Coolant pressurization Test

[06Amarillo]

Hi all,

I am about to perform a coolant system pressure test on my 2003 nbc 2.0l auto, hopefully tomorrow. I bought the pressurization kit from harbor freight ($80-ish). I have searched twice for any info posted in the forum regarding the recommended psi for the test. Even better would to find a thread like a DIY. I have yet to buy the Bentley manual, if this test doesnt for sure identify my problem then I will do a compression test of each cylinder AND buy the Bentley. Some past info on my car and the cooling problem at hand can be found here:
Hello from a new member

Thanks for your help!

[savethebluths.org]

Well the only thing I can say is you're going to be pissed because the ones at HF dont work on beetles because they dont have radiator caps

You can buy a tank adapter for like $150 though

Sorry bud but you're probably going to have to take it to a foreign auto shop to get it tested. Which is good because its cheaper.


What kind of problems are you having exactly? I read your thread but it doesnt explain much more than a coolant leak. I would say its the water pump seal and on an 03 it probably needs a WP TB service anyway.

[06Amarillo]

Well I'm glad I was told this kit wouldn't fit before I opened it up etc.

The issue I am having is what appears to be an external leak. The car runs and idles fine until you drive it for a few minutes. Then the leak starts on the passenger side of the engine. I did try the only foreign shop in this area a few months ago. They replaced the cooling flange at a rate of over $500, but failed to 'fix' the problem. I have decided to repair it myself after that unpleasant experience.

My thinking was to try pressurizing the system first, looking for an external leak source. Next would be a compression test of each cylinder.

The car does not smoke from the exhaust, no coolant smell from the exhaust either.
Other than the leak and a flashing red thermometer light on the dash nothing else is suspect.

Note: This same shop (which I do not 100% trust) wanted to replace the head gasket(cost of $1,500). Like I said, my trust in them was really shaken when they guaranteed a fix with the flange. I was able to drive the car about 8 miles before the light came on and coolant was spilling all over again.

It has taken me quite awhile to get around to repairing the car bc of lack of time in my schedule. Now things have opened up a bit I'd like to get it handled and running. The car is a nice NBC with only 57,000 miles and no other serious issues.

So that is where I am. I have been reading other posts regarding cooling problems and each one is unique. I'm just trying to get some direction with my problem without going to this same shop or the dealer. I am capable of doing the work if I knew which specific tools etc I would need.

[billymade]

Actually, IT DOES WORK; I have used it on my own beetle... that is how I have found my leaks; thats WHY we bought it for our shop!.... if you have any questions... let me know!

[06Amarillo]

AWESOME! Now I don't have to return this one and buy the $250 version!

Thanks billymade!

[savethebluths.org]

Holy **** you're telling me they charged you $500 to replace the coolant flange! That's a $20 part and maybe 20 minutes to fix!

I swear some mechanics are terrorist at heart.

[savethebluths.org]

Originally Posted by billymade

Actually, IT DOES WORK; I have used it on my own beetle... that is how I have found my leaks; thays WHY we bought it for our shop!.... if you have any questions... let me know!

How did you get it working? I have a small leak somewhere I would like to look at and if I can just grab one of these this week Ide be stoked!

[06Amarillo]

The bill was OVER $500. I blame myself more than anything.. If I would have done a little reading or even asked some questions I would have found out that the flange replacement wasnt that extreme at all.

So now I'm headed out to the garage to take a look at this coolant system.

[billymade]

IF I remember correctly; the kit has a application guide inside of it, if you are having problems... let me know and I will take a pic of the adapter that you use...

[06Amarillo]

I'm back. The HF kit worked perfect, and easy to use! The adapter I used was #12. I raised the pressure to 30psi and waited 10 mins. To my amazement, no drop in pressure and no leak. BUT I let the car idle in the driveway after a fresh battery install for 45 mins while I washed the exterior. I took her for a run around the block and when we arrived in the driveway I could smell the coolant again.

