Scirocco Register

i seem to have a coolant leak, as after a long drive of a few hundred miles, it had gone down a couple of inches in the tank. any suggestions for common culprits? the radiator is pretty much new so it's not that. i'm guessing a hose somewhere, but can't seem to locate it.

1.The expansion tanks crack.
2.The small piece of pipe that connects to the warm air blower is also another one that gos quite easily.

Just run it hot and have a look.

I had steam from under the bonnet a few weeks ago. Turns out it was a piece of hose running over the top of the rocker cover going to the choke / carb. It was only leaking when the engine was really hot, coolant was squirting onto the hot exhaust mani. BIG STEAM! I got new hose from http://www.auto-performance.co.uk/. They were really helpful and service was mint.

Usually finding a leak means running the car to temp (even til the fan comes on) and moving the hoses around. I didn't find my leak until I took off all the air intake gubbins and had a good poke around with the hoses. Give it a try, just don't get covered in roasting hot coolant.

Hope this helps.

d_jay1 wrote:the radiator is pretty much new so it's not that.

coz it'd be impossible to get a stone go through a new radiator. new parts fail just as often as old ones ;)

will check all the relevant bits. cheers for the tips.

sorry if that sounded arsey. i just get fed up with people telling me that such and such cant possibly have failed as it's only a few days/weeks old. i hear it at least once a day from my retard customers

ha ha. no probs. i know new stuff fails too, but radiator was first thing i checked and all seemed ok. no steam, drips etc.

i'm giving the whole engine a good once over at the moment, so no doubt the leak will raise it's head!

A black filler cap or a knackered blue one is another possibility

The plastic flanges on the front and side of the head do warp and leak. Have you got antifreeze in your cooling system? If so you should see a crystal like substance around any joint that leaks.