Loss of coolant

[n_d_fox]

Morning all...

Got in the car this morning to come to work and got a chime and warning that the coolant level was low.

Popped the bonnet to find about 5mm of fluid in the bottle. Topped it up and ran the engine for 5 minutes and all seems well. Drove like miss daisy to work (around 10 miles) but called the RAC to come and take a look at it, just to be sure.

Checked the level when i got to work and the fluid is now higher than the level i filled it to.

My mechanical knowledge has its limits (probably 3 spanners in the Haynes), is it possible that the coolant got blocked in the system somewhere then cleared once i'd topped up the level and the engine had got to temperature?

The temp gauge never breached 90degs on the way in and i didnt notice the fans kick in either.

Has anyone experience anything like this before? - the cars a 2ltr CR TDi FR.

Cheers, Nige

 

[EndlessNameless]

I had this on my old Skoda, topped it up and it was absolutely fine. Never did find out where it had gone, and it never lost any more.

Most substances expand when heated, so check the level when the engine's cold, I expect it'll be back to where you filled it to.

 

[n_d_fox]

Thanks for the response buddy... helps settle the mind !

Had the RAC out and we took the car for a short run up and down the M6 to warm it up again, when we got back the level hadnt moved at all so at least for now it seems to have settled.

What i did notice was that the level had risen from where it was before this morning (normal) to above 2 inches in the bottle higher. I wouldnt say this was by exactly the amount of water i put in there this morning but it wouldnt be far off.

Maybe there was an air block or something which cleared once the car had been running for a little while ?

Either way, he looked over it and said he couldnt see anything visibly apparent and gave me a ltr of coolant in case it needs topping up again.

We'll see what happens over the next 2 days. Got a day in Reading then a day in Hatfield so plenty of driving to do.

Fingers crossed its ok, i dont mind breaking down so much as the car is leased so its all covered and sorted pretty easily but i dont want it left in Reading or Hatfield and me needing to get it back home !

 

[bigbadjay]

Maybe you filled it on uneven ground? If the cars new itll probably vanish some coolant like mine did (and oil)

 

[betty_swollox]

So the coolant went back up??

that is crazy. Lol!

 

[AndrewJB]

Coolant will go back up once the cars cooler


My PD170 was a right pain in the rear for coolant, some weeks it would drink it, some weeks it was fine

 

[Benjic2]

WOW, this is very very strange.

Happened to me this morning!

Started the car and got a rapid beeping and "Check coolant level." So I opened the bonnet to find no coolant atall in the bottle. I found this very weird as I had checked every level ( Coolant, oil etc) before I went to inters last week and everything was fine. The level has never moved in the 6 months I have had it and there was no liquid on the drive and non in the engine bay, so where has it gone? !

I topped it up with coolant and everything is fine again. Had a good hour drive before and it is exactly where I topped it up to.

Weird.

As for the level rising and falling, this is normal because it is an expansion tank, so it should always be filled to just BELOW maximum anyway.

 

[AlecEiffel]

Slightly off topic but fluid related...................

Had my 56 plate 1.6 Leon for 7 months now, done 7K miles, and not had to top up oil or coolant - they just don't move. Hopefully not jinxed it now.

 

[n_d_fox]

Maybe you filled it on uneven ground? If the cars new itll probably vanish some coolant like mine did (and oil)

Nope... car is parked overnight on a flat surface.

So the coolant went back up??

that is crazy. Lol!

Yep... i wouldnt say it was by the exact amount i added (to what should have been there) but the level is now definitely higher than what i put in. - i topped it up to just under the rib around the centre of the bottle (roughly where the level was before the vanishing act) and it is now sat about half an inch above that central rib.

WOW, this is very very strange.

Happened to me this morning!

Started the car and got a rapid beeping and "Check coolant level." So I opened the bonnet to find no coolant atall in the bottle. I found this very weird as I had checked every level ( Coolant, oil etc) before I went to inters last week and everything was fine. The level has never moved in the 6 months I have had it and there was no liquid on the drive and non in the engine bay, so where has it gone? !

This is exactly what happened to me, and like you i checked all the levels when i cleaned the engine bay the day before i went to Inters...

As an update... I have covered roughly 250 miles since this happened at varying speeds (monitoring temps while driving and checking the level when i arrive and before i leave) and it hasnt moved at all from the level is was at the other morning when the RAC came out to check it over.