I popped the hood to take a look. The leak was easy to find! The overflow bottle must have a hairline crack in the bottom. I found a steady leak falling from the bottom of the bottle which wasnt fed by any coolant line.


Next on my list is to do a cylinder compression test and return this dead battery to Advance for my core $.

I need to source the best price on the overflow bottle today or tomorrow. Also as a note, I have a solid idiot light on the cluster. It is a thermometer BUT the color is solid blue. Ideas?

Again, thanks for your help. Billymade, youve been great at setting me in the right direction.

[savethebluths.org]

Originally Posted by 06Amarillo

I'm back. The HF kit worked perfect, and easy to use! The adapter I used was #12. I raised the pressure to 30psi and waited 10 mins. To my amazement, no drop in pressure and no leak. BUT I let the car idle in the driveway after a fresh battery install for 45 mins while I washed the exterior. I took her for a run around the block and when we arrived in the driveway I could smell the coolant again.

I popped the hood to take a look. The leak was easy to find! The overflow bottle must have a hairline crack in the bottom. I found a steady leak falling from the bottom of the bottle which wasnt fed by any coolant line.


Next on my list is to do a cylinder compression test and return this dead battery to Advance for my core $.

I need to source the best price on the overflow bottle today or tomorrow. Also as a note, I have a solid idiot light on the cluster. It is a thermometer BUT the color is solid blue. Ideas?

Again, thanks for your help. Billymade, youve been great at setting me in the right direction.

Good to hear! Where did you plug it into? I got my reservoir from the dealership for $20

[06Amarillo]

savethebluths,
The cap of the overflow reservoir is the only thing I could find to remove. I looked at the adapters for the kit and #12 looked close by the eyeball method. I threaded it in and it fit perfectly.

I think there is a sale at HF with a decent % off all items. I think I got my kit for roughly $80 including tax. Even one of those 20% off coupons you find in magazines etc would help.

I just picked up my compression gauge from Advance. That test will follow probably in the AM. I also read that the coolant cap is rated for 15psi, so I didnt need to push it to 30psi but I wanted to be sure.

[billymade]

Glad I could help; on a side note... when doing the pressure testing, I did a number of "cycles" and didn't see anything for a number of tries! I couldn't figure out what the deal was; I was losing coolant and it was definitely a problem; after just leaving it and seeing the pressure go down a number of times (i think 3 or 4) it slowly started to leak and I found the leak... BE PATIENT, like mine... it may take awhile to find it. Mine was just a small "spring leak" coming from a clamp that wasn't tight and also a tube that runs the length of the front of the block: I am still dealing with that one! I may fix it; now, that my transmission is coming out and the whole thing will be disabled for a number of weeks if not longer! Good luck and be patient; when testing the cooling system, you will find the leak but it may take some patient troubleshooting to find the culprit!

The coolant tank; is actually not a expensive replacement part; even directly from a vw dealer! In this case; if I were you... I might just get a OEM VW; as it is cheaper then aftermarket knockoffs (one of those rare times; when from vw is the way to go!)! Go figure!

new beetle Coolant Expansion Tank 1C0121407F

https://www.1stvwparts.com/partscat.html only 14.82!
http://www.google.com/search?client=...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

[06Amarillo]

UPDATE:

Just completed cylinder compression test. All 4 cylinders checked out fine. Each gained pressure in the same, smooth manner according to the gauge with no noticeable loss of pressure. Note: This was a compression gauge not a leak down test.

I was concerned I could have bad cylinder pressure as reported by the local shop (stated cylinder #2 and cylinder #4 'bad' via compression test). I could not duplicate their findings, leading me to go with external coolant loss at reservoir bottle.

Tomorrow I am replacing all 4 plugs (parts store is closed tonight) and sourcing a new reservoir bottle and temp sensor.

The only difficulty I had through this test was removing spark plugs after unthreading them. I attribute this to my large hands, not poor design or location of plugs.

