Got my car back! Coolant Q...

[unclejemima]

I got my Beat back from the mechanic this evening!:D:D:D It now has a new timing belt, water pump, dizzy, ext! It should be good for a long time now! (shy of oil changes and such)

Anyway, when I got home I could smell burning oil or something. It was not coming from the tail pipe (thank goodness!) but rather the engine compartment. I assume it was spilled oil on the exhaust.

When I got it home, I popped the engine cover, and it looks like it is just burning off coolant or oil that had leaked onto the exhaust/engine. Coolant I'm assuming from the water pump change and oil from removing the valve cover.

Anyway, I checked my oil before I left the mechanic, and it was just perfect...the coolant on the other hand is not even in the bottle...maybe he forgot to top it back up? Of course I never checked the coolant till I got home. The temp gauge did read correct (nice in the middle) on my drive home, so it can't be bone dry, but I'm really not to sure how much is in the system. I hope I did not damage anything!

What is the correct procedure for adding coolant? 50/50 mix? Do I add it to the tank in the trunk? Do I have to be careful in any way as to avoid getting air bubbles in the cooling system or something along the lines of that or do I just pour it in until it is up to the level. Does it matter if I check the level hot or cold?

Advice would be greatly appreciated!

[marcair]

The trunk mounted unit of the cooling sys is to extract air from the system. Note that it is the highest item in the sys. Small volume filling and monitoring should be accomplished at this location.

[Steve_M]

Part of the exhaust needs to come off to remove the cambelt cover heat sheilds so probably oil/coolan ton the exhaust just burning off, hopefully you dont have any leaks.

Only check the coolant level when Cold. Top up at the rear expansion bottle. Cap is a pressure cap so if hot there will be excess pressure, so dangerous to remove cap.

Coolant should be 50/50 mix and should match what ever coolant the garage have put in.

[unclejemima]

Thanks guys! Good to know!

I hope I don't have any leaks, but I'm pretty sure it is just burning off the exhaust. I will find out soon enough!

When replacing the water pump, is all the coolant drained from the system, or only what was in the lines going to the pump?

-mark

[Steve_M]

When replacing the water pump, is all the coolant drained from the system, or only what was in the lines going to the pump?


Depends what sort of mechanic was doing the job.

If it was me I would have drained the coolant from the under floor pipes (lowest points) to get all the coolant out, thus to be able to replenish with new.

Other may just take the pump off and see what came out. then refit pump and top-up system.

[unclejemima]

Depends what sort of mechanic was doing the job.

If it was me I would have drained the coolant from the under floor pipes (lowest points) to get all the coolant out, thus to be able to replenish with new.

Other may just take the pump off and see what came out. then refit pump and top-up system.

I see! Thanks kindly for the info (as always!)
Take care,