I'm an doing some work in LA but I live in the Bay Area. On the drive down I5 the car was fine but when I hit the grape vine it over heated. I pulled off to the side and let it idle to cool down enough to make it to the next rest stop. When I got there, the coolant was HOT! I only un-threaded the cap just enough to release some pressure and let the steam boil off. The coolant tank was empty so I topped it off with water (all that I had) then started on the road again. The low coolant light came back after a few miles but temps didn't rise for several miles after that. At this time I stopped at a Walmart and picked up some VW spec coolant to top it off. When I got back to the car, there was a puddle underneath and the tank was empty. I refilled and went on my way. I made it to my destination and parked it but when I came back there was coolant underneath on the passenger side. I checked into my hotel and now I'm trying to figure out my options.
Here are some of the things I know...
1. This is not the first time I've had issues with leaks. I've had coolant loss issues before, I replaced the coolant tank and but did not appear to solve the problem. It is very intermittent. I went several months without any leaks but today was the first day the leaking returned in months.
2. The loss appears to be very close to the coolant tank. I can see evidence of coolant under the tank but because of how much stuff is there, I can't see any obvious places it could be coming from. The water is traveling down the channel that goes from the engine bay and runs under the passenger side of the car. It eventually drips out a drain hole on the passenger side near the middle of the car.
3. It leaks when the car isn't running.
4. Opening the coolant tank the coolant system is under a vacuum as I hear the air being sucked back into the system.
5. The car has 330k miles on it and the coolant hoses that go to the coolant tank have not been replaced as far as I know.
With this information, are there any obvious culprits to check in the general area of the coolant tank other than the tank itself which has already been replaced? I can replace the hoses if that is the issue assuming I can find something suitable at a local parts store but I've got no tools on me so I'm limited in my troubleshooting and repair abilities.
Here are some of the things I know...
1. This is not the first time I've had issues with leaks. I've had coolant loss issues before, I replaced the coolant tank and but did not appear to solve the problem. It is very intermittent. I went several months without any leaks but today was the first day the leaking returned in months.
2. The loss appears to be very close to the coolant tank. I can see evidence of coolant under the tank but because of how much stuff is there, I can't see any obvious places it could be coming from. The water is traveling down the channel that goes from the engine bay and runs under the passenger side of the car. It eventually drips out a drain hole on the passenger side near the middle of the car.
3. It leaks when the car isn't running.
4. Opening the coolant tank the coolant system is under a vacuum as I hear the air being sucked back into the system.
5. The car has 330k miles on it and the coolant hoses that go to the coolant tank have not been replaced as far as I know.
With this information, are there any obvious culprits to check in the general area of the coolant tank other than the tank itself which has already been replaced? I can replace the hoses if that is the issue assuming I can find something suitable at a local parts store but I've got no tools on me so I'm limited in my troubleshooting and repair abilities.