Toledo coolant loss!

[davidif]

Hi i wonder if anyone can help. I have a mk2 Toledo 1.9 TDI 110BHP which seems to be running fine although is loosing coolant at a slow rate. Ive topped up(water) about a pint in the last 6/8 weeks.

There are no obvious signs of leaks and the oil does not appear to be contaminated any ideas folks?

I was first alerted to this when the coolant light in the instrument panel flashed for slightly longer than normal for a few days and then started to flash intermitantly during normal driving, this stopped after topping up the expansion tank to just above min when engine was cold.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Muttley]

I had this, but in my case a small puddle appeared by the nearside front wheel. A small leak in the radiator was letting coolant drip into the crossmember, thence to the undertray where it leaked out of some cracks. It had been standing for five or six days when I noticed it, and the coolant header tank had emptied, so a more serious leak than yours.

Thread here, with pictures. I used K-Seal, which has stopped the leak and has not resulted in any unwanted side-effects.

It might be worth taking off the undertray to have a look at the bottom of the engine to see if there is a small leak - coolant might be evaporating before it has a chance to drip onto the floor.

The heater matrix is the only place I can think of where a leak might go undetected.

 

[davidif]

Thanks Muttley, i'll have a look if i can although not sure if i can remove the plastic undertray with the car on the drive ie without a ramp etc.

I will look into getting K-Seal or something similar.It is worth trying this anyway.

 

[Muttley]

You will need axle stands, ramps or a pit to get enough clearance to remove the undertray easily. It is possible with the car on the floor but very awkward, and you then can't get your head underneath to look for a leak

I was specific about K-Seal because there are older, more "traditional" remedies such as Radweld or Bar's Leaks, which I would definately *NOT* recommend. They are most likley to fur up the water pump and cause other issues. I'm generally sceptical of "magic goo" but this one came recommended by a friend of mine who's a kit car builder. If I had to guess, I'd say it works on exposure to air and low pressure, but I'm not sure how. I've only had it in the system for a few hundred miles, so can't give it a long-term bill of health, but it's stopped my leak. If its claims are true, it will stay in the system and stop any new leak too.

 

[davidif]

Thanks for the heads up Muttley i am going to try to get hold of some K-Seal asap and give it a try ill try the local motor factors if not any suggestions as to where to get it from?

 

[davidif]

Added K-Seal to the coolant Tue eve. I guess its a bit of a waiting game now as the fluid loss was very slow and it'll be several weeks at least until i know whether it's cured.

 

[Muttley]

The claim on the bottle is that it is good for any small leaks, up to and including head gasket (obviously only sealing the water leaks, if you're losing compression it won't help), so wherever your leak is it should do some good. Odd that there was no obvious puddle you could find.

 

[ginge755]

I had a coolant loss, albeit a little more sudden than yours sounds. The temp gauge went right to max, the light came on & tone sounded...this transpired to be a small plastic clip that holds the sensor & hose in place. Cost me 40p for a new clip. two days on all well! The clip was a small horse shoe shaped thing if it helps. Apparently VW knew the part number off by heart.

Hope it helps.

ginge755

 

[andyspencer]

id put money on it being a cracked cylinder head. There was a period when tdi vag cylinder heads were liable to cracking.

 

[davidif]

Sorry to drag this one up again but i just wanted to report that the K-Seal seems to have cured the coolant loss. 4 months on and no top-ups needed.

Thanks for the advice folks.

 

[scheemy]

Hi
I have used K-Seal in my missus audi and had great results with it.
We spent £400.00 at the local garage with them saying it was this and that! Got the car home and hey presto it was still leaking. At my wits end and not willing to spend any more money i bought some K-seal off Fleabay and never filled the car up since.

Although i feel like i might be tempting fate myself saying how good its been!

I was recommended some FJC coolant dye though which was only a couple of quid and was my next option if k-seal did not work.