coolant issue! help
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 91
Likes: 1
coolant issue! help
I am new to the c4 platform. Just recently bought it. I noticed the low coolant light was on intermittently. The guy I bought the car off of says its the sensor. I checked the reservoir and it looked low so I topped it off to about half way.
Today I drive the car about 5 miles park it when i get to my destination I noticed about a quart of coolant on the ground coming from somewhere in the middle of the car towards the back of the engine bay.
The car seems to hover around 190 degrees. Didn't over heat in that small 5 mile drive. The coolant level is low in the reservoir. Right near where it was before I topped it off.
Did I just over fill it?
Today I drive the car about 5 miles park it when i get to my destination I noticed about a quart of coolant on the ground coming from somewhere in the middle of the car towards the back of the engine bay.
The car seems to hover around 190 degrees. Didn't over heat in that small 5 mile drive. The coolant level is low in the reservoir. Right near where it was before I topped it off.
Did I just over fill it?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 6,314
Likes: 508
From: South-central Missouri
Do the easy thing and remove the reserve tank (the black one, at the passenger-side near the corner of the hood) and inspect the connections to it and the heater core.
Auto Zone will lend you a coolant pressure test kit. With it you might find a leak somewhere too.
Auto Zone will lend you a coolant pressure test kit. With it you might find a leak somewhere too.
Last edited by Paul Workman; Jul 25, 2017 at 03:32 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,682
Likes: 320
Finalist 2020 C4 of the Year - Unmodified
The drain line on the reservoir likely. If the radiator expands enough, the drain prevents excess from flooding compartment. Check if the reservoir and drain hose are wet after the leak is noticed. Watch out for hot, let it cool first!
I'd check the radiator, see if you've got some air in there. Hot air would change the expansion volume. Might go ahead and burp just to be sure all the air is out, hard to do for us early folk.
Make sure you do it with radiator cold!! I learned that lesson the hard way.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 4,424
Likes: 603
From: Minneapolis Mn
There are dye kits you can get for looking for coolant leaks. If you happen to use something like Prestone antifreeze, try a black light. It fluoresces under black like and makes it a lot easier to find where it's leaking from.
Back of the block, could be along the china wall. You'd have to pull the intake to fix that. I had one but it was on the front, the hose behind the water pump going to the TPI had a crack in it.
Good luck.
Back of the block, could be along the china wall. You'd have to pull the intake to fix that. I had one but it was on the front, the hose behind the water pump going to the TPI had a crack in it.
Good luck.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 20,172
Likes: 672
From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
I am new to the c4 platform. Just recently bought it. I noticed the low coolant light was on intermittently. Today I drive the car about 5 miles park it when i get to my destination I noticed about a quart of coolant on the ground coming from somewhere in the middle of the car towards the back of the engine bay.
