I've got a bit of an issue with the coolant / light on my vRS.

When I drive it, after a bit the coolant light comes on. Depending on how I'm driving it it comes on at about 10 minutes (driving slowly) or after about 40 minutes (driving fast - i.e. leave the house straight onto the motorway). I stop, top it up (the level is about on minimum or just below, when I start it's at the max), and then the light doesn't come on again no matter how far I drive (did a 3.5 hour run up to Manchester and a return journey with no issues). I've run it for a while with the light on, and only once have I seen the temperature rise at all, after about 40 minutes (as soon as it did I stopped and filled it up with more coolant). When that happened, I seemed to be losing coolant from the right hand side of the engine as I looked from the front of the car. Aside from this, I haven't been able to see any leakage at all.I've run it since for a similar length of time and haven't seen teh temperature rise at all.

I've had a look and there's nothing in the oil to suggest head gasket (no mayo or anything), so after that I'm a bit stumped. I've never had a coolant issue before, so I'm not really sure what I'm looking for.

I've tested it overnight and it doesn't drop any coolant onto the ground while it's parked, cold or hot.

Any ideas?

Best getting under it when it hot (i.e. get it upto temp & let it idle) you should see where the coolant is being lost. May be worth checking the coolant temp sensor isnt loose. Follow the top hose on the right.

Hi Chris

As has been suggested, check the coolant temp sensor isn't loose as that's one of the places at the right hand side of the engine where coolant can leak, there's also a few large diameter coolant hoses secured with clips which might be leaking, and two smaller coolant hoses going to the oil cooler between your oil filter and engine block, check all the clips and hoses there too.

I'll bring a torch with me next week and have a look fingers crossed it'll be ok to get to Germany and back!

Well, I threw in a bottle of K Seal and it seemed to do the trick - no more light and the coolant level seems stable!

Job done.

Edited 14 August, 201015 yr by Tibbs