heavy coolant usage

[Glynn]

Posting on behalf of my best mate.

His missus car is a fabia 1.2 12v 2008 and on 40k at the moment.

As above shes been using alot of coolant lately and i was wondering if this is normal or there is anythin specific i need to get him to look at.

Already checked for milkyness on the oil cap and white smoke out the exhuast but both A-Ok

advice would be greatly appreciated

[P1TT8ULL]

Small crack in the Rad or pipe possibly. Has he tried parking over a big piece of cardboard to see if it leaks??

[LGM]

How much is "a lot?"

If hes been losing a lot of coolant recently then there must be something wrong. As P1TT8ULL says, park over a clean piece of cardboard overnight and see if anything is there in the morning. If not pop the bonnet open and look for liquid dripping, on places it shouldnt be.

[Ootohere]

??

Does it actually go below 'Minimum',

or are you filling it to 'Max' & it keeps going back down to minimum?

What are you adding, water or which coolant/antfreeze?

george

[Glynn]

I spoke to my buddy last night.

It keeps dropping below min.

I dont belive theres any signs of any obvious leaks but the cardboard test will be done

also he has been filling the cars up with halfrauds ready-mix stuff which is usually fine (im running that in my octy lol)

Edited 20 September, 2012 by Glynn

[PDIBK]

Check the water pump - I had 2 go on my superb 1.9 greenline, Dad had one go on his Fabia 1.9 TDI. Different engines, but worth a look.

It's not just the airlock phenomenon, as it's being filled up and dropping back below min.

[P1TT8ULL]

Double check the coolant is correct for the car. The Vrs must use a certain type so may be the same for his car.

[Ootohere]

The vRS & many other VAG vehicles require G12 +.

You need to google ,Antifreeze HOAT & OAT.

You do not mix the 2 types, (3 actually)

you do not go by colour when buying Antifreeze,

you go by what meets the Manufacturers Specification,

& importantly, what is already in the Coolant System.

*never ever mix HOAT & OAT.

george

[mannyo]

The coolant must be G12 or G12+, and is a pinky red colour, anything which is blue in colour is wrong, and the reaction between the two can cause seals to fail or blockages within the engine.

[Glynn]

Cheers for the good gen will make sure he has the right coolant in the car

[delta925]

First as already posted only add G12(+) to the system.

If you have put in anything else the only safe thing to do is drain the system, fill with water, go for a run until the water reaches full normal temperature, allow to cool, drain again and fill with G12.

On my last car I had a coolant loss but struggled to find where from.

It was only after a while that a tell-tale stain developed down a hose tucked at the back of the engine. The hose was fine, it was the joint between the plastic fitting on the end of the hose and the metal fitting on the engine that was leaking. Even with a new hose it took two goes to get a good seal.