I cold started the car this morning and the coolant light came on immediately, so did the warning sound. Then I turned it off. I called my mechanic and he said the water seals might be going bad (eating coolant?) And he told me to top it off with water and I could drive it. After topping it off I drove it. 10 secs later the coolant light with the warning came on again (maybe I didn't top it off completely the first time), so I had to turn the car off again. I kept adding water until it really topped off, then I drove it and everything seemed fine. But when I parked the car, I realized the coolant was leaking everywhere (there's probably 3 or 4 leaking spots underneath near the front end). But other than the leaking, everything else was normal and I drove it for an hour without any problem. It doesn't seem to stop and I'm so pissed. Here's some info about my car: 1. It's never been overheated I guess. 2. Three weeks ago I topped it off with water because the seal of one cap was bad and coolant was spilling from the cap. So three weeks ago the coolant level should be at full. I'm not sure if it's been leaking coolant during those three weeks but I think it's possible (I see wet spots under the car all the time). Or my car's eating coolant? Maybe the radiator is fucked up?

 

First off....don't drive it any more!

If you run the car low on coolant, you will overheat and could damage your engine permantely.

Next, find the leak. It probably isn't an coolant seal because it is spilling out on the ground. I would look at the bad seal on the cap, then all hoses, and the radiator...

Patrick

 

Check you coolant hoses and the seal around the water pump....

 

How do I know if the water seals are going bad or the car's eating coolant?

 

Bubbles in your thermostat housing opening. Steam on start-up also. Or you can get a cooling system pressure check.

It may be a turbo cooling hose split like in this thread. The steam appears to come up by the water pump when the turbo hoses split. Again, don't drive it!!

 

like everyone else said don't drive it anymore. check the radiator and hoses because those are the most likely places it is leaking. don't jump to conclusions yet about needing a new engine. it could be a simple fix.

 

don't listen to that crackhead mechanic, you don't want to go to a mechanic who automatically assumes the worst possible cause of a symptom like he did. Like the other posters said, if you have coolant splaying out all over the ground that is a GOOD sign, it means its a hose or something external leaking and it will be easy to fix.

 

Yep stop driving it..

Get the system pressure checked and go from there...check all the hoses etc etc...

Oh yeah..stop driving it

 

Tow it to Ivan and have him look at it(was that the mechanic you were referring to?). I thought you also posted a few weeks back about coolant leaking from the top of your radiator endtank? Is the 140k+ miles all on the original engine? radiator ever been replaced? When was the last time the radiator hoses were replaced? Check the AST for leaks as well(miht be a good time to dump/replace it).

 

jack your car up, get up under it and look at the bottom of the radiator where the plastic meets the metal and i bet thats where the leak is coming from. it happened to me mine was leaking all the way across. if it is the radiator and you dont have the money for an aftermarket one, go to ebay and search for (radiator doctor). $199 for a brand new stock one.

 

Sorry guys, I believe the coolant seals are gone.......It wouldnt top off no matter how much water I use. RIP my FD.

 

Even if your coolant seals were gone you would still be able to top off the coolant if the engine was not running. Coolant dripping everywhere is not a symptom of a blown coolant seal (though of course it doesn't mean they're not blown as well).

If, like you mentioned, coolant is dripping all over the place then it is likely that some hose is blown somewhere and is dumping the coolant out as you try to top it off. Find this hose and replace it.

 

You need to read what the other people above wrote.

The only seal that might be bad is the one on your water pump. If you add coolant and it leaks on the ground, it's obviously not leaking from the engine block. Also if your coolant o-rings in the engine were leaking that bad you wouldn't be able to start the damn thing.

If you continue to drive it with coolant leaking on the ground then you will be justified in whining about needing a new engine very quickly.

 

please dont tell me you are filling it through the resevoir...
if you over fill the resevoir, coolant will spill.


this might be your problem...

 

did your exhaust ever smell like coolant before coolant started leaking everywhere?

 

Please..please..flat bed it to a mechanic..get the cooling system pressure tested..look for busted hoses and then tell us..

You might be in luck...If what you say is true about the length of time you had the car on and such...your orings should not be toast !

Locking thread since he already whining in the lounge