Is this normal? Has this happened to anyone???

[MySugaBug]

I have 2002 VW New Beetle Turbo GLS and I recently had the timing belt and water pump replaced by my mechanic. Exactly a week later my red temp light came back on. I put coolant in the tank as it was low. Two weeks after replacing the TB and WP the red temp light came on again, so I put more coolant in and took it back to him to see if he could fix the problem. Obviously there is a leak but he couldn't determine where it was coming from because there was no residue on the ground below my "Suga." Well I have been paying close attention since then & I still dont see anything underneath. Lately I have noticed a smell, kinda sweet musk smell from my vents when I turn my A/C on, the smell disappears after about a minute. What could possibly be the problem? Has this happened to anyone? PLEASE HELP!!! I'm lost, and frustrated!!!

[MichelleRoze]

have you checked your other fluids recently? Maybe it's mixing with the oil? Or maybe it's only leaking under pressure and by the time you stop the car it's too low to overflow and leak out? Sounds like something is seriously wrong. Did the mechanic put in new seals with the water pump? Did he put in the right coolant (pink)? Just some things to consider. I'd check to make sure it's not mixing. Then I'd fill the coolant, let the car idle and watch it to see if it leaks when it gets up to temp. I hope someone else here has an idea, that's all I got.

[Smileybug]

When he replaced everything, did he burp the air out of the system or just put it back together and put in the coolant? When you do these jobs, you need to burp the air out. I had mine done and a week or so after the job, my coolant light came on and I needed to add some more coolant. Added it. Burped a little more and the level was lower, but not low enough to turn the light back on. Filled it up again and its been good to go.

How many times have you filled up since then? It could certainly be a more serious issue...

[MySugaBug]

I had to put more coolant in exactly a week after getting it done, and I am not sure if he burped the air out of it. Exactly 2 weeks after I had to put more coolant in, so it takes about 2 weeks to get low enough for the light to come on. I just scheduled an appointment with my local VW dealer, hopefully they can diagnose and cure the issue. I jus wanted to know what it could possibly be? Thanks for your help though.

[SandyG]

Check to make sure you haven't warped the aluminum heads by overheating. Only a leak of antifreeze will send that sweet smell through the vents. It depends on where it has leaked the antifreeze, it could have gotten onto the top of the piston and simply been blown out the exhaust, or it could have gotten into the oil galleys and mixed with the oil, or it could have simply leaked out the side of the head and evaporated on the block. A good mechanic should pressure test the coolant system and be able to determine if there is a leak.

[Turbomania]

More than likely your "mechanic" did not re-fill your coolant system correctly. Our cooling systems can trap air in them displacing coolant until the engine is up to operating temp and full circulation of the coolant has occurred. It can happen at VW too beleive me. Check coolant level in the reservoir when engine is cold. It should be at the max mark or very close. If not, refill until this level is reached. Drive your car at highway speeds for as long as it takes to completely warm up ( I mean 70 or 80 if able )for probably at least 15 minutes and recheck coolant level with engine running. It should be at the min mark. Re-check the coolant level the next morning and make sure it is at the max mark. This procedure should completely bleed all the air from your coolant system... After the engine is up to operating temp is the best time to check for leaks. Hopefully you won't find any. Good Luck, JK