orings.

 

Great write up! I bought some rings. I was wondering if you could explain how to interact with this cooling system. If I take the cap off and replace the old ring in there do I have to go through the routine of letting the car run without the cap off before I put it back on or is that only for when I add fluid? I also overfilled my tank a little bit and the level is actually to the joint above your mark in the picture do you think that will be a problem?

thanks for all you info I appreciate it

 

You don't need to worry about bleeding the cooling system unless you think you have air in it. Just taking the cap off and replacing it is fine, no worries there.

As far as the high coolant level, I wouldn't worry about it. If you see signs of venting and the fluid is too high, that's probably why. The system should loose a little water over time from that steam and the level should drop. If the level is correct and it's still venting, that's when you know something's still not right.

 

carbon, it hasn't been into the dealer yet! If I could get my hands on a $50 water pump I would probably do the job myself. Chances of that happening are pretty slim for me up here in Canader, where the dealerships LOVE to charge for parts.

My car has to go in for a recall notice (air bag coil), so I might have to bite the bullet and just get the pump done at the same time. Drat.

 

"We have received your order and wanted to confirm you know the V4.00X023 O-ring is backordered. We will e-mail when we have the expected date that they are due in from the factory. If you would like to upgrade to expedited shipping call or e-mail us. "

Blue Angel looks like you increased sales of their o-ring looks like it is backordered.

 

Blue Angel looks like you increased sales of their o-ring looks like it is backordered.

Time to call them up and collect my commission!

 

Doing some technical googling, I found another potential source for you.

Viton O-ring 23 x 4mm Price for 5 pcs - Orings and More

I haven't ordered from them, so please check everything out before ordering. It looks like they only sell packages of 5 rings for $6.30, but will ship them for $2.75. However, it looks like the 4.5 mm x23 BUNA ring is not there. If I recall from googling earlier this year the 4.5 mm cross sectional area is a bit harder to find.

I also remember seeing amazon carry rings. "Viton O-Ring 23mm x 4 mm" you'll have to look there.

I believe here's the product on Amazon. Amazon specifies rings by OD. If the cross section is 4 mm and ID is 23 mm. OD is 31 mm right? Appears to be that way reading the posting info. Package size varies here all the way up to 100 rings per package. The link is for 5 rings for $8.20. Probably not the best price per ring, unless you buy the 25 pack, but that's a lot.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NQXOBBW/ref=biss_dp_t_asn

Blue Angels original seller still gives you the advantage of buying a bunch of different sizes and materials to try to solve the issue. If they restock the Viton, I would probably order from them, unless I was doing an amazon order for other items.

The problem is finding the 4.5mm x 23 mm Buna ring. I couldn't find it on Amazon. That cross section has to be an odd ball.

 

My 2 Cents on this issue, it may help others troubleshoot. Thanks to the posters on this thread for helping me self troubleshoot this.

I have a 2011 Cruze 1LT RS 1.4 Auto

I ordered the O-Ring as well before they sold out and also ordered a new surge tank, cap and various hoses online from gm parts direct for $60 as I was about to dive into this myself, see my story below.

I previously had the dealer do the water pump about 3 weeks ago under the service advisory as I was losing coolant pretty consistently. I must have bought 2 gallons of 50/50 mix over 3 months.

Anyway I got it back and it was ok for about a week then started leaking again but this time it was different. I couldn't see anything obvious but the surge tank was venting and the coolant was now boiling where it didnt really do that before, I was mostly losing coolant from the water pump dripping. This new symptom was also causing coolant to hit the engine and cause steam to emanate from under the hood and also you can smell it in the cabin now.

I put the new O-Ring on which sealed much better and checked the rim/lip and it was smooth on the tank. The engine did appear to warm up faster and blow hotter air from the HVAC. After this I noticed I was still losing coolant and now more rapidly. I finally found the culprit.

The Water Outlet has a small hole in the elbow which I couldn't see before, now it was very easily spotted due to it bubbling and steam coming out. I am thinking now the system is pressurized better it made the hole more visible. I noticed the coolant is bubbling from the joint and leaking onto the engine. I don't know if this is caused by the dealer putting pressure on it during the water pump replacement or if there was a smaller hole that grew over time.

Again it leaked from the pump before and the engine was clean to now leaking from somewhere higher and leaving Dexcool stains over the top driver side of the engine.

