hey guys,

i drove my car all day yesterday. had the a/c on on the freeway and it wasn't super hot outside, just sunny. car ran great. this morning i started her up, seconds later the add coolant light came on. i shut down the motor and popped the hood. first checked the overflow tank; the level on the dipstick was really high, way above the full mark and almost at the top of the hash marks on the dipstick. then i opened the radiator fill neck cap; it was kinda wet inside, not completely dry, and the coolant surface was so low i can barely see it with a flashlight. then i opened the ast cap; the plastic tab broke off when i pulled it, but i managed to remove the cap. the ast was about 1/2~1/3 full. i thought perhaps it had something to do w/ the broken ast cap so i put a new one on (16 lbs), but the light stayed on and the levels at all 3 places remained the same...

anybody has an idea what's going on? this freaked me out a bit. i don't really think i'm losing coolant 'cuz it seems a lot of it went to the overflow tank, and 'cuz of that i'm wary of just filling up the radiator neck and ast. i'm wondering if my water pump is broken. like i said, car ran fine yesterday. usually when i shut down after a long drive i turn on the accessories immediately to let the fan run. yesterday i did this at the end of the drive and the fan didn't even come on so i assumed the motor ran cool. suggestions?

 

your going to have to fill it up and do a preassure test

 

I had a simular problem in my 87 T2, the wire to the sensor on my radiator broke off, you might want to check the wiring to your thermo sensor..........which off the top of my head I dont recall exactly where it is on the FD, but its a start........

 

because the coolant is actually low i dont think its the sensor. check for a pinched line from teh overflow tank, perhaps coolant cant be pulled back in.

 

Several things can result in your symptoms:
1. Bad peripheral seal on the AST cap - coolant will not be drawn back to the engine when it cools.
2. A leak or, as said above, a pinched area in the tube to the overflow tank - same result
3. A crack in the hose nipple on the AST or on the overflow tank.

 

check your coolant hoses like the main ones comming off the radiator, see if you have a small leak, or if you smell any coolant meanwhile put coolant in before you check, put it in the coolant housing. And start it up and check for leaks hope this helps dont drive just let if idle

7 bound

 

thanks for the input guys

what's the easiest way to access the hose to/from the overflow tank? i tried to look for it but there was so much clutter i couldn't even make a guess where it is

 

It runs from the AST down to and thru the subframe below the intercooler and then across the car to the overflow tank below the air intakes.

 

It could be as simple as a loose clamp on any of the hoses. Check over everything piece by piece. I'd tighten the clamps, refill, run and recheck for the problem. A minute or few after shutting down pressure builds can you can sometimes hear leaks then.