Engine coolant?

[stephen8512]

Hey guys
I just turned on my engine and on the dash cluster, it went crazy at me beeping to tell me to check my engine coolant

I checked and it was below the minimum line. I topped it up with water for the time being to bring it back up to the minimum line but where can I get the vw specific coolant besides the dealership? I have a tfsi jetta

[stephen8512]

Anyone????

[Rileyowner]

Hey guys
I just turned on my engine and on the dash cluster, it went crazy at me beeping to tell me to check my engine coolant

I checked and it was below the minimum line. I topped it up with water for the time being to bring it back up to the minimum line but where can I get the vw specific coolant besides the dealership? I have a tfsi jetta

I have had a steady loss of coolant since day one with my Jetta 2.0 TDI. If you are still in warranty, make sure you email VWA and formally lodge a complaint with them and print out copies of their replies. And insist the dealer tops up the coolant in future.

No coolant loss at all is standard - and anything else seems to be a clear indicator of a potential problem down the track.

[JP2]

Hey guys
I just turned on my engine and on the dash cluster, it went crazy at me beeping to tell me to check my engine coolant

I checked and it was below the minimum line. I topped it up with water for the time being to bring it back up to the minimum line but where can I get the vw specific coolant besides the dealership? I have a tfsi jetta

Water would harm the aluminum engine!!! That it back to VW asking for top up for free if under 3 years old. But more importantly find out why lost of coolant. There a few types of coolant, which can NOT mix up together. From memory, Golf V uses the one in pink colour. Do a search on internet or refer to the Handbook to find out more.

[stephen8512]

Only thing ive done with my car is a neuspeed p-flo intake and this may be a stupid question but could an intake be the problem?

[woosh73]

leaking coolant

Only thing ive done with my car is a neuspeed p-flo intake and this may be a stupid question but could an intake be the problem?

That would not assist in the drainage of your coolant. If it's under warranty then take it back to the dealer, what may be a micro problem now could end up you being bent over.

[benough]

i get the proper g12 coolant for $15 a bottle, makes 3l. From brian at GTI Imports, 96531114

[cathmic]

Hey guys
I just turned on my engine and on the dash cluster, it went crazy at me beeping to tell me to check my engine coolant

I checked and it was below the minimum line. I topped it up with water for the time being to bring it back up to the minimum line but where can I get the vw specific coolant besides the dealership? I have a tfsi jetta

I had a similar problem with my 2004 fsi Golf and took the car back to dealer while it was under the VW extended new car warranty only to find out the car needed a new head gasket.

[tsybesor]

I've had the same problem with my 05 Golf FSi just last week - no coolant in the reservoir. Bought a bottle of G12 concentrate from the dealer (charged $25) and topped up the reservoir. Next day same problem - no coolant. Took the car to the dealer and was told that the radiator had a leak due to the age of the car - 4.5 yrs old!!!! Cost $750 to replace. Not happy.....

[ECS tuning]

Using water (preferably distilled) to top off coolant is the best solution, much better than mixing another type of coolant into the system. Significant temperature changes can attrivbute to a slight loss of coolant, but if you find yourself adding it on a regular basis, is should be checked out. One advantage of the G12 (pink) coolant, is that if there is a leak in the system, it will usually show a crusty pink / white around the leak where it has dried.

We do have G12 available, but it is probably more cost effective to source it locally if that is all that is needed. I personally like to keep a few extras on hand in the garage just in case.

[yowie]

Driving home tonight and the MFD flashed up stop, cool car and check coolant level.
Thereafter the warning for water level flashed on and off til we found a bit to pull over.
Temp guage never moved off vertical.
Called the VW 1800 line and they were great.
Said we just should wait til the engine cooled enough to check, top up, and ordinary water would be fine, not distilled as noted above.
The water is pink and was below the min line.
Took about a cup to get over min, so something is really sensitive.
We then drove home with no issue and level looks fine.
Removing the cap, I noticed a fine, white crust at the base of the cap threads, which I thought felt slightly cross-threaded, so, again going by what is above, that could be the source of the leak. Only 'issue' in 22,000ks.
Cross fingers that that's all folks.

[bazzle]

As stated water will be fine as a top up. Water even cools better than coolant just that it has no buffers etc in it.The amount of dilution a couple of cup fulls would make is minimal. Water does evap out of the system slightly too over time.
Keep an eye on the level . Check it in the mornings when its cold . If it drops again seek professional help. Dont stress yet. It may of always been low and finally a bit of evap set off its limit. Mine was low from the factory.
Not a bad idea to change it out after a couple of years either.
You can get some coolant from dealer and top up again to increase concentration if it bothers you.
The crusty bit you found is just residue from the system coming to the top and drying . Just clean it off.

Bazzle

[yowie]

Thanks Bazzle.
Will keep an eye on it.
When I topped it up last night, after it had cooled for 1/2 hour, I put in water enoughto get it half-way between the black lines.
This morning, so maybe 60 klicks later, its near the bottom line. Could be settling.
Will keep an eye on it. Have wiped the crust off, and not worries about a little dilution so long as there's something to buffer the corrosion, thanks.
Will also swap it out in 2 years. Cheap insurance.
Cheers,
Yowie

[cube_3]

If your coolant level is dropping significantly over a short period of time there is likely a leak. I had the coolant drop from full to minimum over a week for a few weeks before my service. I noticed as the radiator fan was running for 10 minutes after the car had been turned off. I topped it up twice before I had the service for them to discover that the thermostat housing had a leak. The housing is different for different generations. Mine was a MK4 and the part number was 06a 121 111 .

Here is the leak:


Here is the part. It cost in the between $320 and $370 from most dealers/garages (but only 80 Euros in Germany )

[yowie]

Thanks Cube_3. Definitely keeping a close eye on it, and for any run-on of the fan.
That part has more complications than an NRL salary cap... great pic, thanks.