alexinapot

g7eor - my garage said nothing like this but Googling 'coolant loss after water pump replacement' brings up a host of hits. Looks like an air lock is possible so will check this out too when the coolant I've ordered arrives Thanks

Prezafab - hadn't thought of this. Have now checked and no damage that I can see. Also would have expected to see coolant on the ground under the car but all is dry. Kenny R - my first thought was that while this seemed feasible it had taken a long time to show up as the work had been carried out on 17 November. However looking at mileage we've only done 240 mIles so not long in distance terms at all. I've VAG coolant arriving later today so will take it from there Austin 7 - top hose feels quite soft. Probably not a good sign. No indication of leaks anywhere that I can see. I remember the old heater and fan trick from running many BMC cars in the 70s! Thank you all for your input. I'll update as and when

Bit of a back story first. Just before Christmas we were approaching South Mimms Services on the M25 (about 12 miles from home) when the overheating alarm went off. We pulled into the services and had a coffee for half hour and then checked. Temperature had dropped, the coolant level was ok but we decided to return home. Temperature was normal on the return journey. Car was due for service plus cambelt/water pump change in a couple of days so asked the garage to check. They found nothing nor did they find a fault code on the OBD. Car has been fine ever since though we've only been using it locally. Fast forward to today when the 'Check coolant level' warning came on as soon as I started the car. On checking the coolant tank was completely empty. There was no liquid beneath the car. Last time we used it was last Thursday when there were no warning lights, temperature was normal and the car drove perfectly normally. My thoughts are that if the coolant isn't coming out it's going inside the engine somehow. Head gasket failure? Have had this many years ago and there was a very noticeable effect on performance. Nothing like that this time. I'll have to take it to the garage but will it get there? My plan at the moment is to refill the coolant tank and run the engine to see if the level is holding. If it is I'll go round the block a couple of times and recheck. If it still holds I'll drive to the garage - about a mile. Interested in anyone else's ideas as to what might be the problem, Has anyone had anything like this happen? Does my plan for getting to the garage sound feasible or should I bite the bullet and pay for it to be trailered? All ideas, comments and opinions welcome - I'm stumped. JC