So far I have spent about $80 on my coolant pressurization kit, $29 on a compression gauge and $10 on a 3/8" drive swivel attachment. All of these are tools that I can use again, not just hard parts to repair my NBC.

I did replace the battery but it was about time and did not affect my current problem of a coolant leak.

To sum things up, I am in better spirits now that it seems my head gasket is intact. I seem to have found the real problem and the 'fix' shouldn't be very expensive or difficult.

[billymade]

Excellent conclusion to your beetle "issues"! This illustrates; the power of doing repairs yourself; the KEY here was having or in this case... BUYING the right tool for the job, BOTH the compression tester and coolant pressure tester... brought intelligence into the troubleshooting process! While the tools you invested in were not exactly cheap; they are no where near what the repair prices are these days! Thats so great that things are getting fixed! While working on cars can be frustrating; it also saves you allot of money, causes you to be more "in tune" with your car... AND gives you power! It is the ultimate power trip to have the right tool for the job at hand; not being at the mercy of a dealership or other expensive repair shops..... PRICELESS! Congrats on the repairs!

[06Amarillo]

billymade,
You have been quite a bit of help. Honestly this car had me a bit spooked bc it was my 1st modern vw. Not much under the hood looked like a Ford and everything was marked in German.

After I got in there, determined to repair it right and do it myself, things weren't very bad at all.

Like I said before, I believe I found the problem myself. Unless there would be other factors I couldn't account for in my garage (which I'm not sure what they could be), then I have it narrowed down.

I don't want to talk bad about anyone but I am disappointed in the local repair shop. He had a good reputation for dealing with VW's and was really nice as well. After I discovered that the coolant flange was a cheap part that was easy to repair; undeserving of a $500+ repair bill, I had trouble trusting him. I towed the car home and decided to figure this VW thing out. If I had followed his advice I would be paying between $1,500-$4,000 for a minimum of a head gasket replacement and a maximum of a used engine. Neither of these items seem to be needed.
*I am still saying 'seem' because I want to be certain I have everything properly diagnosed and repaired before I say I am positive.

[billymade]

I just don't think there are allot of really skilled and truly talented techs out there; my experience with my local VW dealer was a disaster... all of those repairs, were done under warranty! IMHO, there just seems to be allot incompetence out there and you end up paying for their diagnostic "guesses"; so much can be done yourself, as you said you need to be determined, don't get intimidated and get the right tools, manuals... just do it! I'm glad things are going along well; keep us posted on your progress and how things turn out!

As one of our former presidents said: "Trust but Verify"! Having the tools to intelligently diagnose a problem and confirm the issue.... makes a huge difference!

[06Amarillo]

UPDATE:

I sourced a 'new' overflow bottle from a u-pull-it. Complete with hardware etc I paid $4.39. Last night I removed the old bottle, flushed the coolant system and installed the new bottle. I drove the car about 10 miles, chased out a few air bubbles in the coolant and got a fresh tank of gas.

The old bottle had white marks at its base. To me that signaled plastic fatigue and was likely the source of the leak I previously noted. After the driving I was able to make last night I was unable to find another leak under the hood. There was no loss of power or acceleration either.

I am going to get a code reader this week to read and clear some intermittent codes. I also have to address the blue coolant light that remains on steady.

Lastly will be a front brake job, sourcing and replacing front and rear VW emblems, sourcing replacement floor mats, then a good detail job.

I am open for suggestions for the emblems, mats and brakes. Advance wants about $80 for pads and rotors which I felt was a pretty fair price.

[06Amarillo]

The car continued to get hot after replacing the expansion bottle. I bit the bullet and bought the timing belt 'plus' kit from MJM Autohaus MJM Autohaus

I did the install myself and then started a new thread here:


Post Water Pump Install

I should have married the two threads to begin with, sorry just wasnt thinking.

[mlt]

How did you manage to remove the coolant expansion tank? I was replacing WP & TB and failed to remove coolant tank and had to work around it. Either fuel line connectors (and heat protector for lines) or windshield washer fluid tank were impeding me What is the trick?