been losing coolant not overheating

1997 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT
194,986 MILES
Avatar
DAZA
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I have a 1997 volkswagen passat 1.9tdi.. It recently has been losing water, the warning light on dash is coming on every 100miles or so..There seems to be no apparent leakage anywhere and its not overheating..can you help please..

I have checked for any signs of any leaks,the temperature gauge is normal, The air con hasnt been working for a while and i was told there might be an air lock in the coolant system,but i cant locate the bleeding nipple to try and force air lock out.
Nov 26, 2011 at 12:43 AM
Advertisement
Avatar
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 110,175 POSTS
What to do is this. You need to pressure test the system. You need a colling system pressure pump which is nothing more than a hand held pump that screws onto where the radiator cap is. When the engine is cold, remove the radiator cap and install the pump. Pressurize the system and check for leaks. Another tool you can use is a dye for the system. It mixes with the coolant and after driving, you check it with a black light. The dye will glow. It makes things much easier to locate.

As far as bleeding the system, that shouldn't be a problem unless you emptied the system reciently or it got extremely low on coolant. If there is no port to bleed it from, I always bleed from the return hose from the heater core.
Nov 26, 2011 at 12:48 AM