I called GM to find out if this is covered under the powertrain warranty since my bumper to bumper was up 2 years ago. The lady on the phone while nice was not sure, I found the wording on the website regarding the cooling system unclear as it stated "and/or outlet" . They through in a free hour of troubleshooting on my file if I bring it into service since the last time I brought my car in the dealer made me agree to a diagnostic charge of $129 an hour when I brought it in under the service advisory. They wound up covering it with no charge and I did wind up spending $500 with them on 2 tires, pads and rotors which I knew I needed anyway.

Anyway I am awaiting a call back from the dealer to schedule this, I found the part for $20 online (55565334 ) but if I can get this covered I might as well since I don't want Dexcool all over my driveway when swapping this part out and risk them using it against me if I have future claims on the powertrain.

In the end I think there are a multitude of issues with the cooling system design on the early Cruze's, from the water pump to the surge tank sealing to the various parts in between.

Also my AC hasn't worked in 2 years also but that is another story for another thread...

 

FYI on the stock status of the o-rings.

Your sales order #58873 is attached.


The O-rings are expected in by 3-12-2015 from the factory. The warehouse will check them in and ship the order out complete ASAP.

Thank you for your business - we appreciate it very much.

 

VINDecent-

Your first picture is zoomed in so far I can't specifically tell where it's leaking. Some members have reported leaks on the hose from the water outlet to the top of the coolant reservoir. This is the coolant bleed hose. I believe that's what GM calls it.

Isn't 55565334 a completely molded plastic piece? So the plastic is actually cracked and leaking?

Make sure you check the coolant sensor that goes into 55565334. It appears that the sensors may be a press fit with an o-ring and clip, vs. a traditional threaded fitting. There's a seller on flea-bay that is selling 55565334 and it shows a lot of pictures, and apparently it comes with the electrical coolant sensor in it. It's that picture that made me realize that connections may not be traditional threaded, and rather may be a press fit with more o-rings.

 

Hi Carbon, the part is the water return that I zoomed in, theres 4 Outlets after it leaves the block, 1 goes straight up and back to the surge tank, the other 2 go two the front to various places and the 3rd heads to the back, I cant remember exactly. 55565334 is a complete mold but you can see the crack in the crease of the elbow in mine. It started so small and underneath is the hot engine / exchaust manifold I believe so when it leaks on there it creates steam and the smell of burning coolant. I should be receiving the part tomorrow so I will dive in and see what kind of sensors are connected.

 

While I haven't lookd physically at the car, I can't figure out the connection that heads out the back. The ones in the front are the water coolant from the oil cooler, connection to the top radiator, and air bleed back to the tank.

The connection that heads to the back must maybe go to the throttle body? I suspect that's heated, you can't see that connection all that well. or maybe somehow it's tied into the heater core hose at the firewall?

It's the heater core outlet to the coolant system.

http://parts.nalleygmc.com/showAsse...394230&ukey_make=1024&ukey_model=14501&modelYear=2011&searchString=Heater+hoses


Now my mind is thinking. I'll have to take a look tonight.

Good luck with the repair.

 

The connection that heads to the back must maybe go to the throttle body? I suspect that's heated, you can't see that connection all that well. or maybe somehow it's tied into the heater core hose at the firewall?

The rear output of the water outlet goes straight to the heater core, the throttle bodies on these cars are not heated.

 

Could the connection heading to the back of the engine actually be going to the cabin heater core?

 

Yes the one going straight back was going to the heater core. I replaced the water outlet over the weekend, it wasn't that bad just a lot of hoses to connect 3 torx bolts and a sensor which looks like a temperature probe possible on the inside. The new water outlet came with the sensor pre-installed and the gasket. Of course whatever coolant was in the hoses leaked out onto the engine, I had a pan under to catch as much as possible. So far no leaks or smells.

 

Yes the one going straight back was going to the heater core. I replaced the water outlet over the weekend, it wasn't that bad just a lot of hoses to connect 3 torx bolts and a sensor which looks like a temperature probe possible on the inside. The new water outlet came with the sensor pre-installed and the gasket. Of course whatever coolant was in the hoses leaked out onto the engine, I had a pan under to catch as much as possible. So far no leaks or smells.

View attachment 138226

I had the sensor leaking and the dealer just replaced the sensor. I wish they gave me a new water outlet under the power train warranty. Is the new one you bought plastic and is it a different design than the old one? I think this thing should be metal.

 

I would just clean the vent (it pops off the side of the reservoir) and then monitor for any signs of venting. The vent isn't a functional sealing component so you won't be disturbing the delicate balance of your cooling system.