can anyone offer any logic as to why i appear to be losing less/if any coolant when climate control is switched off. when switched on i lost 2 Litres over 4 days, 58 miles last week.
no external/internal signs of any loss. have replaced water pump and expansion cap. it could be thermostat housing but i don't want to strip half the engine to access it without some evidence of it leaking.
i have been losing coolant ever since i bought the car 3 years ago. any help would be appreciated.
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i would shoot it whatever..........it is the reliable v6 afterall .....
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Yeah! a reliable VW lump.
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Is not the head gasket weeping a common fault on these engines ,I would sell it and cut my losses because if its a head problem its about to cost a lot of money.
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i didn't think the v6 lump was bad?
i would have thought that if it was the head gasket the leak would be constant? pattern of loss is as follows:
25 june, 0.5 Litres, 230 miles & 3 days since last top-up (cc on)
4 july, 2.5 litres, 165 miles, 9 days (cc on)
8 july, 2 litres, 58 miles, 4 days (cc on)
11 july, 0.3 litre, 59 miles, 3 days (cc switched off at times)
12 july, no noticeable loss, 38 miles, 1 day (cc off)
19 july, no noticeable loss, 180 miles, 7 days (cc off)
can anyone think of any reason for losing less when cc is switched off?
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Could it be the water pump? I dont know this engine but if the AC compressor and water pump are on the same drive belt, the extra tensions on the belt when the AC compressor is on could cause the water pump shaft seal to leak?
it could also be coincidence.....
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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You need to do the usual head gasket tests (holding pressure after engine cooled down and get a garage to waft a combustion gas sniffer over the header tank) to be able to rule out the HG.
Could be as simple as a pin hole leak in a hose or as above a water pump seal gone.
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Looking from the front, on the right hand side is a plastic housing. Have a good look around there for signs of a leak. Its 6 years since I replaced the leaking seal on my Golf so my memory of what the housing is is a little hazy. It was cheap but awkward jrepair, not a lot of room and you'll need a small mirror to see the leak / bolts hidden in the counterbores of the housing.
--
2 Dirty VW diesels and a Honda with an 18 inch blade
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thanks for your replies. I replaced the water pump around 18 months ago - still lost coolant. the thermostat housing is probably favourite but wanted to see some evidence before attempting the replacement. will try to test the expansion tank for exhaust gasses. it is so frustrating not being able to identify leak.
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Timing chains, snappy snappy, Gearbox has to come out, Lovely design flaw VW
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don't know whether to shoot the car of myself now. i have been happy with car 160,000 with no major engine problems - auto box is another story.
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Have you tried having the system pressurised when cold? Small leaks from hot parts (water pump and pipes) often evaporate so quickly you can't spot them, and this will do it without the engine running. My old Sykes Pickavant kit has found leaks like this on several occasions, most spectaculy when I blew the bottom off my Punto at 1 bar. Certainly found the weak spot which was leaking very very slowly
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ford had the car for 24 hours last year but couldn't find any leak. i am assuming that they pressurised the system? the problem is access, there is no room to see/do anything on this car. when i lost 2.5 litres recently i thought i would be able to spot the leak as i thought that the part was about to break.
next step is to get a pressure test and a test for exhaust gas in the expansion tank.
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