girl needs help with her vw

[mandee]

so im new to this forum and i was wondering if any of you could help me with my vw.

my vw is leaking alot of coolant but i dont know from where?
i do know it leaks somewhere on the drivers side of the engine.
any ideas?

i was told it could possibly be a busted radiator hose.

my vw is a '00 2.0 beetle.

thanx

[dnyed]

I'm no mechanic, but I want to wish you luck with the fix.


You posted this in the right forum, and someone with advice will be along. Don't worry.


Welcome to the Org, and hope you're all fixed up soon!

[noR]

Hey got your message.

We might be able to help a bit.

Why do you think the leak is on the Driver's side? Do you see colors/puddles/crusties ... something that indicates that side?


A coolant leak is a fairly straight forward ordeal. You look for the leak, locate the source, and replace or re-seal.

So first we need to help you locate the actual source. Where is it bleeding?

Our coolant is pink; and when it evaporates, it leaves a pink residue. So look around and tell us what you see.


Driver side Leaks could be:
1 where the flange attaches to the motor.
2 Where the flange attaches to the hose.
3 Where the hose attaches to the other hoses.
4 Where the coolant temp sensor is.
5 Where the hose attaches to the radiator.
6 Or in the middle of any of the above mentioned hoses.

I think that's ALL the connections, and all the hoses for the driver side.

Look around and see if you see anything "unusual". A wet hose (maybe just wet along the bottom, where waters dripping down it) or a puddle of coolant... give me something to start with.

[Smileybug]

Also, what mileage does your car have? I would be positive that the leak is from the drivers side. More commonly its a busted water pump, which is on the passenger side.

Definitely more info is needed but hopefully we can help you out!

[mandee]

thank you so much for the replies guys...

ok, lets see, i got a little over 100,000 miles on her, whenever someone tries to help, they simply say they can smell coolant from the drivers side plus everything is wet around that area.

i can fill my radiator all up and a less than 5 miles later i need to put more coolant.

it used to take 3-4 days to refill but now its every 4-5 miles.

my temp. light lights up on red constantly!

so im not a mechanic in the least bit but im guessing my car overheats because all my coolant drains in minutes

plus, i don't trust mechanics anymore, they all seem to be clueless about beetles and i didn't buy my beetle from a vw dealership so i cant go there for cheap advice, at least i don't think so.

[antonym]

My bet is a busted water-pump. Has your water pump been changed?

PLEASE.. do NOT drive the car until you figure this out. The car should NEVER be driven when the temp light is RED!!!!!!!!!!!!

... if its a decent dealership you can go for advice.. which city are you in (edit: just saw the state...)? Maybe folks here know of a decent place to send you.

[middknight1]

if you let the car run doyou see where the leak is since it sounds like it is pretty bad. i am have a coolant leak that i know is from the passenger side so i am getting ready to replace the water pump, thermostat, timing belt, timing belt tensioner, crank seal, and the cam seal. if it is really on the drivers side then its a hose, temp sensor gasket or something else that has been mentioned above. hope you find it and get it fixed!!! don't want you cracking the head which will cost big money to get fixed.

[antonym]

ps.. the water pumps originally came with a plastic impeller which is prone to beak apart. It is recommended to replace it with metal impeller AND change timing belt around 60,000 miles. I did mine around 90,000 miles (10,000 miles more than when I bought it - I got scared!), but I bought a car that just came off lease so it was well maintained.

..I worry about yours.. if the belt breaks, that's a lot of money to fix.. or you may have to get a new engine.

.. just don't drive it for now. I noticed you have been driving it for a while with the red temp light... please stop.

[middknight1]

definitely stop driving at this point i concur with everyone else

[wawalker]

On the driver side of the engine I'd suspect the "heart valve" coolant flange. They are plastic and tend to get brittle and develop cracks after as many heat cycles as your 100K plus NB would have. Fortuneately they're cheap. A recent thread discusses the common issue:

coolant leak

Good luck. If you can inspect this area and find the leak, buy the part and take it to any competent mechanic they should be able to fix it for you. Make sure to get all the O-rings and clips that attach sensors, etc. because those should be replaced when disturbed too.

[mandee]

thank you all once again.

unfortunately, i don't have my beetle with me here in corpus Christi, its back at my parents home. [im a broke college kid]

i go down to visit in 3 weeks for Thanksgiving, so i will be able to check it out better

i promise i wont drive it though


if anyone thinks of any other ideas, please don't hesitate to let me know, u guys have helped so much already