Just a few miles into a morning drive and I get the red "CHECK COOLANT LEVEL" message. Temp gauge was flashing red. Pulled over and had it shut off within a mile, about 3 minutes.

Temp gauge never exceeded tic mark between 180 and 250 degrees. Engine fan never even came on with car off. Cool morning, about 55 degrees F. Healthy leak from front passenger radiator; reservoir empty.

Please tell me this isn't going to be an engine issue. Hoping it is just a hose/radiator. Anybody know where temp gauge is reading from?

 

Mine did that once. Replaced switch and was good.

 

Switch?

 

if i had to hazard a guess? i'd say you need to replace the radiator that is leaking. could be a hose, but more likely the rad. no big deal.

 

Absent any sign of coolant gushing from under the car I'd hazard a guess the coolant cap is allowing vapor to escape and the level has dropped over time to the point the warning light came on. This is what happened with my Boxster. Twice the level dropped low enough to turn on the warning light and after spotting condensation above the cap on the rear trunk lid I replaced the cap. (I checked for leaks elsewhere, like the tank, but found none.) When I got the Turbo Ii didn't wait for its original cap to leak, but I replaced this with a newer cap almost as soon as i got the car.

As an aside, with a loss of coolant chances are the temp gage would never read anything but normal as there would be no coolant flowing past the gage sensor for the sensor to register an increase in temperature.

Really the temp gage is there to fill a hole in the dash.

Anyhow, top off the level with distilled water. Probably will take a gallon. Replace the cap with a new one.

Before you install the new cap be sure where the cap screws to the tank and seats/seals is clean.

Put on the new cap.

Start the engine. All warning lights should be out and the engine should run and behave normally.

If you want, if you want to perhaps eliminate a leak, drive the car around town with the A/C off until you are sure the engine is fully up to temperature and has been a while.

Back home raise RPMs to around 1K and hold until the radiator fans come on. You might have to have a helper outside the car listening for the fans to come on. Be sure both fans come on and as best you can tell are blowing about the same amount of air. Any difference can be due to a bad fan motor or less likely due to excessive (and I mean excessive) build up of trash in the radiator duct, and especially between the A/C condenser and radiator.

Shut of the engine. The heat load will cause the coolant temperature to rise and along with this the pressure. If there is a leak -- at the tank (the bottom can develop a crack/split at the seam) or a radiator or a coolant hose fitting at the engine block, the water pump (my Turbo), anywhere -- you should notice it from the presence of coolant and the smell of anti-freeze.

As the car sits after you shut off the engine walk around the car, lean down, and use your nose to detect any sign of anti-freeze. Open the engine compartment. Be careful where you put your hands. The engine compartment fan can come on at any time if the engine compartment temperature gets hot enough.

Keep your distance but sniff the engine compartment for any presence of anti-freeze odor.

A while back I caught a whiff of anti-freeze from my Turbo and upon further investigation by the tech the water pump was found to be leaking -- had a heck of a deposit of dried anti-freeze residue built up under the pulley between the pulley and the water pump casting. Also, we found the driver's side radiator fan not blowing hard at all and that was replaced along with the water pump.

Anyhow, if you find a leak, then get it confirmed and fixed. Could be a water pump, tank, radiator, or any number of other places, even of course one of the epoxied in coolant hose pipes/fittings at the engine block.

Regardless, the leak is what it is and needs to be identified and properly fixed.

 

the guy said: "Healthy leak from front passenger radiator; reservoir empty."

 

Recent updated high quality aftermarket radiator is now available (see thread in this forum) you might want to consider using that as replacement part if it isn't a hose (it probably is the radiator).

 

Oops. 3 day weekends always have me coming up short in the reading comprehension department.

 

Radiator replaced last fall. Really not concerned with cause of leak, that will work itself out at the mechanic.

I am more worried about engine damage. Looked at a map this morning. I had it off the freeway and shut down within 2 miles of the first warning message.

 

macster, you're a font of useful information, nonetheless.

 

Cause: coolant hose came loose; retaining spring wire not fully engaged after fall installation of a new radiator. Back together at no charge

Note: temp gauge measures from engine block.

 

disregard my previous comment, sorry. I was on my phone and didnt read the entire thing.

My issue was electrical, and there was no leak or loss of coolant, the switch/sensor that controlled the gauge was bad on mine.

 

Its nice when its a simple fix and free! Hope nothing was damaged.

 

"could be a hose" lol good to hear it was nothing major.