2005 GLS, over heat, low coolant.

[hohlraum]

Wife brought her car in because the over heat light was coming on and they said the coolant was low. They topped it off, checked for leaks, couldn't find any and sent her on her way.

ummm. How does the coolant get low in a car without a leak?

[Smileybug]

Just keep an eye on it. I wouldn't be worried unless this becomes a common occurrence. Keep some G12 coolant on hand in case it gets low again. Distilled water can also be used.

[hohlraum]

Well the concern here is that if there isn't an obvious leak its probably in the engine and her extended warranty expires in 4 weeks :/

[Smileybug]

How many miles on the car? Any work done on it recently? (Water pump or anything?) How low was the coolant?

[hohlraum]

My wife brought it in. No work has been done on the car. I think it has 70k miles or so on it? They didn't say how low it was but I'd think it would have to be relatively low to overheat wouldn't it?

[esse10]

I had the same situation happen to me this past summer except my car didn't overheat, but noticed the level on the reservoir change quite a bit, coudn't figure it out till this past weeknd when I Changed the water pump i noticed there had been a small coolant leak from the water pump inside the timing belt/water pump compartment, it never leaked on the ground just concentrated in there. I have a cool picture of it when I changed my timing belt this past weekend. If yours keeps going low I would have the water pump looked at ASAP before disaster strikes. good luck man

[Smileybug]

Originally Posted by hohlraum

My wife brought it in. No work has been done on the car. I think it has 70k miles or so on it? They didn't say how low it was but I'd think it would have to be relatively low to overheat wouldn't it?

The light coming on red and flashing just means that the car is low on coolant, not that its overheating. And that trigger can be just at the min line, doesn't have to be completely empty.

[Supercharged98]

At 70k + miles, I would be thinking about doing a TB/WP job. The WP might be weeping, and causing a low coolant situation over time. You might want to get it done before the WP gives out and let's loose the TB and destroys the head.

[IndyTom]

I agree that at 70k it is getting close to doing the timing belt service. Parts for the 2.0L are only about 134 bucks and it's a lot easier to do than on the 1.8.

And yes like Smileybug already mentioned that red flashing light doesn't mean the car is overheating but that the coolant reservoir is low. That sensor is also known to go bad and it wouldn't be a bad idea to check your Resevoir bottle. Make sure the cap is on securely and that there are no cracks. It is fairly easy to swap the coolant bottle out if need be. The new Bottle will come with a new sensor already installed. But for now just keep an eye on things and see if the coolant drops below the minimum line again.

[hohlraum]

Originally Posted by Smileybug

How many miles on the car? Any work done on it recently? (Water pump or anything?) How low was the coolant?

I take that back. The master cylinder (brakes) was changed and the brake fluid along with it. I'll find out if it was flashing or not.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by hohlraum

I take that back. The master cylinder (brakes) was changed and the brake fluid along with it. I'll find out if it was flashing or not.

Okay???? What does the Master Brake Cylinder have to do with the Coolant and your "Overheating" issue?
We are talking about the Coolant Reservoir/Expansion Tank not the Master cylinder.

[hohlraum]

It doesn't. The poster asked if any work had been done on it lately. That is the work that has been done on it lately.

[hohlraum]

Ended up getting a second opinion from a reputable non-dealer shop and they went over everything very closely. They have two guys on staff that do nothing but work on VW. We wanted to have it completely gone over before we sold it to make sure the buyer wouldn't have any issues anyway. They couldn't fined a single issue with the coolant system. Checked oil for coolant, water pump for leaks and it's compartment for coolant or crystallized coolant and then pressure tested the entire system.

My guess is the dumba**es at the vw dealership probably left the reservoir cap off or loose while checking the coolant during the service she had a month or so earlier and a bunch spilled out. They've shown serious incompetence in the past so I wouldn't put it past them.

Thanks for all the input, I passed it all along to the second shop to have them investigate.

[2004NBTURBOS]

Originally Posted by Smileybug

The light coming on red and flashing just means that the car is low on coolant, not that its overheating. And that trigger can be just at the min line, doesn't have to be completely empty.

Ding Ding Ding, thats right Bob tell em what he won.

If you look at how small the expansion take is, you will kinda get the picture. If it gets down near the low level it will trip the sensor. Adding just a little distilled water will take care of the situation.
But as stated above get the TB/Wp done.
It will help you sleep better at night.