06-13-2013, 09:45 AM
I think the car is still leaking coolant.
I don't know if I wrote it up earlier, but last week Lauren and I replaced the gaskets on the water accumulator pipe on the back of the motor, and found that one side had been left loose, so it seemed like it was an easy, clear cut fix.
Since then the car has been holding *more* pressure, but 4-5 times I've found water under the car, in quantities ranging from a few drops to a significant amount, and I've had to top up the reservoir a few times. Last night I broke out my flashlight and inspection mirror and looked at every water fitting and gasket I know exists on the car. Heater hoses, accumulator pipe gaskets, hard water pipes, valley gasket, water pump, main water hoses, etc. I looked for traces of coolant everywhere, on the belly pan, front of the motor, top of the bell housing, etc.
Nothing.
The only place I saw traces of coolant was on the header heat shields, which is nothing new, that's where the coolant was running down from the valley for like 8 months. Everything else was dry. Well, soaked in oil in some places, but not coolant, which is the one i care about right now.
Since I couldn't find a source, I sat there with it up in the air for about an hour and waited for it to start dripping, thinking it might only happen when it cools down. Still nothing. Finally gave up and stuck it back out in the driveway. This morning there was a stain under the car, directly under the bell housing. It didn't look super fresh, but I had it backed in so there shouldn't have been any stains there before. The level in the reservoir was ok.
Any ideas? It needs emissions, and the shop I was planning on taking it to tried to sell me pretty hard on using them for repairs, saying they had a lot of euro experience. I think I might have them pressure test it / diagnose it as a trial run to see how fair they are. If they don't overcharge or have a fit that I only want to pay them to diagnose and not to repair, then they're prolly good guys.
Before shelling out cash for diagnostic time I should probably put it in the garage, clean all the sludge off the bottom of the bell housing and put some cardboard under it and wait for it to leak. Then hopefully with a clean area to inspect it would be easy to trace back.
I don't know what it is about me and cooling systems. I have a black thumb. It doesn't matter what car I'm doing it on, it will fight me tooth and nail all the way down to the end.
I don't know if I wrote it up earlier, but last week Lauren and I replaced the gaskets on the water accumulator pipe on the back of the motor, and found that one side had been left loose, so it seemed like it was an easy, clear cut fix.
Since then the car has been holding *more* pressure, but 4-5 times I've found water under the car, in quantities ranging from a few drops to a significant amount, and I've had to top up the reservoir a few times. Last night I broke out my flashlight and inspection mirror and looked at every water fitting and gasket I know exists on the car. Heater hoses, accumulator pipe gaskets, hard water pipes, valley gasket, water pump, main water hoses, etc. I looked for traces of coolant everywhere, on the belly pan, front of the motor, top of the bell housing, etc.
Nothing.
The only place I saw traces of coolant was on the header heat shields, which is nothing new, that's where the coolant was running down from the valley for like 8 months. Everything else was dry. Well, soaked in oil in some places, but not coolant, which is the one i care about right now.
Since I couldn't find a source, I sat there with it up in the air for about an hour and waited for it to start dripping, thinking it might only happen when it cools down. Still nothing. Finally gave up and stuck it back out in the driveway. This morning there was a stain under the car, directly under the bell housing. It didn't look super fresh, but I had it backed in so there shouldn't have been any stains there before. The level in the reservoir was ok.
Any ideas? It needs emissions, and the shop I was planning on taking it to tried to sell me pretty hard on using them for repairs, saying they had a lot of euro experience. I think I might have them pressure test it / diagnose it as a trial run to see how fair they are. If they don't overcharge or have a fit that I only want to pay them to diagnose and not to repair, then they're prolly good guys.
Before shelling out cash for diagnostic time I should probably put it in the garage, clean all the sludge off the bottom of the bell housing and put some cardboard under it and wait for it to leak. Then hopefully with a clean area to inspect it would be easy to trace back.
I don't know what it is about me and cooling systems. I have a black thumb. It doesn't matter what car I'm doing it on, it will fight me tooth and nail all the way down to the end.
Now: 07 Porsche Cayman S | 18 VW Tiguan
Then: 18 VW GTI Autobahn | 95 BMW M3 | 15 VW GTI SE | 12 Kia Optima SX | 2009 VW GTI | 00 BMW 540i Sport | 90 Mazda Miata | 94 Yamaha FZR600R | 1993 Suzuki GS500E | 2003 BMW 325i | 95 Saab 900S