Help please - Coolant loss - 1.4 petrol

[sgoode]

I checked under my bonnet to find the coolant header tank literally bone dry. The car had recently beeped occassionally in the morning on a cold start but not always and the warning almost immediately disappeared. I had assumed it was a sensor problem developing.

Anyway after poking around under the bonnet there is a black plastic thing that both the big pipes from the radiator go into. The bottom of this is wet with coolant and it is all over the top of the gearbox. It seems to be the black plastic thing itself that is leaking. Does any one know what this is? I've circled it in the attached photo. I tried to take a close up photo from underneath but there was no space.

I am going to take it to a garage this afternoon (I've topped up the coolant) but would like to know what it is myself first.

Edit - I assume it's not the water pump as that must be on the cambelt side of the engine?

Thanks.

 

[spike]

Hi Steve
I think its the thermostat housing. Failure is quite common on the 1.6 FSi engine

Cheers Spike

 

[sgoode]

Hi Steve
I think its the thermostat housing. Failure is quite common on the 1.6 FSi engine

Cheers Spike

Cheers. I got someone at work to have a look and he came to the same conclusion. So the garage round the corner are going to replace it on Thursday. It looks too fiddly for me to attempt. They said it is quite common on Polos, Golfs etc.

 

[sgoode]

In case it helps someone in the future, the entire thermostat housing was replaced. The part was £75 and an hour's labour at the local garage was £40.