coolant warning light

[Veee1.8t]

hey guys ...my coolant warning light came on last nite and stayed on....i checked the level and its right on minimum do i go out and buy coolant or topp it up with water?

thanx

[Bora Sport]

Topping it up once with water would be OK.

[ope126]

Read your owners manual!

It will suggest a small amount of water or go buy yourself a bottle of OEM G12 or G12+ coolant for top up purposes.

But it could be indicating something else, have you seen any leaks / puddles in your Garage?

[Timbo]

More than likely just warning you about the level. Same thing happened to me a few weeks a go. I checked -- no leaks, but level just below minimum -- topped it up with coolant and I've had no lights since.

That sensor must be very sensitive, because mine was just below the min mark.

[philthy]

My coolant light came on with the level down a bit after about 30000ks.. guessing the polos just spit a bit of coolant out over time as I havent seen any puddles/ leaks

[kelvniii]

NO! please do not topping it up with water!! go buy a G12 or G12+, mix it with distilled water and top it up to your polo

This is what you need, i have instruction at the back

http://www.passat-b5.ru/phpBB2/files/g12_807.jpg

[Sharkie]

I had to top up within the last week as well. Coolant less than $20 from VW. Must be the season for it .....

[Spec83]

I noticed on the weekend while polishing / detailing that my water was a little bit low (still above the min mark) after going for a quick drive...

Was a lil bit worried but sounds like the 20v uses a little bit of water :)

[SoVeReIgN]

A little bit of distiled water never hurt anything - But if you have to put more than a couple of hundred mils go with G12. (IMO)

[Bubu]

Just remember that the coolant also has the job of lubricating your waterpump, it's not just a anti-freeze/anti-boil and anti corosion green stuff (or red).

[belle]

1.5Lt G12+ purchased today from South Yarra Vw $13.25 in GST
Demineralised water 4lt $5 Bunnings

Now for the stupid woman questions :rolleyes:

What mix do you make 2:3 , 1:1 or 3:2 :?

Do any of you to keep some mixed up in your boot incase of emergencies?

Best way to flush? Read on another VW site empty, fill with normal water run for 2 days, empty and refil with G12 mix (It was sold to me like 3 months ago and has green coolant in it:mad:)

I know im in "polo" but do cordobas have roughly the same capacity, think 4 Lts?

[aprr32]

Just top it up with water, it is fine.On a service it the strength should be checked and added if required.

[pinzvidz]

Just remember that the coolant also has the job of lubricating your waterpump, it's not just a anti-freeze/anti-boil and anti corosion green stuff (or red).

Lubricating the waterpump?!? You can't be serious...? The waterpump runs a sealed bearing! Coolant does not act as a lubricant.

[Bubu]

Lubricating the waterpump?!? You can't be serious...? The waterpump runs a sealed bearing! Coolant does not act as a lubricant.

Maybe I should have been a bit more clear in that post. I didnt mean the coolant on its own is a lubricant (even though it stops builup on the waterpump), I meant the cooling system as a whole.

I had to learn this the hard way when an object got between the fan and radiator and chopped up the radiator and emptying all its contents. The car was towed home and I started it to drive it into the garage from the street, a distance of about 10-15 meters. That was a big mistake because the seals had no water/coolant to lubricate and just running the engine for about 15 seconds was enough to make the waterpump seals fail.

[PeterHBne]

Mine came on before. Hadn't seen it before. Of course first reaction, "F**f what now? Red flashing thermometer in angry red water. Also flashing. This can't be good."

Mine turned out to be JUST on or under the minimum.

Read this and fretted over the water/coolant thing. Thought bugger it and put 8/10s of a small glass of water into it. Problem solved.

[Ben_GTI]

A trick I learned with mine.... if the coolant light comes on just after start-up, turn the car off, wait 5 seconds, turn it back on.... problem gone. Magically more coolant appears in the reservoir. God only knows where the coolant goes but it must get locked up somewhere or get an air bubble.... stuffed if I know but it comes back :)

If the light comes on when you're driving this is a different issue.

[danish]

I've had coolant radiator problems for the past 6 months.

First the coolant light on... Then a couple months later on again.... Then once per week. Bought a new radiator now and will swap at next service.

Now the bloody radiator fan doesn't work (fuse is ok) so the car starts to overheat (never to the red) after an hour in traffic.

Stupid bloody cooling system

[PeterHBne]

A trick I learned with mine.... if the coolant light comes on just after start-up, turn the car off, wait 5 seconds, turn it back on.... problem gone. Magically more coolant appears in the reservoir. God only knows where the coolant goes but it must get locked up somewhere or get an air bubble.... stuffed if I know but it comes back :)

If the light comes on when you're driving this is a different issue.

Yeah when I opened the reservoir it pssssshhhheeed and this raised the level slightly to just on minimum. Seemed like a small airlock.