im worrying about my water temp gauge being broken or my engine starting to blow...

to give u a visual idea of what i mean. if u have an S5, look at ur volts gauge and the level above 12 is where my water temp needle is in relation. i used to be lower than that, but over the last few months has slowly climbed up there. now part of whats worrying me is the fact i know the needle shouldnt move in such a fashion. its either ur cold, normal (halfway or so) or bye bye motor.

QUESTION 1: how do i know if my rad/cooling system is working without hearing my low coolant buzzer?

i checked my coolant today before driving and the rad and bottle were both full. its like no liquid was ever used, unless it runs out very slowly. i last topped this up months ago. am i suppossed to run out at some point or drain all the liquids out and replace?

QUESTION 2: how does the cooling/radiator system work? is the water in the rad thrown in the bottle after use or is it a recycling proccess (coolant goes in the rad>out the rad>in the bottle>out the bottle>in the rad again)?

now i just noticed the water in the bottle is very slightly borwnish. normal? but the rad liquid is still coolant colour (greenish)

all this begs QUESTION 3: will i need a new rad/cooling system?

i dont have ny leaks as confirmed by my driveway and the fact i havent heard my local rotary mech (best in western canada) comment on any leaks from the number of times ive visited him.

i dont know whats wrong....unless its completely normal and im just spazzing over my rims dilemma (long story).

 

does the needle go over the halfway point? do your radiator hoses look like they're about to bust? with the engine COLD, take off your radiator cap, get in the car and start the engine, look and see if the water is running in one direction.

edit, wait.. you have an S5, so the rad. cap is on a neck, right? nevermind then

to answer question one, yes... you gotta drain the coolant in the block AND the radiator atleast once a year.

question two... the water goes from the top of the rad.>bottom of the rad.>into the pump>through the motor>back to the top of the rad.

question three varies.. i don't think you need a new radiator.

 

The bottle is an overflow bottle. If the temps get to high some of the coolant is directed into the overflow bottle. When things cool back down natural suction will pull the "oveflowed" coolant back into the system. This is why you need to make sure you have that filled up correctly, you don't want to pull air into the system.

 

Get an aftermarket water temp gauge.


-Ted

 

i plan to get a plethora of gauges coz im the type who's **** about info i want to know....even if its an N/A.

by the way, where do u tap the water temp gauge?